We Are All Cutting Costs. So I Am Going To My Part Now As Well

After the recent furlough in my office, I decided that if my company can look ways to cut costs, than so can I. I did a 5K yesterday evening which was followed by a much tougher workout. That "workout" was researching on how to cut costs.

I took a hard look at my current expenses and was able to identify 9 areas in my life where I can cut back. 2009 will be an interesting, perhaps sometimes lonely year indeed. There will be a lot of things that I will need to cut out, all of it will have a direct impact on whatever little social life I have at this moment. However, it is only temporary, and it is the correct thing to do.

Some of the areas for which I have identified for cutbacks are going to be more challenging to accomplish than others, but if I can stick to it, then I can recoup my recent losses from the 2 additional weeks of unpaid vacation that I've been asked to take (along with everyone else in the entire corporation). And considering the alternative, especially with what other companies have been doing in this country, my companies' move is a welcomed one.

One of the nine areas for saving money this year is going to be my racing. I raced 22 times last year. There is no need for me to repeat that again. For one, the races cost money. With the incredibly high amount that I am paying for child support, coupled with the latest actions at work, there is no reason why I need to race as often as I have in the past. Truth is, I do my races to qualify for the New York City Marathon, and as it stands today, I just need to complete 9 races. Between the savings there, and the cost avoidance of not signing up for races that are outside of New York, like the Philly Distance Run, or the Hartford Half-Marathon, I can cut by more than half the costs of my racing.

We're all cutting back this year it seems. I like to think of it as a financial diet. And speaking of that, one of the other areas, is going to be to really focus on "brown bagging" it each and every time. Admittedly, it is difficult when there is no significant other to make me my lunches. I will just have to double my efforts and remain focused on food preparation the night before.

This is not going to be an easy time for me. It seems sometimes as if nothing in my life ever is. Still, I am going to remain positive, and see this storm through as I have seen all the other ones pass through my harbor.