Should I do it? Is it worth it?

Ok.  I've been reading some other comments and stories.  I am 51 and live in the Sacramento area.  I just recently lost over 30 pounds (30 was my goal.)  I've always been a "tiny" person per se.  4'3" with a small frame.  But over the past couple of years I gained weight (significant weight - for me) due to stress.  All my life I was active and at some periods to an obsessive point.  Even when I was in my 20's or 30's, and even when I was a stay-at-home mom and spent hours at the gym, my tummy was always the most negative part of my body.  No amount of cardio or sit ups could give me abs I felt I could show - either with a two-piece bathing suit or under a tight shirt.  I just accepted it because the rest of my body was small.  Now, that I've lost this weight (and plan on staying at this weight) I finally feel that I deserve to have the one part of my body at a place that I've never had before.  Even being thin, I have to "suck it in" to keep the pooch from showing.  I don't need lipo, I don't need implants, I just need that life-long pooch that is my gut, to be gone.  Should I do it?  From what I've seen, the average of $8K is not alot compared to other cosmetic surgeries I've seen.  Where should I go in my area?  How much time should I spend investigating?  And...is it worth it?