We have been getting ready for the market to crash. My one and only active credit card is getting far less usage. My internet account is paid from(through) the credit card and only other charges are for my work which I get reimbursed. I do have a second CC but it gets no usage and stored safely away in a safe deposit box. My retirement account has been all transferred to bond funds and very little in stocks. And my stocks investments have been liquidated and now sitting safely in cash. I'm being a real bear.

No carryover in credit card debt, only debt I have is my mortgage. This will be gone in about 7 years. Also have line of credit, this too will be gone in about 5 years. No car payments.

on conservation side of things:

We are installing a hot water heater (finally) to help with my utility bills. And I would expect it will pay for itself in under 3 years maybe 5.

replaced almost all the lights in the house with CFL's

We've also ripped out the front yard and replanted with vegetables and flowers (so it looks pretty). Have bell (capsicum) peppers, okra, heirloom cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, string beans, snow peas, chinese long beans, egg plants, zucchini, yellow squash, herbs, different kinds of lettuce... A miniature farm. We are glad we did this cause of the tomato scare with salmonella.

finally getting rid of my land line telephone to save another $25/mo and will be strictly wireless. No cable, no satellite, no TV! My partner and I enjoy not having a TV. We do listen to radio though. Don't even bother with newspaper when I can read things like Der Spiegel, BBC news on the internet. Lets not talk politics okay

and lastly, I'm being a real tightwad. Conserving as much cash as possible. If I could exchange my cash into Euros I would.

smilingcat