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I don’t know if I’ve ever mentioned this here or not, but I do photography on the side.  A few years ago I saved up money and bought myself my first digital SLR, a Canon Rebel XTi.  It wasn’t cheap (around $800) and served me well through a few weddings and random photo shoots.  I’ve never advertised my photography anywhere; in fact, it’s all word of mouth, and I’d like to keep it that way.  It makes me nervous to take pictures for people, especially of their weddings.  I mean, if I mess up, that’s a huge deal, and I can never replace the pictures. I just need to gain some confidence and get over it if I’m going to pursue this as a side business.

Anyway.  I’m shooting a wedding Labor Day weekend.  I can use my camera, but I would really like a little bit better camera so that the picture quality is higher.  I have a few different options figured out right now, and I’d love to get your opinion.

1. I can rent lens(es) and use my current camera.  This is the cheapest option, but the image quality won’t be quite as nice as if I had a better camera.

2. Rent a camera and lens(es).  This will cost me around $130 for the day, and I would get better quality images, but this eats into my profit.  A lot.

3. Buy a bigger and better camera and rent a lens for $30 or so.  If I do buy a new camera, they are around $1100 but I am getting money from this wedding, plus I just booked another in December.  I’ll pretty much make up my money quickly, but then I can’t use that money to pay off debt or for something fun.  I guess I am investing in my “business”.

I enjoy photography and everyone loves the pictures I take, but it seems like everyone wants to be a pro photographer these days.  I don’t know if I’m good enough to do it, but I guess if people keep wanting me to do it, then I am, right?

What would you do?

I’m tired of hearing the unemployment numbers, the depressing news about the stock market, and how much house values have plummeted.  It can be really depressing listening to the news, especially if you are dealing with unemployment or foreclosure.  I don’t know what could be more stressful, aside from having a serious illness.  I just want to hear some good news, darn it! 

I think one of the most frustrating things to me is that it’s not like you can just go somewhere and ignore what’s going on.  It’s everywhere, and it’s not like there’s a whole lot you can do about it.  The only thing you can control is your attitude.  
Here’s what we’ve been doing to combat the recession blues:

I’ve been focusing on the positive things lately.  Mr. Money and I both have jobs currently, we can afford our house payment, and we’re not going to retire for quite awhile so we can just choose not to look at our 401k and ROTH IRAs.  We have a happy, loving relationship, family that love us unconditionally, and friends that support us emotionally. 

I try to limit the amount of time I spend reading CNN online, watching the news, and listening to crazy people.  There’s only so much I can take before I begin to feel stressed. 

I channel my energy into things that make me feel good.  I knit, play my Wii, exercise, spend time with my hubby when he’s home, and take the dogs for walks.  Those are all frugal activities that make me feel better about life!

I make a plan for how I want things to be.  Whether that plan is for today, a year from now, or five years from now, I feel better knowing I am doing something proactive for our future.  I realize that things may change and I am completely fine with that, but it does make me feel better to have a plan.

How do you deal with the news?