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I have terrible anxiety about “doing” the bills.  Not because I cannot pay them, its because my costs in nearly every category have gone up.  While my racing mind shielded my from the muscle burn of my last 5 minutes of a 45 minute cardio–it became clear to me what this represented.  I have fallen into the trap of upper middle class consumption patterns. I have a bigger house that requires more of everything–power, gas and water. I drive a Ford F150 truck that gets 16 miles per gallon and I work 60 miles away from home.It dawned on me that these things are all in my control and I can make a lot of changes to drastically improve the financial waste and also help out the environment. For starters, I plan to install timers on light switches in all my lighted closets (the kids tend to leave lights on). I am going to get the new florescent bulbs for every light in the house. I am going to water my lawn half as much and I am going my make a goal to make lists when I go to the store, so I cut down on trips. When I am at the store, I will forego the plastic bag or use my own reusable bags. I am going to sell my truck and buy a hybrid car. I like my money more than my coolness. I am also going to set a goal to find a job in the community I live and in the meantime, I am going to urge my new boss to allow me to telecommute more often.In the end, if you examine your wallet the the quality of things you consume, I bet you can come up with ways you can both save your precious financial resources and also help out the Earth.  What are your thoughts. DK