I find myself saving more, and I am suprised at ways I can cut out frivilous spending.

I cut cable off, and I don't miss tv one bit. BGE has actually been a blessing in disquise for me. Since I can never tell what my bill is going to be from month to month, I don't buy anything. I am just reduced to paying my mortgage, my BGE bill, car note, you know, the basics. I had a BGE home warranty, but since the bills are so high, I let it go, and have opted to start an emergency home fund...I put an amount in that I am comfortable with, and if something should happen, I have the money in an interest bearing savings account. So I still have peace of mind to cover if something happens to the car or my home.

I stopped shopping, and when I do need something, I go to craigslist or online first. I mean, I want to help the local economy, but when you get bills from BGE that slam you, plus gas and food is going up again, you have survive.

I do have way more money in my cash savings and in my TSP than I had in the past, because I paid my credit cards off, closed many of them, and locked the others up. If I can't pay for it with cash, I soon lose interest.