I had hoped all this energy depletion business would take longer, like until I could retire or something. But the WSJ read like the Oil Street Journal this morning. Seems the Fed might have to sacrifice both financial institutions and employment to deal with the oil shocks. And someone had a great headline on a blog, Oil's Disquiet on the Western Front. I've decided to cut expenses now before things get frantic.

After eleven years at the same office, I had to leave the hinterlands to find work in the big city. My apartment costs three times as much as our mortgage, but I can walk to the office, and it is a better place to work. My wife is with me this week, but usually I drive three hours nearly every weekend to visit her and my daughter.

Currently in play are the swim club membership (I can run and bike for free), internet access (the office connection is faster anyway), the web page (I haven't touched it in over a year), unlimited long distance (use more email), and one or two driving weekends per month (two would be hard, but the gasoline bills are fierce).

And the discretionary spending has to stop. Amazon and Barnes & Noble are out, thrift stores and used bookstores are in. I'll have to cut back on restaurant food, too. I love this Mexican place called Elvis. They make a burrito as big as a loaf of bread. I'll be eating more salad - caesar salad w/o tomatoes.

These are hardly earth-shattering sacrifices - I'm nowhere near the point of choosing between food and heat - but it seems to be time to get ready for sacrifices.