[RKDinOKC]

Have not gotten a pay raise in a very long time. Think they did the bonus thing to keep from giving pay raises just in case the market isn't done tanking. Sales have really picked up, but I'm pretty sure the market right now is exaggerated to fill warehouses etc. and sales will go back down once that settles. In 36 years working in this industry have seen it before.

Looked at a salary reports for my area and as an Exchange or Email Administrator I am about $15K below the average. Our bonus while substantial, is not half that.

And while I have changed my lifestyle to keep my budget in line I have noticed eating out has really gotten way more expensive.

Cut the cord on my Cable and don't have my TV on unless actually watching a show or movie. That is saving me on my electric bill as well as not having to pay for cable. The cable box used 15-25 watts whether on or asleep. TV, Stereo, and Apple TV sleep at only 2 watts each. Go up to about 15-20 when watching something. Have converted all my lights to LED and still keep them off most of the time. Got a toaster oven because it only uses 1500 watts and the oven uses 3000 watts and I rarely make anything bigger than will fit in the toaster oven. Electric bill this summer didn't go over $100.

Keep my thermostat at 71°F during the day. If I run it any warmer I get sweaty. Do the setback thing to 68°F at night. Temps don't really start going down until after midnite because the house holds temps pretty good. Bob complained because he got cold. He turned down the offer of a t-shirt and some wool socks. Still kept complaining.