That's the good kind of change. I've done something similar recently, although I've made mine more aggressive.

I'm sure I've been influenced by other bloggers too, but I feel like at least if we're reading the news, it won't be quite as sensationalistic as TV or radio. They're always looking for a sound clip, which isn't as bad as bloggers looking for a quote.

I really like that you pointed out that aggressive spending and driving are both caused by previous mistakes and carelessness.

I think the media is to blame for some of the panic. fear (lower case fear) can be healtyh and a good thing sometimes, but the Fear (captical F) leads to panic and bad decisions.

I have indeed reacted and sold some investments, but I like to think that it is because I've done what you described, “Make your decisions because you’ve done the math and thought about the consequences.” I think I was taking too much risk for my financial situation.

It helps explain why I've read that people who are “informed” about current events in the economy and stock market actually tend to do worse than people who don't keep up with the news.