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"   In Wednesday&amp;#039;s New York Times, writer Michelle Slatalla opened a dialogue about why not cutting back during tight times might be more fiscally responsible than the alternative. On one side of the argument, her conscience, which, like most of ours (even if we haven&amp;#039;t been laid off or placed in a precarious financial situation), reminds us on a multi-daily basis of why we don&amp;#039;t need this, shouldn&amp;#039;t buy that, can&amp;#039;t indulge there, and so forth. In the other corner, University of Michigan sociology professor, Pamela J. Smock, who, bless her insular academic heart, asserts, &amp;quot;Right now, people need jobs. It&amp;#039;s a bad idea to cut back on things you used to do normally. Don&amp;#039;t do your own hedging. Don&amp;#039;t start mowing, either.&amp;quot; Since I neither hedge nor mow, I have to assume Professor Smock would want me to find my own lifestyle equivalents and plug them into her economic theory. For example, after work today I will not do my own pedicuring, and even though I&amp;#039;d really only entertained the idea after being told Fluff and Fiber One products don&amp;#039;t a well-balanced diet make, I won&amp;#039;t start cooking, either. I feel better already.  Oh, and just because I was curious, here below are those items and services the ELLE staff divulged to me they absolutely could not give up/afford in these tough economic times (note: the &amp;quot;necessities&amp;quot; list is longer, because some people couldn&amp;#039;t think of an answer for the second category): Still-need Necessities: - Eating nice meals out - Haircuts at Frederic Fekkai - Luxury nail polish - Really good sunglasses - One nice investment piece per season - Wolford tights - Us Weekly subscription - Kiehl&amp;#039;s Straightening Balm - Kiehl&amp;#039;s Cr\u00E8me de Corps body lotion - Monthly facials - Manhattan rent - Giorgio Armani foundation - Good sheets - Taxis - Vintage books - Balthazar&amp;#039;s Bar Steak - The full cable package (including DVR, HBO, HD channels, etc.) - Daily Starbucks - Alcohol* Lost Luxuries: - Working out with a trainer - Using a credit card. For anything.- Professional eyebrow shaping - Vacation - Weekly tabloid magazines - Bi-monthly manicure/pedicure - Take-out - Bottled water - Flights home - Daily Starbucks *six respondents gave this answer "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.elle.com/fashion/news/a1701/necessity-vs-luxury-2821/>