The DIY Stimulus Package

Hit a downturn? Let Marie Claire bail you out — with advice for dropping pounds, dumping your debt, jazzing up your pad, being a better lover and a better friend. We hope the Fed is taking notes....

Spice Up Your Place

Just because you're spending more time in the nest doesn't mean you have to tolerate it as is. "You walk into the same house every day, and you see the same stuff," says decorator Michelle Williams , who keeps Chicago's arty elite in Moroccan poufs. "Even if it just means buying bright turquoise candles for those holders you inherited from your aunt, get something in your place that makes you want to throw a party and use your last twenty to cook for your friends."

Get Jessica Alba's $200/Session Workout for $15

Go ahead and slash that gym membership from your monthly expenses. Celebrity trainer Ramona Braganza shares the simple, 40-minute at-home workout that got Alba and Halle Berry into fab post-baby shape. Follow her fat-burning program four times a week:

10-MINUTE CARDIO: Jog for two minutes; run hard for six; jog again for two.

STRENGTH TRAINING 1: Three rounds of 20 reps using 3-pound dumbbells.

5-MINUTE CARDIO: Alternate between 30 seconds of jogging and 30 seconds of sprinting.

STRENGTH TRAINING 2: Three rounds of 20 reps using 3-pound dumbbells.

Laid off? Taking a pay cut? Call your cable company, turn on the waterworks, and hint at having to downgrade from premium—they could trim $10 from your bill and throw in six months of free HBO. How else might you find cash between the couch cushions of your life? We asked the experts:

• Haggle over everything.
• Start a bidding war.
• Renew your rent. 

Find more on this at Marie Claire's website , and watch more Masthead at MeVIO Women.