Like getting the wind knocked out of you

Money spent: $54.62
What: Gas

It's times like these that I start to get scared about my budget. It's times like these where I second-guess my desire to purchase "necessities" like a new laptop battery, an external hard drive and a new pair of earbuds. Did we really have to go to the Cheesecake Factory, for God's sake? Yes, cocktails with my best friend was nice, but that dinner is 3/4 a tank of gas. Am I going to think of everything in this manner from now on? My God, the iPod I have desired for so long...that could fuel me for at least a month and a half.

It's times like these where the everyday luxuries of life become...not so everyday anymore. Maybe this wallet crunch will make us--as Americans--re-evaluate our lifestyles. What defines us as a superfluous, consumer-driven culture may no longer be part of the budget anymore, and we may need to retreat to our frugal, pioneer-spirited past in order to survive. Or perhaps a new culture will emerge. One driven by adventurous, optimistic youth rather than complacent baby boomers. One that will have be neither blue nor white collared, but green. And I know that sounds like a campaign slogan (and no, I never supported Ms. Clinton), but it's true.

Something has to be done. Something has to re-evaluated. We can't whine, worry or bloviate about it any longer. If $4 gas is here to stay, well, something has to go. I tried to make a budget at the beginning of the summer, and my boyfriend warned me about "budgeting" $50 for gas every two weeks. What can I say, I was living in summer 2007. Now, I know that something else--something bigger--must change within my lifestyle so that I can make my way in this brave, new world. If only I knew what that should be.