It’s hard to believe it’s nearly November, and whether you’re a fan of cold weather or not, there is one good thing that comes with the change of the seasons: A brand new wardrobe.

But if you’re still on your job search, or just a little short on cash, there’s a new trend sweeping the nation called “recession chic,” with shoppers on a budget being fondly referred to as “recessionistas.”

High-end expensive fashions are out, while bargain and discount brands are all the rage now. And with the current economic downturn, this trend couldn’t have come at a better time. You don’t have to abandon your style just because your wallet is tight—stores like Kohl’s, Target and TJ Maxx carry clothing, beauty products and jewelry at way cheaper prices than boutiques, and specialty and department stores. To get the scoop on the best places to look for hot clothing and accessories at cool prices, check out The F!, a blog dedicated solely to bargain fashion finds.

If you’re looking for another way to save on your favorite threads, check out retail jobs that offer employee discounts on merchandise.

If you’re like most young adults, just thinking about today’s high gas prices is enough to make your stomach churn. But combined with credit card debt and school loans (not to mention the accompanying staggering interest rates), you and your bank account are probably close to the breaking point.

According to a survey performed by Qvisory, too many Americans have had their phone, cable, gas or electricity cut off due to their inability to pay the bills, and an even higher percentage have paid late fees on their credit cards because they just couldn’t make their payments.

These factors play a huge role in your credit score, and the lower your score, the higher your interest rates will be when it comes time to buy a car, apply for another credit card or buy a house. If your score is low enough, or you don’t have any credit at all, you may not be able to do any of those things at all.

For hourly workers, it may seem impossible to keep up with the increasing cost of living, but there are resources that can help you make sense of your debt, and even lower it. The Motley Fool, a financial advice website with a bit of humor, has a great section on credit card debt, including everything from a guide to a getting perfect credit score to tips on how to pay off your debt before you need dentures and a walker.

For a more comprehensive list of financial resources, check out the resources listed on FinishRich.com. Obviously, you want to avoid all debt like your mom’s surprise meatloaf, but when it’s inescapable, it’s important to be prepared and educated about your options.

And a quick tip for all you struggling college students out there swimming in loans: Talk to your lender about consolidation to save you time and money. This process combines all of your loans into one, resulting in one monthly payment and, many times, a lower interest rate.

• Unless you’re an heir to an oil tycoon, it’s hard to pay down your debt without a job, so start your job search now.

“What if you had a chance to change your job? Would you take it?” That’s the question the host of NBC’s new reality show, “America’s Toughest Jobs,” asks the audience at the beginning of the first episode. But these contestants won’t be ditching their office chairs for a cushy corner office or a six-figure paycheck—they’ll be trying their hands at some of the most grueling, back-breaking and dangerous jobs in the United States.

Bull riding, oil drilling and Alaskan crab fishing are just a few of the jobs these competitors will be asked to tackle, gigs that include having ship captains and site managers screaming in their faces and pointing out every mistake. Still, we picture many viewers sitting at home and thinking, “That’s easy, I can do that.” But in the first five minutes, the participants have to bite the head off of a dead fish—and swallow it. Do you think you could do it?

So if you would leave the water cooler talk behind and become a lumberjack or an ice road trucker, maybe you should try out for next season. As for us, we’ll stick by the coffee pot and leave the hard labor to more adventurous folks. But we would like to give kudos to those men and women who brave the elements to perform those tough jobs every day, despite the risk of a bull horn to the rib or falling overboard into below-freezing waters. Yikes.

We want to hear about your toughest job. Leave us a comment below and tell us about the hardest job you’ve ever had–even if you only lasted a day.

ALSO: Read our job advice to help you in your job search.

Which hourly workers are mostly likely to be showing off well-earned bling bling or perfect credit scores?

Sales representatives, who make an average hourly wage of $27.64. Forbes.com recently partnered with SnagAJob.com to determine the highest paying – and most plentiful – hourly jobs. And despite the current economic sob story, the results are pretty darn encouraging.

