Survive the Recession!

Yes, Paint the Town Leopard is usually featuring DC's hottest events, restaurants, and trends that aren't exactly reflective of a common folk's budget, but everyone seems to be getting a little bit more poor these days. Airline tickets are ever so low, the sale racks at Cusp are getting larger and larger, and it seems to me that even Nicole Kidman has been stricken by the poor economy, as her face is looking less Botox-y than usual. No matter how pathetic and sad you feel, everyone is cutting back on something these days to survive the economic yuckiness; which sexy Barack will be getting us out of soon enough with all of the delicious Bail Out business, I might add. But while he's hard at work in the Oval Office, I've compiled a list of things that I've been doing to save my minimal resources, hoping that maybe I can inspire others to stop living like they're rich:

• Get rid of the acrylic nails: Honestly, I now save $60 a month and can type on my Blackberry ten times faster. I also look more work appropriate and don't feel like trailer trash for the entire day when one pops off. Plus, acrylic nails are so 1998 Jennifer Lopez out of Selena. 
• Buy generic grocery store items: Though it killed me, I bought the Harris Teeter-brand mustard instead of my beloved Grey Poupon. Two dollahs here and two dollahs there just really adds up.
• Take public transportation: We have an amazing metro system and you shouldn't act like a snob about taking it. Those cab drivers can be ridiculous and will try to mess with you just to up the meter; skip all that and hop on the metro or the Circulator. Sometimes, I pretend I'm Carrie from Sex & the City on the New York Subway and it makes me feel like I'm doing something glamorous.
• Go out two nights a week instead of five: You'll loose weight from not consuming all of the empty alcohol calories and develop new hobbies that you never knew existed (as long as none of them compete with Paint the Town Leopard, all you writers out there!). Plus, when you're not in the nightlife seen as often, all of the promoters will flock to you on the nights you actually are out and wonder where you have been. Mysteriousness goes a long way.
• Eat in: Okay, okay. Maybe four nights a week instead of none. But you'll save a huge amount of money and might even enjoy cooking. I discovered my favorite recipe, tilapia cured in blueberries, during one of the poorest weeks of my life.
• Share popcorn at the movies: Those snacks really get you. My friend Christine and I pretended we were on a date and ordered one of those packages that you could refill. Not only did we split the bill, but actually got more popcorn in the end. Which made me feel super bulbous afterwards.
• Wear the same thing twice: Unless you're an heiress and you don't have to. If you haven't gotten over this yet, you're going to end up a broke fool. Just buy a lot of designer items from Loehmans and mix and match. 
• Skip the animals: Contemplating a dog or a cat like I was? SKIP IT! Those things are a nuisance, will poop on your Jimmy Choos, and will end up being more of a headache than the five minutes of snuggle time that you actually enjoy being with them. Go for the pooch when you're more financially stable and aren't obsessed with going to Happy Hour every night after work.
• Go without the plastic surgery: Were you really hoping to get that nose job this year? The breast implants? The lipo? Though plastic surgeons have created all kinds of incentives because they've been out of business, skip it. You're going to feel really bad when you realize you're wearing two month's rent on your chest.

Got anymore fetch ideas for living a plebe lifestyle like me? Be sure to comment. And, might I add, this was SO much easier to type now that I got the acrylics removed...