WASHINGTON: In these recessionary times, 33-year-old lawyer Seigrid Walker is no longer concerned about keeping up with the Joneses - the goal now is to fall behind them.

And she is far from being alone. Recent surveys show that 80 per cent of Americans are more conscious of spending than they were six months ago, while rising numbers say they enjoy saving - and those who admit to enjoying spending are a dwindling minority.

While Ms Walker once regaled friends with tales of shopping sprees and circulated photos of Caribbean vacations with her husband, she now tells her girlfriends about staying home for pizza night with the kids.

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