Did you know that customer service jobs and auto technician jobs average $17.54 and $14.93 per hour, respectively? That’s enough to grab a cool new Bluetooth headset or pimp your own ride.

• Check out the other high-paying gigs here.
• Also, search for part-time jobs now.

As the weather warms and the homework wanes, there are some summertime records that are fun to watch, including homerun derbies and hot dog eating contests. Other records are not so much fun, namely, soaring gas prices and media coverage of soaring gas prices.

We hate being redundantly redundant. And trust us, every time we see a headline or newspaper info-graphic about “pain at the pump,” we’re equally annoyed. Most of us pump gas, we see the prices and we feel the pinch. We don’t need some lame local news jockey with a phony voice to make the problem real with a few dramatic pauses.

With the average tank of gas going for $3.62, it’s gotten to the point where commuters’ headaches can be equally attributed to the high price itself, as well all the ink and airtime spent speculating about what’s next. Of course, we don’t want to be hypocritical in our own digital blog ink…

That’s we’re trying to offer some fresh perspective. Do the math, and unless you’re someone who drives for a living or makes major league commutes, you’ll realize you’re not losing as much as you might have thought. In the past two weeks alone, gas prices have risen a hefty 15 cents per gallon. If you fill up a 10-gallon tank twice a week, that’s $3 extra a week, or $156 year.

Everyone’s situation is different. And for hourly workers and job seekers who struggle to pay bills each month, any amount is a lot. But mix in a carpool here and a bus ride there, and things get a bit more manageable. Bring your lunch to work and trade your car’s A/C usage with a quick crank of the window, and you’re doing better than OK. All of a sudden that $156 is down to pocket change…unless, of course, gas prices continue to jolt.

All we’re saying is that before you cancel your summer vacation or buy a brand new, fuel efficient motor scooter and cool pink helmet, do the math first. You may just save yourself a few bucks down the road.

• Search for summer jobs and part-time jobs now.

The gang from “Beverly Hills 90210” chilled at The Peach Pit when the going got tough. The ladies from “The Hills” crash at mommy and daddy’s million dollar vacation pads when money can’t buy happiness. And when President Bush gets bummed over his approval rating, he can golf, fish and play the Risk board game deep in the heart of his Crawford, Texas ranch.

Everyone needs somewhere to hang out and relax. To reflect and move forward. And now America’s hourly workers and job seekers have Off the Clock. Think of it as yoga for your paycheck. Sure, the beanbag chairs and the old school “Donkey Kong” arcade game haven’t arrived yet, but please make yourself comfortable.

Within the walls of Off the Clock – SnagAJob.com’s new community/hangout for hourly workers and job seekers – you’ll find a ton of resources for both your working life, as well as the hours before and after you punch the clock: Connect to our MySpace profile and accelerate your job search. Get personal finance tips, hourly job news and plenty of punch lines in SnagABlog.com, our job search advice blog. And even send us your job stories, read others and win prizes in our new Share & Win! section.

Have fun. Tell your friends. And be sure to check back often. Off the Clock is a work in progress and we’ll be adding cool new features in the near future. We welcome your ideas; if you have any, please send them here.

• Check out Off the Clock now.

Working Papers: A first-time job seeker’s B.F.F.

It seems that everything these days comes with instructions: toaster ovens, exercise equipment and – heck – even mac & cheese.

Well, almost everything. First jobs don’t come with a free helpful guide. Until now…

SnagAJob.com has written “Working Papers” with the goal of helping all those soon-to-be hourly workers who have tons of questions but no answers.

Whether you’re curious about how many hours you can legally work each week or you demand to know why the amount on your paycheck looks suspiciously small, we have all the answers – well, all the answers about first jobs. We can’t tell you if opossum is safe to cook in that new toaster oven. Sorry, check the instruction book.

• Read “Working Papers” – a guide for first time job seekers
• Read more tips for finding teen jobs, student jobs and summer jobs.

