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Our Sages state: “With the arrival of Av, we lessen joy” (Mishna, Ta’anit 4:6). Therefore, during the Nine Days we avoid doing home-improvement work such as whitewashing and painting meant to beautify the home. How can we beautify our own home when God's Home has not yet been rebuilt? For the same reason, we do not plant anything for beauty. In general, we avoid buying luxury items, including jewelry, clothing, new appliances, houseware, and new furniture. Finally, we avoid moving into a new home unless delaying it will lead to a serious financial loss, in which case moving is allowed.
It is customary to refrain from eating meat and drinking wine during the Nine Days except on Shabbat. (This custom is followed by Ashkenazim and Sephardim, but not Yemenites.)
During the week of Tisha Be-Av, the Sages prohibited washing and ironing clothes, as well as wearing freshly laundered clothes. Ashkenazim extend this prohibition back to the beginning of Av. To have clothes to wear, many make a point of wearing their clean clothes for a short while before Rosh Ĥodesh. Thus, they can be worn during the Nine Days, as they are no longer freshly laundered. If someone forgot to do this or ran out of time before Rosh Ĥodesh, clean clothes may still be worn if they are first put on the floor. Underwear and socks are not included in the prohibition of wearing freshly laundered clothes, as are children’s clothes that often get dirty.
