2012 - the year of austerity

And so I have, belatedly, joined the rest of the world in 2012.  After a pleasant week sitting at home in my armchair, doing very little, I bounced back into the real world on Monday, ready to start the year, filled with resolutions, good intentions and New Year Plans.  Just a week later than everyone else :-D

So this is to be the Year of Austerity.  The Prime Minister says so.  The Chancellor of the Exchequer says so. The Pundits all say so.  If we are to rescue Capitalism from a moribund future and release it into a bouncing and revivified future, then austerity is definitely what is called for.  (Although the sharp intakes of breath that followed the Prime Minister's strong suggestions that the nation should all of us tighten our belts and dramatically cut our household spending in order to reduce our household debts and clear our credit cards were clearly audible nationally when he made this proposal a few months ago.  Small and large businesses all around the country seemed to think this was a recipe for catastrophic economic disaster.  And you can see their point.)

Anyway.  All that aside.  I have been listening intently to the PM and his Chancellor and have agreed that austerity is the way to go for 2012.  This will be something of a challenge.  I am not very good at austere.  I am hopeless when it comes to self restraint.  Pathetic when it comes to self denial. Useless when it comes to pleasure deferred.  More to the point - I am not very interested in economics, can't abide the PM or his Chancellor and their interference in matters that are none of their business (every time they opine that we should stop drinking, eating, breathing, I determine to go out and drink, eat and breathe even more!) and simply can't see how me spending much less will improve things one iota.

But I do have a personal carrot dangling in front of my nose.  I am in the early stages of planning a Grand World Tour at the end of the year.  And for that I will need a large injection of pennies.  And this will require considerable scrimping, saving and definite austerity - at the moment I have precisely enough money for the train fares to and from work between now and the next payday!!

Oh - and I will need a house-sitter, if you know anyone who fancies a winter break in rural Derbyshire next December/January