Know what I mean? On one hand, I feel like I want to have an even larger emergency fund than usual and get really frugal with my spending. On the other hand…this is a great time to get a bargain on a car, do home improvements (since builders and other workers are anxious for business), invest in our retirement funds while prices are low, and so on!

It’s driving my consumer brain crazy! Anyone else?

Reading the horrible financial news on the front page of my newspaper is enough. I’m not going to bury my head in the sand, but I’m not going to drive myself nuts, either. The market rises. The market falls. I’ve got, oh, 20-plus years until I retire. I just can’t stress about what my retirement plan is doing today.

Need some reassurance that we’re not heading for a second Great Depression? One of my favorite financial voices of calm is Clark Howard. He goes into much more detail on his radio show, but you can read the short version here.