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Downsizing. Cutting back. Being frugal. Buying “no frills” brands. Are you doing this? In my last post, I wondered if cutting back was such a bad thing, especially with the economy being what it is. Less stuff = less clutter. Less clutter = less stress. Sounds easy enough, but maybe not. What happens when we cut out things that make us feel happy and balanced, like going to the beauty salon, playing golf, or getting a facial. These activities rejuvenate us and can be hard to give up.

• Hair Salon. Yep, I do my own hair…except when my mum comes to town and she does it for me.
  

• Manicure/Pedicure. I learned to do these pretty early on in life and, in fact, used to be the nail tech at my mum’s beauty salon in my pre-college days. I know how to do it, so why pay for it?
  

• Maid Service. I don’t live in mansion so I can handle it. When I get the mansion, I’ll reconsider this one.

Ok, so now for the stuff that got cut in my age of frugality…

• Weekly Grocery Run. Don’t worry, I still eat. I just don’t go grocery shopping every week. I go every other week instead.
  

• Eating Out. I love trying out new restaurants but now I eat mostly at “Chez D. Allison Lee,” a.k.a., my kitchen. I cook more and eat out less.
  

• Daily Starbucks Visit. It was painful to not buy my favorite drink every day: Grande One Pump Vanilla Soy Latte. Over the summer, I had a penchant for the iced latte or the Vivanno Orange Mango Banana smoothie with Matcha Tea. Now, I limit myself to a “once in a blue moon” run and make coffee at home. It’s not the same, but I’ll live.
  

• Brand Name Items. Store brands have become more appealing to me these days.
  

• Audible.com. Since I’m on the road a lot, I like to listen to audiobooks while driving. Unfortunately, this got cut and I canceled my membership.
  

Want to know what’s hard for me cut out altogether? Sushi. I love, love sushi. I even send out tweets to my friends in Twitterland when I’m having sushi…

Something I won’t give up: organic flaxseed. I love the flavor and it has great health benefits. By the way, did you notice that I just had sushi a few days ago? Did you also notice that it was half off for happy hour? Yep, frugal is my new buzz word.

What are you cutting back on? Or, are you?

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