Knife Even

Roger Murtaugh: "Pretty thin, huh?"
Martin Riggs: "Anorexic."
--Lethal Weapon

When economies slow, individuals typically cut back on consumption. We're seeing evidence of such behavior now. Rather than a temporary phenomenon, some postulate that we're entering a secular period of risk aversion which includes greater focus on frugal behavior.

Either way, I've personally been looking for ways to cut back. Some things I've done include:

• Canceled premium TV channels (e.g., HBO)
• Reduced eat out sit down dinners by at least 2/month
• Work from home at least 2 days/wk
• Grocery: more private label, more soup & crackers, less snacks
• Cut all vending machine purchases at work
• Reduced bottled water consumption; drink more tap water

These changes save about $1500 annually, or about $130/mo. It's easy to see on my monthly statements.

Other activities 'on the bubble' include canceling personal website hosting service, moving to bare bones DTV service, capping sit down eat outs to one/month. Doing this would save an additional $1500 per year.

Adds up to the equivalent of a double mortgage payment annually. Noice!