How Americans Spend Now

Ginnie Hall, 54, Kansas City, Mo.

I do give spending a second thought now, even though our financial situation hasn't really changed. Married for 32 years, I still have my good job. I'm in operations management at Sprint; I've been there 13 years. We've had layoffs, but I'm very, very optimistic about the company. But still. We're saving more. You want to have at least eight months' worth put away.

We used to go out to eat two or three times a week. Now it's once, on the weekend. I used to buy fresh flowers, and then I stopped. This lily — it's the first time I've bought flowers since Christmas.

We've been loosening up a little bit. But our vacation — I even had the flights booked, to Monaco. I had the hotel package all together. I have a lot of American Express points. I was getting a big discount. And then I just couldn't go through with it. It would not be a hardship to go. It's just ... in case. So then I thought Honolulu, I looked at Naples, Fla., and now it's the Ozarks (nearby in Missouri).

Why Monaco? You know To Catch a Thief, with Grace Kelly and Cary Grant? We love that movie. We've always wanted to go there. We're going to settle for watching the movie again.

Read "How Consumers Shop Differently Today."

See TIME's Global Adviser for more exotic, beautiful and interesting getaways.