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Hard-up Britons are ditching Feng Shui, bottled water and personal horoscopes in what is being called 'the death of pretentiousness' in a side-effect of the current slump. And they are also waving goodbye to life coaches, acupuncture and overpriced accessories for miniature pet dogs among fads which are being dumped to save money, new research shows. While footballers' wives and others may still have money to spend on such trends, a growing number are welcoming the demise of what they see as unnecessary luxuries in modern Britain. Others include spinning classes and personal trainers as well as alternative health therapies which all thrived in the boom but no longer, said a study by search engine Ask Jeeves. The site, which recently relaunched its iconic butler after an absence of three years, looked at the trends popular when Jeeves left in 2006 compared to his return now. The study found a difference in the kind of subjects users looked for three years ago when the economy was booming and the kind of things they are enquiring about now, many of which are about saving money. The findings will please cynics who will not be sad to see the end of tiny-sized football shirts for the kind of miniature dogs owned by celebrities like Paris Hilton and Britney Spears. Nor will many miss other fads destined for the luxury landfill such as children's spa days and Pilates, said the survey of 1,000 adults by Ask Jeeves. It found more than six in ten adults are scrapping life's little luxuries to save money in the current climate. But perhaps none more so than bottled water, one of the first of these luxuries to go. Around nine in ten (90 per cent) see designer bottled water as the perfect example of the kind of pretentious lifestyle accessory deemed completely unnecessary in modern Britain. 89 per cent felt similarly about personal horoscope reading, something astrologers should have seen coming. And 88 per cent said the same about accessories for miniature pet dogs and even the fashion for buying and framing autographed football shirts for the home. Ask Jeeves spokesperson Nadia Kelly said: "Search engines are great social barometers and the shift in queries since 2006 shows many people are glad to see the back of fashionable fads like Feng Shui and expensive extras like personal nutritionists. "Back then people wanted to know about extravagances and luxuries they could spend their money on, including many which may be considered pretentious by today's standards. "Our most popular searches today are more in line with how budgets are being squeezed and include looking for ways of saving money on clothing, feeding a family and cheaper holidays." There is a greater emphasis on more down to earth products, said the site which found 77 per cent of consumers now regularly use discount vouchers. It also found one in three (33 per cent) were preparing to holiday in the UK instead of abroad and 64 per cent are taking even simpler measures like turning down thermostats. A greater number of people are now using the internet for the kind of advice they would once have got from friends, family or professionals. More than three in four (77 per cent) use websites and search engines for advice compared to just 43 per cent who go to family or friends. Although around one in four (27 per cent) admit they find it confusing trying to navigate the internet to find the best places to get assistance in money matters. Nadia Kelly added: "Jeeves is seen as approachable and trustworthy and we welcome his return to our site to offer advice and help at a time when the country needs it most, it seems. "Since 2006 the fashion has gone from fads to function. What people want to know now is how to cook more cheaply, how to dress for less, how to holiday on a budget for instance." *Table: Which pretentious fads do you most want to see ditched? Top Ten:
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