We've all been cornered. The gauntlet thrown down by America's new economic realities: Change your evil, thrift-less ways.

But making do with less doesn't have to mean cutting out a Caribbean holiday. Economizing doesn't require staying at backpacker crash pads and dining on hot dogs. And since an empty hotel room or vacant airplane seat generates no revenue, the travel industry has an urgent incentive to roll out the deals.

Combine these inducements with my top ways for controlling costs and you won't have to purge the word ``island'' from your rest and relaxation agenda.

• Travel in the off, off season. You already know that mid-April through mid-December is the Caribbean's low season, when prime berths across the region drop room rates 30 percent or more. But true Caribbean aficionados know that rates drop even lower in September and October, a post-summer travel lull that coincides with peak hurricane season. Occupancy rates dip so low that some hotels and restaurants close for up to two months. Those that stay open have to fight hard for guests, and the discounts and specials -- particularly at high-end resorts -- can be impressive.

At Wyndham Sugar Bay Resort & Spa in St. Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands (wyndham.com/specialoffers), summer rates start at $256 a night. But Aug. 25 through Oct. 31, entry-level rates drop to $219. Add in the resort's Caribbean Vacation Stimulus package -- which offers two free nights for two paid -- and the effective nightly rate drops to $109.50, plus the hotel throws in a $100 food and beverage credit. (Except as noted, hotel prices do not include tax and service charges adding up to 20 percent.)

Low season rates at Anguilla's Cap Juluca resort (capjuluca.com), which completed a $22 million face-lift less than a year ago, start at a heady $425 per night including breakfast. But this September-October, two packages offer either a second room at a discounted rate (five-night minimum) or the sixth through tenth nights at the hotel for free -- effectively half off the summer rates.

One more reason to travel in the off, off season: American Airlines -- the region's dominant carrier -- drops its award levels for Caribbean and Mexico tickets from 35,000 miles to 25,000, Sept. 7 through Nov. 14. (US Airways also offers off-peak awards for the month of September, though the carrier's Caribbean flights are via Charlotte or Philadelphia.)

• Deals in the sky. Amanda Hoffman of Expedia recommends searching for airfares on Tuesday evenings. ``Most airlines post their deals on Tuesday morning and by that evening the other airlines have had a chance to match them,'' she says.

Be the first in line for airfare sales by signing up for airfare alerts. American Airlines has NetSAAver fares (aa.com) and Air Jamaica has Lovebird eSavers (airjamaica.com), both of which offered Miami-Montego Bay flights at $54 each way (plus tax) earlier this year. Subscribers to JetBlue's fare alerts (jetblue.com) saw fall fares from Fort Lauderdale to Nassau for $29 earlier this month.

• Be open-minded. Airfare and room availability always fluctuate, but especially in summer and fall, so the carriers and resorts continually fine-tune their rates to maximize occupancy. And with travel everywhere depressed, deals are popping up more than ever. Be flexible about your choice of island and lodging so you can take advantage of great buys as they crop up.

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