If the economic climate was rain clouds, here's what I see.

Inside the store, some of the merchandise is arriving a little moist. Stuff isn't selling quite as well as it was a year ago, due to internal conditions in the industries.

Outside, it's raining, and being in an old building that has sprung leaks before, I'm starting to get slightly concerned. Outside, in Bend, there is a huge difference between how many houses are being built and being sold, and the infrastructure that was created. A big rain storm, that is likely to surge and start flooding the roads.

Outside of town, I see huge black clouds, with lightning strikes. The national economy isn't looking too spiffy right now.

And just coming over the mountains are giant columns of threatening storms. Even the international economy is looking dicey, right now, too.

What do I see in Bend? New stores and restaurants, new buildings being built and still months from being opened, and new developments being announced.

Last March or so, I wrote a blog about there being a period of 'grace' in which to sell your house. Sell before Summer, if you can, I said. Do what it takes.

Well, I'm thinking we have a small business period of grace, at the moment. If you were thinking of opening a new business, think twice. If you were planning to to expand or multiply, don't do it. And if you have any way to cut expenses, do it now.

I went into this year with the plan to stick to a strict budget, even to the point of scheduling when and how much I could spend each week. That plan went out the window, almost immediately, as I restocked all the Christmas product in games and books.

So I fell off the wagon.

I'm going to try getting back to Spendthrift Anonymous here in February. It's not too late to start again. I need to listen to my own warning bells. My biggest threat is my own spending. It's hard when sales are weak not to immediately order things that you think might sell. But it's chasing sales, when I should be looking at costs and the bottom line. Hell, if I handle this correctly, I'll be able to spring forward just as everyone else is starting to feel the pain. A little foresight now, will help me get ahead down the road.