Inflation and Staying Sharp

Buying guns or spending money on ammo seems impossible when the price of basics like milk, eggs and gas have increased so much in the last few years.  Last year, I wrote about inflation and potential impact on gun owners.  I don't have numbers but it seems there are a LOT less dollars getting spent on the shooting sports now than a few years ago. 
Shooting skills will deteriorate over time if not maintained, so my main worry about this is that gun owners will not be ready to protect themselves if they don't practice.

I have two simple suggestions for those feeling the pinch who still want to stay sharp: 

1. Dry Practice - a huge percentage of your speed and accuracy can be built and maintained by perfect dry practice.  In order to dry practice safely, you'll need to know how to properly ensure your gun is unloaded and you'll also need a safe direction (something that can stop a bullet).  While there are tools that can help your dry practice sessions, you don't need any of them (see #2).  How good would you be if you spent 15 minutes dry practicing your concealed carry presentation and trigger press once or twice a week?  Very, very good.
   
2. Ignore gun and accessory advertisements - most gun owners (including me) love new guns and accessories but most of us don't need anything new.  Instead of buying new gear, spend a portion of that same money on good training or range time and get good with the gear you've already got.