Latte: $5. Comfort: Priceless.

Worried Consumers Might Be Clipping Coupons, but Giving Up That Special Spirit-Soothing Something? No Way.

In these tough times, Erin Matticola may be stuck wearing last year's winter coat -- the black-checkered one her sister makes fun of -- but she still has chocolate.

There she was the other day, savoring a slice of $6.95 molten lava cake and a cappuccino with her boyfriend in a cocoa bar in Logan Circle. Just for a moment, she was ignoring the woeful economic news and advice of the finance gurus on TV, who always say the daily latte should be the first to go.

"It wasn't that cheap, but it was [darn] good," she said with satisfaction after the cake was gone. "Sitting in a place like this with a friend and having a nice moment. . . . I wouldn't cut back on that, even with my tight budget. "

As disposable incomes shrink and savings plummet, residents across the region say there are still some luxuries they won't let go of, no matter how bad it gets. They might be clipping coupons, joining warehouse clubs and carpooling, but they're still willing to spend their hard-earned cash on one non-negotiable something -- be it gourmet hot chocolate, cigars, pricey bottled water or a ski trip out West -- that soothes the spirit. In about 75 interviews, residents said the prospect of money spent on friends, family or for a small boost to their well-being is worth it.

"You need it in hard times," said Pat Borkowski, 60, a Clifton resident who still dines out with her husband twice a month. "You do need to go out so everything isn't awful."

Patricia Walker, partner in the consulting firm Accenture's retail practice, said the economic downturn has prompted consumers to think hard about spending before they buy. Even as consumer spending and confidence lag, some are willing to keep paying for luxuries, she said. But these treats are downscaled for the new era -- a cheaper bottle of wine, say, or a less-expensive eye cream.

"People are thinking about what is most important to them and how they can get that by scaling back in some other way," Walker said.

Even those with incomes above $100,000 are choosing dinners out, travel or Botox over expensive purses or electronics. It's what gives them "pleasure and happiness," said consumer-trends analyst Pamela N. Danziger of Unity Marketing. "They don't need more luxury goods. Their attics are full up with stuff."

Karen Ialongo, 51, a self-employed event planner from Old Town, has been looking for a full-time job since the economy tanked. She traded her BMW for a fuel-efficient Honda Civic and began using her Balducci's reward club rebates. But she refuses to give up her weekly manicure at the Sugar House Day Spa & Salon, a $200 monthly expense.

"I don't want to come off as a froufrou," she said. "I'm not froufrou. All I'm saying is that it's very important for me to take care of myself, because if you don't nobody else will! . . . It's a mental health experience, and God knows I need it."

Others swear they'll keep gym memberships or cleaning or other services.

"I always say I'd work at 7-Eleven before I'd give up my cleaning lady," said Dolly Tolson, 65, a retired government employee and Fairfax County resident.