introducing the 'cessions philosophy

'cessions was inspired by the current economic state (recession/depression, depending on who's talking) and how it personally impacted our day-to-day. As freelancers, we were both affected by the economic downturn long before the widespread panic went mainstream. Over the past eight months, we have evolved and refined a style of living that we feel is worth sharing:

We believe that it is possible to live well
(in some cases even better)
by spending less.

We wanted to put a positive spin on the word, re-cession, by using it to define our new outlook and way of life whether in good times or bad. Thus, 'cessions came to be after much brainstorming and weigh-ins from our friends (shout out alert: thank you Leah Hamilton!) We have been documenting our philosophy for months now in anticipation of launching this blog. Alas, the quest for group consensus on our "look and feel" alludes us. So we finally decided enough is enough. Time to launch! The styling will come later. Here is a sneak peak at our visual brainstorms so far:

'cessions also represents a coming together of friends over food and drink but in a back-to-basics way. The focus of our social calendar was primarily going out with friends over dinner or drinks. When money was more plentiful, we simply accepted this as a New York City reality: socializing happens out and about. As the purse strings gradually began to tighten, we were forced to re-evaluate what was most important. We could not live like hermits and turn down every social invitation, but at the same time it became financially unrealistic to live the way we were accustomed. Instead, we began converting many of those proposed get-togethers into social events at home or at our friends' places. What we discovered was that it is a lot more fun and satisfying to have home-grown, home-cooked gatherings. We haven't sworn off good times at restaurants and bars all together. (this is new york city!). Now, we save those outings for special occasions and as treats rather than the status quo. Along the way, we will also share our favorite restaurants/bars based on the 'cessions stilo.

'cessions transcends survival and for us has become a way of life. A way of life that was born of hard times but we hope will prove to be recession-proof. We plan to continue living 'cessions style all the way into prosperity. We hope you enjoy and find inspiration in our experience.

Valincy + Sara