Regift

If you've received presents you can't use, put them back in circulation. Throw a regifting party with friends. Each guest contributes two or three new but utterly unwanted items (maybe an unopened DVD, bath gel or a trendy scarf) and gets to choose the same number of castaways from friends.

Best-case scenario: You score gifts just right for people on your list — think teacher, sister-in-law or teenage babysitter.

Swap Loose Change for a Gift Card

Go to coinstar.com to locate one of 16,000 Coinstar machines at a store near you, and load in your loose change. When you exchange it for a gift card or eCertificate, you don't pay any fees. Choose gift cards from —among others — iTunes, Starbucks, Old Navy, and Borders, and eCertificates for Amazon.com, JCPenney and more.

Snag Gift Cards at a Discount

At plasticjungle.com, you can nab secondhand gift cards (brand-new or partially used) at low prices. Inventory is updated throughout the day, with 1,400-plus merchants represented.

For buyers, deals are sweet — up to 40 percent off face value. The site guarantees all cards listed — value is vetted, and the expiration date of and conditions for each card are clearly posted.

And if you have a card with a minimum balance of $25 that you want to sell, the site will pay you up to 85 percent of the face value.

Offer a Toast

A nice wine goes a long way toward holiday cheer, but you don't have to break the bank buying it. If you buy a case (12 bottles), many stores will give you a discount. Choose wines that cost about $10 — with the case discount, that's a quick and simple gift for about $8 a pop.

Also try wine.com, which sometimes offers one-cent shipping on any 12 bottles sent to one address.

Ship for Free

Log onto paypal.com for a range of shipping deals and discounts if you pay via PayPal service at many big sites. Some e-stores, like beauty.com, offer free shipping on most items.

When buying gift cards online, seek out sites that send them at no charge, such as Lands' End, QVC and Nordstrom.

Check out Solid-Gold Sites

Quality matters, and so does a solid reputation, especially when times are tough, so check out these A-list retailers that are wooing your business: L.L.Bean (llbean.com) will offer a $10 gift card (good through Feb. 16, 2010) with a purchase of $25 or more. Well-heeled Brooks Brothers (brooksbrothers.com) will take $10 off your first purchase of $50 just for registering at their site. And at apple.com, you get two free lines of engraving on the iPod Nano, Touch or Shuffle.

ON ANOTHER MATTER ...

'Tis the season to give thanks — and give back. Remind your child that donating to a charity doesn't require writing a check. Encourage her to pass last season's athletic gear to Sports Gift (sportsgift.org), which will distribute it to kids in need. If your child has extra books, markers or other items, you can find teachers who need them at iloveschools.com, a nonprofit that connects donors with teachers in U.S. classrooms. Suggest that she send movies that haven't been watched in a while to troops in Iraq and Afghanistan through AMVETS Task Force DVD (amvets.org/taskforcedvd). Children's titles go to families of soldiers.

Recalls Alert

The following products and vehicles were recalled by the Consumer Product Safety Commission and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Unless otherwise indicated, discontinue use of the products immediately and return them to the store where purchased for a refund. For more information about the products, call the manufacturer or CPSC's toll-free hotline, 800-638-2772. Only some cars or trucks recalled are affected. Contact a dealer for your model to see if it is included in the recall. The dealer will tell you what to do.

PRODUCT/VEHICLE PROBLEM

White Tiger Folding Directors Chairs, sold for about $40 at Lowe's stores nationwide from June 2009 through July 2009.The chair back supports can break, posing a fall hazard to consumers. Consumers should immediately return chairs to any Lowe's store for a full refund. For additional information, call White Tiger at 877-251-5558.

2007-'10 Lexus ES350

2006-'10 Lexus IS

2005-'10 Toyota Avalon, Tacoma

2007-'10 Toyota Camry, Tundra

2004-'09 Toyota PriusThe accelerator pedal can get stuck due to unsecured or incompatible driver's floor mat, increasing the risk of crash, serious injury and/or death. Toyota will notify owners to remove floor mats and will notify of remedies when available. For more information, call Toyota at 800-331-4331.