Jenny Kincaid Boone reports that consumers are cutting back their extra spending, and that business owners are beginning to feel the pinch.

How are you saving those extra dollars these days? And, if you're a business owner, are you noticing that your customers are actively more frugal?

 I eat out less.  I drive less.  I go shopping less often and make less impulse purchases.

it hasn't affected me at all because I am wise with my funds. I do not sqaunder on fatty foods such as kfc or burger heavens, i cook real food and it is less expensive than fast food. i also do not go to the mall just to look. i only go if i need to purchase an item. all it takes is will power and common sense.

We’ve had to be more careful in our spending, especially since one of us lost our job.

We have gone back to some basics, like making our own bread, pasta, and pizza. We have canceled outtings, cut back on going to the movies, stopped going to the car wash, and started to shop at Wal-Mart and the thrift store again. In a way, this has been good for us because we used to be too loose with our money and didn't take care of our things.

This new challenge has been a learning opportunity for us. We’re being strategic with our money and learning to do stuff for ourselves again (instead of paying someone else to do it for us). There's a sense of freedom that comes with knowing I don't have to pay someone to make bread for me or wash my car. I hope we keep this up even after the economy recovers.

If things get really rough, the first services we'll cancel will be tv service and cell phone service. Then internet. It's funny how all of these things are now considered "essential" to have. Our society is making our lives too "expensive".