Yes - it's very likely there was a problem with the way the survey was worded. If the question had been "where have you cut back, trimmed your spending, etc" and these replies were given, I would not have a problem with it.
But the word "sacrifice" is just too strong. A definition I saw referred to giving up something precious. If you came in to my house and asked me what is precious, if it doesn't breath and eat it is not making the list!
I have no problem whatsoever with spending. I truly enjoy a nice vacation every once and awhile, and I also enjoy my creature comforts.
My problem is with referring to giving up luxuries as a "sacrifice" as it just seems so overly-dramatic. [Thanks BA ... you got the gist of my OP perfectly.] I don't want to start thinking of giving up such things as sacrifice, or I will become desensitized when people start referring to "making sacrifices" ... Depending on my mood, I will either think "so what?" or "good for you!"
I suppose what I really hope for is that more people will start monitoring their inflow vs. outflow more carefully, keep their spending under control, and live more of a sustainable lifestyle so that they do not ever have to make "sacrifices" of any sort, major or trivial.
Oh ... and I'm sorry about not weighing in earlier, but this past week I've either (depending on your perspective):
A. Had the priviledge of working a lot
OR
B. Been sacrificing a lot of leisure time
