Shopping trips involve a little more attention to details these days for Nicki Grimsley. "I'm trying to find more sales, or cheaper things," the Lexington woman said. | Will Black Friday be even busier locally? | Pantagraph's Coupons page

"A couple of years ago, I would go and get what I wanted, pull it off the shelf, and I didn't pay much attention to it." Those days are over for many, including shoppers in Central Illinois.

As economic conditions slide, it's become cool to be thrifty, making the idea of cutting coupons, shopping sales and buying generic good business sense. Families are more likely to price shop instead of buying impulsively. They might treat themselves to an occasional meal out, but spend less than in the past. They'll also drop a night out on the town for a less expensive movie night at home.

"People are looking to cut money any way they can," Grimsley said. "The dollar doesn't go as far as it did."

The big picture

Nationwide, retail sales fell 2.8 percent in October, the fourth straight monthly drop, as unemployment hit a 14-year high of 6.5 percent.

The National Association for Business Economics recently projected the overall U.S. economy, after shrinking at the annual rate of 0.3 percent in the July-September period, will contract at a rate of 2.6 percent in the current October-December quarter.

The housing crisis, credit crunch and stock market plunge have eaten away at the retirement savings and confidence of American consumers who for years operated on a buy-now, pay-later ethos, chasing bigger homes, bigger cars and better brands.

That kind of news is forcing families to bring their spending more in line with their income and to rethink priorities.

Even in Bloomington-Normal, which is more insulated than many communities from the larger problems elsewhere, people are still worried about paychecks, 401k plans and home values, said Mike Seeborg, economics professor at Illinois Wesleyan University.

"Consumers are more pessimistic, at least about the immediate future," Seeborg said. "When you feel that your net worth is falling … that translates to a desire to build those things up again. You do that by saving. Saving is not spending. That's what we're beginning to observe in the retail sector."

When people do spend their money now, they generally act more conservatively and shop more carefully, he said.

Change in habits

For Grimsley, as expenses rise, she looks for ways to tighten her budget while still buying what she needs.

The decision that has made the most difference is a switch from buying name brand to buying generic, she said. Purchasing the Wal-Mart brand, for example, is easier and often cheaper than the name-brand product, she said.

Just as she sticks to discounters like Wal-Mart and Sam's Club for groceries, Grimsley will pick Kohl's and Old Navy for clothes over some other department stores.

"They're still cute clothes, but they're not as expensive," she said.

Nancy Hobson of Normal also has decided she can no longer outfit her grandchildren in name-brand clothing.

She used to buy the popular teen brand Candies when she got jeans for her granddaughter. Now she sticks with any off-brand that's still durable and has a good fit.

"Everything's so pricey, and the money isn't there. I'm having to make my dollar stretch further," said Hobson, who retired from a full-time teaching job three years ago but is a frequent substitute teacher to earn extra income for herself and to help her adult children and grandchildren.

Value of a dollar

Recently, Hobson visited uptown Normal to get a new battery for her watch - not to replace her watch.

That's a distinction she makes because in the past she would have just bought a new one.

"This watch has seen better days. The finish is rubbing off of it," Hobson said. "I'm just going to have to make it work a little longer."

In addition, Hobson searches for good deals on everything from groceries to diapers.

She's clipped coupons all her life and pays close attention to grocery advertisements in the newspaper. She also stocks up when items are on sale. For example, she recently bought a few boxes of crackers when they were $1 and a few gallons of milk for about $2.50.

The buy-one, get-one free Walgreens brand diapers was another recent bargain.

Lisa Pilotte also is always looking for sales and browses newspaper ads to learn what's on sale and where. Since the birth of her second child this year, the LeRoy mother also estimates she clips coupons for about a fourth of her shopping.

Using coupons for everything from groceries to toiletries was one way to save money when the economy started to tumble and gas prices climbed to $4 a gallon, she said.

"Everything's so expensive," Pilotte said.

It's important for consumers to get the most bang for their entertainment buck, too.

It cost $38 for Pilotte, her husband and 5-year-old son to see the movie "Speed Racer" at the theater. Their money is better spent on a $19 monthly Netflix subscription, Pilotee said. For that, the family watches about 20 movies at home each month.

"No (theater) movie ever seems to be worth it, especially when you have Netflix," Pilotte said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.