Spending more wisely is the mantra of the moment, and while most everyone is doing it there are differences in the extent that men and women have been making cutbacks. Consumer Reports conducted a poll [1] and published the results in its December issue, showing that over the last year women have been modifying their habits more drastically than men. A larger percentage of women took steps to be more economical than men in every category.
| What they did | Total | Men | Women |
| Spent less on entertainment and eating out | 56 percent | 49 percent | 62 percent |
| Reduced credit card spending | 53 | 49 | 57 |
| Planned to cut down on holiday spending | 50 | 36 | 63 |
| Put more money into savings | 40 | 39 | 40 |
See the rest of the chart when you .
| What they did | Total | Men | Women | Postponed a home-improvement project | 36 percent | 26 percent | 43 percent |
| Put off a big home purchase (appliance, TV, etc.) | 32 | 24 | 39 |
| Canceled or postponed a vacation | 32 | 27 | 36 |
| Put off buying a new car | 31 | 27 | 34 |
| Put off a doctor visit or medical procedure | 23 | 20 | 27 |
Source [2]