I do my own yard work. That saves a lot of money and is very satisfying. There are a lot of ways to cut back if you compare yourself to your parents life style it is obvious that many of us are pampered compared to our parents and grandparents. I think one of the reasons they were the greatest generation (grandparents) was because they did not whine about their lot in life, but generally made the best of it. I also appreciate what great recyclers my parents and grandparents were. They did not waste anything. I am not one to think that a severe economic downturn will be a good thing, but I believe we can all learn to be more conservative in some areas of our lives.