Tighten Up

Well, this might be one of the EARLIEST blog posts I've ever done. What can I say, but, more coffee please! I don't know what I'm typing because my eyes are still kinda glazed.

As we all know, the economy is in shambles, and all of the "key data points" coming out on the news are grotesque at best. While I am lucky to say that I haven't felt too impacted by the financial sector failure, I realized yesterday that I am more impacted than I thought. Sure, the house still not sold is an obvious sign, but, I've "concsiously but unconsciously" have been tightening the belt more than I thought. Part of my "daily surf" is to check out/look for any deals on the closeout pages of a lot of online cycling retailers...Colorado Cyclist, Excel Sports to name a few. However, my normal inclination to get something on a really good deal has been curtailed pretty much 100% to non-existent. There's a "5 year" rule I have for some of my gear...after 5 years it's time to replace where possible. This mainly applies to things like clothing and whatnot,but, can include a bicycle or significant part where applicable. In this case, I could seriously use some new tights. Most of mine are losing threads here and there, and, are becoming thread bare in certain spots. I find myself postponing these replacement purchases, and, doing more with less...essentially washing my good stuff a little more often, and, just using that. It's a tough pill to swallow, but, a lot more practical these days than dumping "now-non-disposable" income. I realize and recognize there are people out there in much much worse situations financially, and, have sympathy for them. It definitely sucks.Honestly though, I'm not bummed about pulling it in. It's a total challenge to do more with less, and, is creating some good habits in the way of saving and/or paying of high balances. I'm about 75% out of debt, which is a great feeling, and, if I can finish it off prior to the economy rebounding, when I come back cash flow positive, I'll be able to loosen the belt a little more.