1. Come up with some clues and lead your partner on a scavenger hunt around your home or around town. Leave smaller gifts, like notes professing your love, candy, or small trinkets, with some of the clues and save the main gift for the end.
2. Skip the umpteenth bracelet or box of candy and instead give your beloved an experience. Go skydiving, take a weekend away, or simply give them a day where you take care of everything and they can do whatever they like.
3. Get a local hotel room and take a trip to your own town. Eat out, visit local tourist attractions, and go shopping. 
4. Design a getaway just for your partner, but don’t let on where you are going or what you are doing til you get there.
5. Try havng a date at home on Valentine’s Day and going out the night before or after. Restaurants are hectic and the servers are stressed on February 14. You may have a better experience if you stay in for a romantic dinner and movie on that day.

Find Sixers schedules, tickets, merchandise, and more at http://www.nba.com/sixers.

• Craigslist is often used for job hunting, but did you know that it also offers services for prospective hires? Posting your resume in their dedicated sections is a great way to get your skillset out in front of people who have yet to post an ad of their own. Many employers appreciate the proactive approach.
• Monster.com is the largest database of job searchers and employers on the Internet. Although it can be difficult to stand out here, there is really no excuse not to use the system.
• LinkedIn combines a job searching site with a social network, as former employers and co-workers can leave testimonials on your profile attesting to your performance. This can be a great way to prove your bonafides to a prospective employer.
• If you have a personal blog or portfolio site, it’s often a good idea to post your resume and CV there. That way people attracted by your creative work can find you for potential paying jobs.
• Many websites exist for different professional groups, and many of them feature job hunting tools. Focusing on the area that you are interested in will help prospective employers pick you out from the pack.

-          Make a List. Just like Santa, prepare a list of everybody you need to buy gifts for and check them off when you’re done. Write down ideas, but make sure to keep it hidden from prying eyes. Knowing exactly how many gifts you have to buy can really help you budget.

-          Comparison Shop Online. Shopping on your computer can be a great way to compare prices and shipping options. Look on resale sites like eBay as well to save money. Don’t be afraid to visit a brick and mortar store to have hands-on time with a product as well, but don’t feel like you have to buy it there.

-          Pay with Cash. One of the best ways to avoid overspending is to get your shopping budget out of the bank in cash. It’s easy to spend too much when you’re putting it on a card, so bringing cash will help you think more about everything you buy.

-          Get Easy Gifts Done First. If you know your expenditures for simple gifts like your mailman, your paperboy, et cetera, set those aside and check them off the list. It’ll prevent you from scrambling to scrape up the cash come holiday-time.

-        Strawberry rhubarb pie is an old-school classic that doesn’t get made enough these days. The tartness of the rhubarb – a food that’s so bitter you can’t eat it raw – is perfectly complimented by the sweetness of the strawberry.

-        One interesting summer pie idea is cantaloupe cream – the mellow flavor of the melon adds a touch of depth to the pie that will impress anybody who tries a slice.

-        Another good summer pie choice is a frozen pineapple pie. Frozen pies are great for when you don’t want to turn on the oven and heat the house up, and they can be incredibly refreshing.

-        A classic Southern pie preparation is the chess pie, which is filled with a custard made from eggs, butter, two kinds of sugar, and vanilla. You can also add a teaspoonful of vinegar to cut the sweetness. This pie is typically eaten with a cup of black coffee.

-        The Pennsylvania Amish make shoofly pie, which is prepared with brown sugar and molasses to create a great, goopy texture. A variety of different fruits can be used in the filling.

Bloktoberfest – On October 15th from noon to 8 p.m., South Philly’s premiere block party returns and it's bigger than ever. Three blocks on South Street will be filled with great food and live music during an event that benefits education initiatives tied to the area’s schools and students.

Philadelphia Film Festival – Starting on October 20th, the Philadelphia Film Society celebrates 14 days of independent, feature length, and documentary film during the Society's 20th anniversary.

Haunted Houses – With Fright Factory, Terror Behind The Walls, The Bates Motel & Haunted Hayride, Sleepy Hollow Hayride, Lulu’s House of Horrors, and more, Pennsylvania is filled with plenty of places to experience thrills and chills during Halloween season.

Apple Picking, Pumpkin Patches, and more – Fall is the perfect season for picking apples, getting pumpkins, and harvesting a variety of other fruits and vegetables. There are also plenty of great places for picking up other fall goods like apple butter, pumpkin bread, and canning supplies. For an extensive list of farms around Pennsylvania, click here.

Craft Beer Express – Climb aboard on November 12th as a special party bus shuttles you back and forth between 12 of Philadelphia’s best craft beer bars as they host a plethora of special theme events.

Snapped by Laura Griffin

When Sophie walks into a random act of violence, she’s lucky to escape with her life. But was it really random? And can Detective Jonah Macon save her again?  An edge-of-your-seat thriller combined with steamy romance.

In Pursuit of Eliza Cynster by Stephanie Laurens

The pleasure of your company is requested at the wedding of Miss Eliza Cynster . . . but not until she’s rescued from a daring abduction by an unexpected hero!

Scandalous Desires by Elizabeth Hoyt

Nine months ago, Silence Hollingbrook made a mistake that ruined her marriage. Now she’s penniless and friendless—with a child to care for. So why is London’s most ruthless river pirate asking her for help?

A Lawman’s Christmas by Linda Lael Miller

In the Wild West, can a young marshal’s widow grow to love her husband’s brash replacement?

44 Charles Street by Danielle Steel

Strangers become roommates, roommates become friends, and friends become a family in a turn-of-the-century Manhattan house.

Each service has its own strengths and weaknesses. Here's a quick rundown of some ways to watch online:

1.     Hulu. By far the closest to viewing actual cable TV, many new shows are on Hulu the day after they air. The site also has an archive of classic shows to browse and watch. Many shows are free, but the paid “Hulu Plus” service adds full seasons and more. You can also watch on your TV with a modern game console.

2.     Netflix. The DVD-by-mail company has added a wide variety of streaming video to its library. You won’t find current seasons or episodes here. Only after they’ve officially hit DVD does Netflix get them. The selection is second to none, though.

3.     iTunes. Apple’s online media retailer lets you buy shows individually or by season, and the prices are reasonable. Episodes are generally available the day that they air on TV, but are usually held back until after the show screens on the West Coast. You can stream to your home entertainment center with AppleTV.

4.     Amazon. The online retailer is similar to iTunes as it lets viewers pay for individual TV shows or full seasons. Prices are about the same as iTunes, but some people prefer Amazon’s interface and selection.

5.     ESPN3. Sports fans have only one real choice, and that’s ESPN’s streaming service. The channel boasts millions of hours of available content, both live and archived, and can be watched on the Xbox 360 console as well as computers.

Forecasters project that Hurricane Irene will strike the North Carolina coast Saturday morning, then move northeast along the east coast. On Saturday and Sunday, states in the mid-Atlantic and New England will suffer torrential rain and hurricane force winds from the Category 2 storm. According to weather.com, Hurricane Irene has the potential to produce flooding rains, high winds, downed trees, and widespread power outages in and around cities like Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston.

If you don't already have one, now's a good time to create a disaster preparedness plan for you and your family. You can read the National Hurricane Center's hurricane preparedness tips at www.nhc.noaa.gov/HAW2/english/disaster_prevention.shtml (clicking the link will open it in a new window). The page offers tips on developing a family disaster plan, creating a disaster supply kit, and evacuation.

Click here for weather.com's projected tracks for Hurricane Irene.

Check weather.com, accuweather.com, or wunderground.com for up to date information about Hurricane Irene.

And most importantly, be safe!