Seen on the Yahoo! front page under: NEWS

From FORBES

What not to talk about during the downturn

Avoiding Recession-Era Faux Pas

by Lauren Sherman
Thursday, April 2, 2009

John Scally isn’t a cheapskate, but he felt like one last week.

While visiting an old friend in Portland, Ore., the 39-year-old communications consultant rejected the idea of dining at Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse, the restaurant chain where a T-Bone will set you back $41. Instead, Scally suggested a less expensive Italian joint. Afterward, there was a feeling of awkwardness between the two men.

“With times being the way they are and no job safe, I didn’t feel right dropping over $100 on dinner,” says Scally. His reasoning backfired. “I felt like my friend thought I was being cheap or that I didn’t want to have a good time.”

Hoang-Uyen N., a 28-year-old advertising executive in Minneapolis, says she’s often made to feel uncomfortable by a longtime acquaintance who constantly talks about how much money she makes. “She’s always bragging about her latest work bonus, or how she spends without limits,” says Hoang-Uyen. “I always wonder, ‘Does she even know that we’re in a recession?’”

In times of financial trial, socializing gets tricky. Whether you’re on Scally’s end, trying to save while not looking stingy, or you are one of the fortunate who still has the freedom to spend, it’s tough to determine what’s appropriate to discuss openly. Indeed, discretionary spending might be down, but it’s not dead. There are people out there spending money on everything from beauty creams to eight-course tasting menus. For example, 12.1 million cosmetic plastic surgery procedures were performed in 2008, up 3% from 2007, according to the Arlington Heights, Ill.-based American Society of Plastic Surgeons.

But how do you know what’s OK to talk about and what’s not?

TO READ THE REST OF THE ARTICLE, click on Seriously?!