[glowbelly]

every tax penny i got back from the irs went to paying my bills.

i didn't go out on a wild spending spree with it. i paid my phone, gas, electric and rent.

how does that spur economic growth?

i had to cancel my cable, restructure my phone plan so i could save $15 a month (getting rid of long distance), go on a gas budget, cancel our subscription to the newspaper, lower my minutes on my cell phone, reduce spending on groceries, lower my automobile insurance coverage...just so we can float with about $150 extra a month for non-essentials (gas, cigarettes, the occassional ice cream).

in doing all of this, i'm not stimulating economic growth. i'm cutting back every way i can so i can live semi-comfortably.