Regifting: The gift you keep giving

Leslie Lait immediately recognized the adorable, pale-blue, corduroy overalls she unwrapped at her baby shower. The infant-sized outfit with the tags still on was the same pair she had given to the very same friend, who was now regifting it back to her.

Boomerang gifts are not new, and they're about to get a lot more common as consumers seek to uphold gift-giving traditions on a shoestring budget. Thrifty is good, thoughtless is bad and public humiliation is even worse.

According to a recent survey by the National Retail Federation, Americans plan on spending an average of $682.74 on holiday-related shopping this year. That figure represents a 3.2% drop from spending in 2008 -- and it's not because we have fewer friends.