Hi, my name is Judy Steffes and I'm conservative.

My friends will laugh. Thrifty, tight, deep pockets and short arms. I've heard them all, but relish the challenge.

With the economy headed south I'm finally starting to feel some of the effects. Gas is more, and so are my food and electric bills, even though I'm not buying or using more than normal -- my normal.

I'm a "flip off the switch when I leave the room," put on a sweater and leave the thermostat at 45 degrees, change my own car oil and rotate the tires, pay off my credit card bill each month, pick up pennies in the street, shop at Goodwill, recycle aluminum, and shop around to lower my insurance policies kind of person.

I have been wondering how it would be possible to be even more conservative.

My friends are stumped, although one has suggested going from three squares to two and running around in the rain to save on showers.

Funny? Not so much...but I'm taking inventory.

My Internet doesn't cost anything because I use NetZero. I don't have TV or cable. If I need video entertainment I go to the public library for magazines, newspapers, CDs and DVDs and I'm hooked on hulu.com which has all the latest shows, minus commercials.

I bike just about everywhere. LED lights on power strips or the microwave drive me nuts so I unplug the tool and plug it back in when needed. I've downsized my family refrigerator to one used in a college dorm. (I donated my former fridge to a community group.)

I don't have a cell phone, only a local land line. I have a calling card for long distance that's a penny a minute.

My vices are coffee and letting my ceiling fan run at night. I know, I'm living the high life.

Some new things I'm thinking of trying include shopping at Aldi's, stop buying sparkling water and buy 35-cent gallon jugs to refill at the grocery, biking or motorcycling to work, stopping the morning coffee habit at McDonald's, cleaning the basement and closets and selling items on Craigslist, paying my bills online, planting a garden and asking for my nickel back when I bring my own bag to Pick n' Save.

Actually I'm very low maintenance and proud of it.