If you are among the Americans who manage to make it through the holiday season without decimating your budget, the new year presents a wonderful opportunity for bargains. So what to buy in January? Some stores are eager to clear out Christmas overstock, while others are simply desperate to generate foot traffic for out-of-season items and make room for new product lines.

With desperation comes deep discounts, here are 15 items that you can save big on if you're willing to wait until January.

Federal Express does not want your Social Security number. Neither does UPS. Customers have reported receiving emails claiming to be from the shipping companies, warning them that a package went undelivered and asking for information. Or they're sent a link to print out, but instead it downloads a virus.

But really, it's a hacker, trying to get access to computer drives and bank accounts, Better Business Bureau President Tom Bartholomy said in a statement.

"While most of the country is preparing to celebrate the holidays, cyber criminals are spreading computer viruses and stealing identities," Bartholomy said.

General Motors is recalling about 100,000 Cadillac, Chevy and GMC crossover vehicles to fix seat belts that could fail in a crash.

GM says the recall involves 2011 model year versions of the Cadillac SRX, Chevrolet Equinox and GMC Terrain. The automaker says the seat belt buckle anchor for the driver and front passenger seats could break apart in a crash.

The recall is expected to begin in mid-January, with dealers contacting customers. It is not unusual at an automaker such as GM to have a single recall extend across its brands because it uses commodity parts such as seatbelt anchors across as many products as it can.

The new Equinox and GMC Terrain are two of the automaker's most successful vehicles this year, with the company having to add additional production to keep up with demand.

Before paying hard-earned cash for platinum jewelry this holiday season, look for the stamp to make sure you're getting what you pay for, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission says.

The FTC announced changes to its jewelry guides to make sure jewelers don't pass off platinum-alloy jewelry -- pieces that contain non-precious metals like copper -- as higher-priced, more pure platinum.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration warned consumers nationwide not to eat gourmet raw milk cheeses made by Sally Jackson Cheese of Oroville, Wash. because they may be contaminated with e. coli.

Authorities are investigating the cheese as a possible source of an e. coli outbreak that has sickened eight people in two states -- Oregon and Washington -- between September and November. Those infected with the e. coli bacteria often suffer diarrhea, stomach cramps, fever and fatigue and most recover in a week. In severe cases, the infection can also cause kidney failure.

The FDA said Sally Jackson cheeses -- which have been recalled -- were sold in 17 states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, District of Columbia, Hawaii, Illinois, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Texas, Virginia and Washington. The cheeses were also used in restaurants and sold online. A list of retailers wasn't available.

Whenever I think about holiday travel, I conjure the image of the McCallister family, from "Home Alone," running through the airport to catch their flight only minutes before its takeoff. With suitcases full of gifts and busy travelers trying to make it home in time for the holidays, it can be an unpleasant experience.

Embassy Suites Hotels elicited the support of their Facebook community to come up with helpful advice for holiday travel to make the process as pleasant as possible and made a list of the top 10 tips for travel this holiday season.

Today is free shipping day, and while there are more than 1,500 retailers listed on freeshipping.org, not all are the real deal with unrestricted free shipping. Founder Luke Knowles says he encourages retailers to do away with restrictions, but it's not always the case. So which are the best free shipping deals, and what can you do if you miss ordering today?

It feels good to give to needy organizations, whether it's a homeless shelter or a firefighter's charity. But how would it feel to know that most of the money you donated went to the telemarketing company making the call?

Oregon Attorney General John Kroger released a list of what he calls the 20 Worst Charities, hoping that consumers would make sure to avoid scams and give money to those groups who actually put it to good use.

Identity theft is a problem that isn't going away anytime soon. With more than 11 million victims in the U.S. in 2009, it's a very real problem that can become an even bigger hassle during the holiday shopping season, when we are busier (and more distracted) than usual and hunting for a good deal.

While thieves often often use a victim's identity for credit card fraud, they'll also use it to get a job or to receive health care, according to CreditCards.com. Thieves also don't care whether a victim has good credit or bad, as long as they can use their good name to commit fraud they'll be happy to steal their identity.

Sexy models have been luring customers to register as bone marrow donors. Sounds like a good thing for a good cause, right?

But the New Hampshire attorney general said when would-be donors took the bait, they, or their insurance companies, were charged up to $4,300 for a test that was supposed to be free.