Though welcome signs of a recovery are showing, the economy is still pretty bad. The hardest hit (and possibly the most ignored) part of the population is the upper-middle-class. This underserved minority has suffered much more than the other classes combined. Threats of voluntary furloughs, bonus caps and reduced salary increases have all but paralyzed this vital part of the trickle-down economy!

Having gone through these tribulations myself, I thought I'd pass some helpful tips on how to be frugal through these tough economic times.

5 Easy Cut Backs

I know, I know... Cutting back is hard to do, but I found that there are a lot of unnecessary expenses that have crept into our lives. Here are a few:

1. That Morning Coffee- I find that I don't really need to have a frappeciano every day. Cut 2 days out of the 7 days you visit Starbuck's
   $10 saved!
2. Manicure Mondays- GONE! I can wait until my Wednesday appointment- do you really need it 5 times a week?
   $60 saved!
3. Fifi's "Peticure"- cut one week out of the month.
   $40 saved!
4. Fire one of your groundskeepers- four is plenty (but KEEP the poolboy, hey- you're not dead ;)
   $100 saved!
5. Stop giving money to dirty homeless people- especially the ones that ring that annoying bell outside of Saks! Hey, it's tough, but everyone has to look out for themselves!
   $5 saved!

Those are easy cutbacks that will save you $215 a month. I know it's not much but every little bit counts! If that's not enough, then here are the harder choices that make a bigger impact on your savings:

5 Deeper Cuts

1. "Dial down" your shopping destinations- Instead of shopping Loydes, visit a Nordstrom. Mingle with "the masses" and get a great bargain and the same time!
   $6k/month savings!
2. Get a more fuel-efficient car- Trade in that gas-guzzling Porsche SUV for a leaner, meaner Lexus. It'll save you 5 gallons/mile in gas!
   $34k purchase savings-$300/month gas savings!
3. Sell that beach house in Sanibel Island- You have the three other beach houses and (for some reason) the sands have turned black, anyway!
   $1.2m saved!
4. Cancel your trip to Italy this year- go to the Louvre in Paris, it's closer.
   $10k saved!
5. Let go of little Tiffany's Personal Shopping Assistant- She has to learn how to shop on her own anyway.
   $60k/year

The recession has hit everyone hard but we can get through this with minimal pain!