Most people try to manage their holiday finances, but when it comes down to purchasing gifts, many times we throw caution to the wind and spend a whole lot more than we planned (or can really afford). Do you even know how much money you blew last year between Thanksgiving, splurging on new holiday outfits and Christmas presents? Bet you have no idea! This year, with the unstable job market and crashing stock exchange, being frugal is more important than ever. Here are some tricks to avoiding digging yourself into a crater-sized hole this holiday season:

Nearly two years after it first demanded that Yale University return thousands of artifacts from Machu Picchu excavated by Hiram Bingham in 1911, the Justice Ministry of Peru has approved plans to press ahead with the government's charges against the Ivy-league school. Bingham's discovery helped to drum up international interest in Peru and incited a steady stream of tourism to the site that has yet to let up.