Rattled by Economy's Ills, Consumers Forgo Life's Little Luxuries

The reactions might vary with age, Compeau said, with older consumers who recall other slowdowns, such as the recession of 1990-91, responding more quickly. "We have a whole new generation of fairly young wage earners who have never suffered a significant downturn in the economy," he said.

Barbara Runion, 56, of Hyattsville said she "absolutely" thinks the country is in a recession, reflecting the sentiment of nearly six of 10 people surveyed in a recent Washington Post-ABC News poll.

Runion has suddenly been seized by a feeling that she needs to downsize. Once more spontaneous with her spending, she paid off her credit card, started to use cash and took a harder look at every purchase.

"I was conditioned to just whip out the plastic without thinking about it, and it just got way out of hand," she said. One day last month, she said, she looked at the interest rate and her pile of debt. "It all just hit me," she said, "and I froze in my tracks."

This was not long before her husband told her that for the first time he was trolling the Internet for restaurant coupons. The couple started cooking more and cut back on weekend getaways to Ocean City, which they have always enjoyed in the winter. When their beloved cat, Boobie, died recently, Runion stopped herself from getting another pet.

"We're doing an about-face, across the board," Runion said. "Times are getting hard, they really are, and we are only three years from retirement."

On the other end of family life are the Loucks in Leesburg. Jennifer, 31, and Bryan, 29, say the financial squeeze is so real for them that they have hardly ventured out since the birth of their first child about four months ago. Last fall, Bryan cut out his frequent trips to Front Royal, Va., to catch bass. He has resigned himself to pond fishing, near home.

Jennifer pointed out: "Milk is almost $5 a gallon. It's ridiculous."

Times can be especially tough for families with additional hardships. Jennifer recently lost a job, she said, and -- although the region's unemployment rate is just 3 percent -- she finds the job market "horrible."

The Loucks live in an apartment and would like a house, but they can't swing it yet.

To Kelly Markomanolakis, 43, a mother of three in Waldorf, the signs of getting less for more are everywhere. Looking at her careful records, she can say with precision that her electricity and heating bill for January 2003 was $244 for her four-bedroom Cape Cod. This year, in the same month, it was $444.

At the supermarket, Markomanolakis said, she used to fill two carts with groceries. In her records, she spots weekly receipts for January 2003: $211 on one day, $228 on another. Last week, she said, she filled one cart and spent $294.