Statistics predict that of the several thousand people who visit this site every day, the vast majority live in households that make between $20,000 and $200,000 a year. That’s quite a range. But one thing we have in common is our paychecks will be lighter come New Year’s Day if no deal is reached, by about 50 to 500 dollars a check depending on where you fall into that spectrum. Being poor sucks, for a lot of reasons, not the least of which is begging readers for holiday handouts this week. But it has taught me to be extremely frugal. These are all obvious, I’m sure we all know about them, but being reminded doesn’t hurt, and knowing and practicing are two different things. [Read more…]