THE bourgeoisie's tabloid of choice asked an assortment of lifestyle gurus about the decisions they would have to make in 2009.

These were not just lifestyle gurus, mind you, but "influential lifestyle gurus", including a designer jeweller, a bespoke personal fitness trainer, a nutritionist, a designer of handbags and other high-flyers in the health, beauty and fashion industries.

You may have been influenced by one, if not all of them – although only if you're rolling in it.

What they have in common, so far as I can make out, is an ability to separate the rich and famous from their money.

I can only assume it was this which excluded me from the survey. Although I have often been described as a style guru, it would be misleading the reader to suggest that the rich and famous turn to me for tips on beauty, fashion, personal fitness or handbags –

even when it might be to their advantage to do so.

What questions, you will want to know, were put to the influential lifestyle gurus who dance attendance on the world's celebrities?

Mindful of the credit crunch and hard times ahead, they were asked: A) Which luxuries will you keep? B) Which luxuries will you do without? and C) What will be your New Year's resolution?

If asked, my own answer to question A would have been that I would rather like to hang on to the cat if at all possible.

It's getting on a bit and wouldn't easily settle elsewhere.

But would I be influenced by the responses of the influential lifestyle gurus?

One of them, a male fashion designer, said he'd still have his hair done at Percy and Reed on Great Portland Street every six weeks. A fitness trainer, also male, said he'd keep up his regular acupuncture sessions, and a third, a designer jeweller, said he didn't feel the need to cut back on any of his luxuries.

A good point – I too will continue to get my hair cut once a month at Salon Reg, Normacot (£2.50 midweek, £3 Saturdays), but I don't pay for acupuncture sessions because I get them free whenever the cat spies my toes peeping out from under the bedclothes.

As for doing without luxuries, I'll be settling for Sainsbury's own- brand plain chocolate digestives instead of McVities.

The personal trainer said he'd already traded in his V8 Land Rover Discovery for a diesel BMW; the fashion designer said he was getting rid of his taxi account and paying cash instead; the designer jeweller said he'd be cutting back on nothing.

Under the influence of the fashion designer, I've resolved to stop using taxis and catch the bus.

And so to New Year's resolutions. Mine is to stop swearing at the television when Strictly Come Dancing (and about 100 other programmes) is on.

One of the gurus said he'd keep his gym membership because "there's no need to be out of shape, however skint you are"; the fitness trainer said he would "get the public to improve their overall wellbeing"; and the designer jeweller said he'd "treat the current economic times as a challenge to be even more creative."

I interpret the last as a plea for humility in 2009. Note how the designer jeweller modestly conceded that he could actually be even more creative than he is already.

Happy New Year.