WASHINGTON, D.C. - For nearly 3 decades, Mike Beckner and his employees at Brick Oven Pizza have been doing what they do best: spreading on the cheese, rolling out the dough, and serving customers. We asked him how difficult it would be if he had to cut 2.5% from his budget.

"We would have to cut back possibly on renovations that we have planned, bringing on additional people, so there's things we'd have to look at to see what we could afford," says Beckner.

For the last 15 years, Deb Falkenhan has been running the hardware store her father first bought back in 1968. She didn't hesitate for a moment when asked where she'd trim if she had to.

"Inventory would probably be the first thing I looked at, just to cut back on the quantity of what I buy," says Falkenhan. "Instead of buying 12, buy 6."

It seems simple enough: spend less. Hold off on hiring new employees and delay starting new projects. No matter who you talk to, $85 billion is a lot of money, but when you look at what's been unfolding these last few weeks in Washington, it's important to remember Congress was asked to cut just 2 cents from every dollar and those dollars come from you.

"Nobody wants to give an inch," says Falkenhan. "They all want to be stubborn."

"There's no real common sense in what they do," says Beckner. "It's back to Democrat and Republican and that's the only thing it is. It's got nothing to do with we the people."

Their longevity: a sign of success that comes from serving their customers well, taking care of their employees, and when times are tough, choosing to cut back as opposed to closing the door completely. You can add your voice to the conversation about the federal budget cuts. Just go to Fox17.com and click on YOUR VOICE, YOUR FUTURE. There you will find links to additional information about the sequester and you can leave your thoughts.
If You Were Forced to Cut 2% of Your Budget, How Would You Do It? - Kristine Frazao