Me? Cut Back? Never.

I love this topic!  It is so timely, first of all.  And, it's nice to know that I'm not the only one cutting back.  This is the only real time of economic uncertainty we've experience as adults, and it's scary.  It is really hard that this is all happening exactly when we are starting our grown-up lives, and thinking about homes and kids and marriages and stuff.  But I think better now that when we are 65.  And in a way, it's a good thing.  I think a lot of our generation were getting used to the prosperity.  It's helpful that reality has set in and now young people will have more of an understanding that they have to save, and be really cautious about how they save.  The fact that many people lost everything in what they thought were very secure accounts not withstanding- I'm trying to be positive here.

Anyway, it's hard for me to cut back at all.  I don't think the things I generally spend money on are too extravagant.  I hardly ever eat out at really nice places, I tend to buy whatever I want at the grocery store, I have a blackberry which I need for work, I don't drive very much these days, I don't buy clothes often, etc.  So the notion of cutting back on these minor expenses kind of ticks me off.  For me, the key to spending less is being a homebody.  I tend to spend when I'm out with my friends or my husband.  Lucky for me, I love being at home.  The biggest change for me in this recession has been that I mentally block myself from leaving (to a social extent) as much as I would normally.

But back to the topic.  As I've posted about before several times, I love my lattes.  It's not the caffeine.  I just love ordering mine, waiting for it, drinking it-- especially with a friend to gossip with.  I've been brainwashed by the big corporations who want me to think exactly like I do-- get that rush of happiness purely because I blew several dollars on a beverage that I will supposedly really like-- whether I actually do or not.  I guess I have cut down on these-- since leaving my house less often=less lattes.  But I wouldn't actively avoid one if given the opportunity.

Something else I could never live without is the internet, high-speed style.  I know some people just log-on at work, or go to cafes when they need to, but I don't think I ever could.  I work from home, so it's been a while since the days when I would be online at work ALL DAY LONG and very often, I never even turned on the computer at home in the tired evenings.  But it's such a go-to for me now I don't think I could give it up.  Though having a Blackberry is also very helpful- so I don't know, maybe I could.  I think the Internet is definitely one of those things that you feel like you can get if more than one person will be using it.  Between my husband and I, it's worth it.  On my own, I'm not so sure.

GirlWednesday alluded to this the other day, but I think an important thing not to cut back on is quality.  It's tempting to get cheaper home goods, clothes, accessories and stuff but the reality is, you will have to spend more money in the long run if you get lower quality stuff.  Sometimes it's tempting and I've definitely been guilty of it myself, but instead of buying cheaper things when I need them, I try to wait and save and get something that will stand the test of time and that I will really love.  

I suppose the key for surviving the recession for me is tricking myself into believing that I'm not really cutting back, when I actually totally am.