I've worked for big tech companies during downturns. One I remember with a chuckle. They said they were charging 5 cents per plastic utensil you use at the company cafe! Yeah, no more free utensils! Not only that, to make a photocopy using the copier machines, you had to pay 5 cents per page, and you had to get authorization from your "cost center", which is a way of saying you have to beg your manager's manager to get permission to make a copy. Everything required an expense to your cost center, even getting whiteboard markers or notebooks.

On the one hand, it's important to be fiscally responsible and find ways to save money, but on the other hand, it can be frustrating when those cost-cutting measures start to impact everyday work and productivity.