'Insourcing' Is Recession's DIY Buzzword

The recession is prompting Americans to forgo luxuries—and that means doing for themselves what they would once have paid someone else to do, the Washington Post reports. Starter sewing-kit sales have soared 30%; landscapers are losing business; customers are forsaking salons to dye their own hair. The trend is popular enough for marketers to have named it “insourcing.”

Wal-Mart reports increased seed sales as people move to grow their own food. A Target campaign has picked up on the shift, dubbing glass cleaner “the new carwash,” yoga balls “the new gym.” “So much of it comes down to perception," said one trade-group exec. “Do I perceive the service that I’m getting as an added pampering, or do I need it?” (More recession stories.)