I do a lot of kicking and screaming on my posts. One week I'm up. The next week I'm down. I've termed my behavior: 'manic economist'. The rapid changes in the economy are forcing me to make economic changes in my life. That's no excuse but as you (I) age, changes just don't come as freely as they did in your (my) youth.

As in the words of Michael Corleone in Godfather III: "Just when I thought I was out, they dragged me back in."

I've been through recessions and downswings before. I'm getting tired of them. Just when I had my spending habits and new debt-free lifestyle under fantastic control, the economy takes a dump and through no fault of my own, is dragging me down with it. These hard economic times are stirring up all the creative juices my little body and mind can muster. It's been two years already and truthfully, I don't see an end in sight. (Normally, an election is the psycho-dramatic impetus a failing economy needs to boost morale and the GDP. I'm just not feeling it yet with our political choices.) I'm running out of fresh ideas on how to keep up with an economy going down. The talking heads don't have a clue either.

What's a girl to do?

I'm a long term planner. I don't think in increments of days, weeks, months or years. I think in terms of decades. Most of my financial decisions are projected into the not-so-close future. Lately, however, my long distance planning is stumbling on immediate bumps in the road. My formulas were calculated for minor stumbling setbacks but not the ones in proportion to today. We've been in an economic slump for two years and counting. I don't see the economy getting any better. Maybe when this next election and accompanying presidency is over.......like five years from now we'll see an upswing. In the interim, how do I hang in for another 5 or so years?

I've taken some big major hits since January 2008. The year started off with getting a heating bill on my summer home. One of the bedrooms had a defective battery (made in China) which caused the electric radiator in that room to run and run and run. That mishap cost me $600. Ouch. Next came a credit card bill from a 7 year forgotten era. The $850 bill was two weeks shy of the NY Statute Of Limitations and penalties and interest shot the liability to over $10,000. My attorney litigated it for a year and settled on just a mere $1300. My attorney waived his fees but I still had to couch up the charge card money on a debt that wasn't even mine (previous marriage).

Early spring brought forth rapidly rising gasoline prices. We drive over 20,000 miles per year between our two cars. I was forced to discard our crossover SUV for a more fuel efficient vehicle at a cost of $4,700. I consoled myself by reminding myself that the SUV needed new tires ($500) and an extended warranty ($1300).