Life Without Frivolities

Simpler living may outlast the recession.

Large numbers of U.S. adults have cut back on driving, eating at restaurants, going to the movies and traveling. It’s no surprise that this type of discretionary spending has taken a hit, but these trends are not just the result of a 20-month recession.

To be sure, the recession has added to the count of people who are cutting back. But many Americans had already decided to live with less before the bottom fell out of the economy. That has been an ongoing trend, as more Americans move away from material frivolities and take pleasure in a simpler lifestyle. Now that a recession is forcing many others to also live within limits, how many will discover that they never really needed all those material things to be happy in the first place? That thought should worry consumer-oriented businesses, and encourage those who believe the nation and world are on an unsustainable course.

…Let’s look at those spending items that have seen the largest reductions, and when people said they changed behaviors.

* 63% are driving less, with 33% starting before the recession, and 2% planning to do so. Obviously, rising gas prices have had as much to do with this as has the recession.

* Restaurants are really hurting, as 69% of adults have reduced or eliminated going out to dinner, or plan to do so. That trend began prior to the recession, when 29% began staying home more often than eating out. The recession caused an additional 38% to do the same. The restaurant lunch crowd is also down. People have been bringing their lunch to work since the rise of sliced bread. The recession has added another 21% of adults who say they have or will become brown baggers due to the recession.

Forbes