Miami University alum Mary Hall is the UrbanDictionary.com definition of a fashionista: A person devoted to fashion clothing, particularly unique or high fashion. However, when she started a fashion blog last summer, Hall said she believed the economic times weren't right for the use of that phrase.

In eight months, Hall said her blog, The Recessionista, has grabbed the attention of budget-minded consumers nationwide.

"I started it in July, which was way before people really started using that word, recessionista," Hall said. "Now, so many people are using the word that it's been declared that we really are in a recession."

Hall, a marketing manager for IBM in Los Angeles, started using therecessionista.blogspot.com to pass along money-saving tips for items ranging from jewelry to dining experiences to his friends and family.

Hall posted news on designer lines at discount and department stores and wrote about her own buys, including her proudest purchase: a $49.99 plastic Anya Hindmarch bag from Target, almost identical to a $1,200 purse by the same designer. Within months, Hall said the blog's readership exploded.

"With the Internet today, it's just easier to have a blog to share things. I started posting stuff, six months later it went from 500 to 30,000 regular readers," Hall said. "It's become quite a movement, something people really enjoy and they read it every day."

The Recessionista saw major increases in page views after it was featured in The New York Times Sunday Style Edition in October. Since then, the blog has been covered by Reuters, The San Francisco Chronicle, GlobalTV and media outlets in Europe and Asia. It currently holds the attention of 30,000 readers in over 120 countries, according to Hall. Although life as "poor college kids" is something many undergrads expect to deal with, the recession has put a new crunch on students hoping to find jobs or pay off loans in the upcoming years. Miami students are dealing with the recession in everyday life.

Sophomore Phil Hanwright said he constantly looks for deals at discount stores such as the local WalMart and off-price realtors like TJ Maxx.

"My spending habits haven't been hugely affected by the economic crisis," Hanwright said. "I'm always careful when spending my cash."

Angela Winterbotham, also a sophomore, said the recession caused her to take a closer look at her personal finances.

"Getting jobs in the current situation is going to be difficult for everybody graduating," Winterbotham said. "It's important to save money now more than ever."

Hall said the recession makes it even more vital for college students to search for resources and prepare for the future, and that much of the advice posted on her blog is applicable for those soon to enter the job market.

"Do not give up, be persistent and use new means to reach employers," she said. "There are low-cost ways to market yourself, and, as my blog shows, lost-cost ways to look good for interviews and new jobs."