You know that scene in cheesy horror movies when the babysitter is passed out on the couch, the children are laying snug in their beds, the sheriff’s head is in the mailbox – and then a mysterious, gloved hand snips the phone line outside the house? That’s kind of what’s going on with the U.S. economy right now, and consequently, the job market, too.

We’re honestly thinking of casting Sarah Michelle Gellar, ripping off a famous Japanese horror movie and calling our version, “Axe Job 3: Pink Slips & Toe Tags.”

It was just a month ago when we used this very space to be negative nellies and talk about our country’s employment – or lack thereof – with doom and gloom. And unfortunately, now we have to do it again. Except this time it’s a little worse…

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, we lost 80,000 jobs in March and unemployment hit the worst skid since September of 2005. But we don’t have to tell you how tough it is to find a job during a sour economy.

That’s why it’s important that you turn your job search horror into a romantic comedy with SnagAJob.com’s easy ZIP code job search and free expert tips. Sure, we’re not guaranteeing Hugh Grant will be your next hiring manager, but we’ll promise you it’s not a creepy, possessed kid who spends his time scribbling red Crayon on all your job applications.

Upgrade your job search for summer jobs and part-time jobs today.

Your age, family responsibilities, and the amount of loot you have hidden under grandma’s mattress could all contribute to this answer.

Would you sell your job for $1,000? What about $50,000? Heck, what about $140,000?

That last figure isn’t made up. That’s right, General Motors, which is struggling amid record losses totaling in the billions of dollars, is offering U.S. unionized employees with more than 10 years of service $140,000 for their jobs. Other employees are eligible for $70,000.

That may seem like a lot of cash if you’re 30 years old, single and own your condo. But that might seem like a cruel joke if you’re 50 years old with two kids in college, a ballooning mortgage and only overdraft charges in your bank account.

Would $140,000 – or even $70,000 – be enough to send you across the finish line into retirement? To hold you over while you search for a new job? Or maybe provide the jump-start you need to begin your own business, like you’ve always dreamed of?

How much would you sell your job for? Heck, if you’re in the middle of a job search, there are probably some of you out there who would pay to get rid of your lousy gigs. Please comment below…

• Search for auto mechanic jobs now

As TV talking heads and financial wizards warn of an impending economic recession, we thought we’d pause and answer a question, “What the heck is a recession, anyways?”

Technically, a recession is a decline in a country’s gross domestic product for six straight months. In other words, it’s bad, long and has to do with money.

Realistically, a recession occurs when people are in such financial dire straits that they stop spending money on everything from credit card bills to Hawaiian shirts and digital music downloads. Then companies sell fewer products and services, and collect fewer debts. Soon employees are laid off. And the process repeats itself more intensely with each passing cycle. It’s a series of toppling crippling dominoes – that if continues – can lead to a depression.

Back in the early 2000s, a U.S. recession was fueled by a few factors, including the Sept. 11 attacks and the dot-com bubble, which was the failure of websites like pets.com to find a way to sell chew toys cheaply online. And while most SnagABlog.com readers weren’t alive in the 1929 for the Great Depression, you’ve probably seen the pictures of bread lines in history text books and movies like “Cinderella Man.”

Recently, you might have heard or read in the news about the government possibly passing an economic stimulus package. It’s true. Right now politicians are debating whether or not to pass President Bush’s tax rebate plan, which would give an extra $600 to single taxpayers and $1,200 to couples who make less than $75,000 and $150,000 a year, respectively. Of course, this may never happen, or a new, different stimulus plan could be introduced. Some argue this is only a temporary solution, and would further fuel our national deficit.

Many fault the collapse of the subprime mortgage market for recent U.S. economic woes. Former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan – the man some blame for allowing the mortgage mess to happen – says there’s a 50-50 chance of a recession.

But there’s no use in worrying, right? The good news is that the job market is still healthy. And SnagAJob.com has plenty of employers who can end your job search now.