High Gas Prices

Maybe today, make any trips to the store on your way
home from work instead of after you get home.
Quit making extra trips, and save a little gas every day!!

I laugh every time I get another email about where to buy gas or to boycott one brand or day of the week. This will never hurt or even be felt by any gas company or gas station. The only thing that will be felt is to reduce the amount of gasoline you buy period. If you only change the day you buy it, you are not helping.

There are so many little things you can do to save gas and reduce the trips to the gas pump, thus saving you cash!!! Never make a special trip to the grocery store. Have a list, if that is how you shop, and keep it with you. Stop at one of the 10 grocery stores you pass on the way home from work. Thus, no gas required for grocery shopping. Use the same method to stop making special trips to Lowes and Home Depot. They are on every corner. If you know you are going to plant flowers this weekend, buy them on the way home from work. If you have a project for the house, have a list and get it on the way home from work. If you find you did not have everything for tonight’s project, does it really need finished tonight? Will the world end or is it preventing you from eating or sleeping? Get the extra things on your way home from work tomorrow. Also one of the funniest things I find is that people drive a couple miles out of their way to save 2-3 cents on gas. Again what all the gas stations you pass on the way to work or during your regular travels. Locate the one that is normally the best price and then get gas as you are either coming home from work or from another errand that had to be run. Never just run out to buy gas!!! So by using your drive home for your shopping, gas buying and projects supplies, you can give yourself two gifts. More cash in your pocket and more time with your family at home. For most of us that is a good thing..;-))

Planning on having dinner out tonight? Do you have to go home first? Plan an early dinner and meet friends or family on the way home from work. Another trip saved. I know some of you work hard at jobs and need to go home to freshen up. Ok then, who are you having dinner with and what ever happened to stopping by to pick people up to go out. If anyone is between you and where you are having dinner, car pool!! This gives you more time to chat and be together.

If you need to go out in the evening or weekend, can the trip be combined to serve more than one purpose? Can you stop at Lowes or Home Depot or Walmart on the way home from church or the kid’s ball game? Is the store close enough to walk or bike. Maybe this could be an opportunity to help your health and budget?

Lastly Cars – Lets save the discussion on brands, imports and exports for some other time. The thing to consider are these…

First Driving Habits – Never go thru drive thru’s, you are wasting gas. You need the exercise anyway, so park and walk in. Now I know, if you have three kids in the back and one in a car seat, maybe the drive thru is an option, but for the most part, it is a gas and TIME waster. It is only convenient, if you think sitting in the car and wasting gas and waiting longer for stuff, is convenient. Also why drive around the parking lot twice to find a spot close to door or sit for several minutes waiting for someone to load their purchases and leave that close to the door parking space. Park in the first spot you find and as long as it is not pouring rain, it can be the back of the parking lot. Again, you need the exercise. Remember to combine as many trips into one as is reasonable for the place, time and circumstances.

Second - Why are you driving what you have now? Does it get 30+ miles to the gallon? If you have a truck, how often do you use the bed or have more than one person in it. If your truck is for using to go to Home Depot or Lowes to bring stuff home, they will rent you a truck for $19.00 and you can hardly by gas for that price, never mind maintain the truck and drive it daily. If you have a big vehicle for taking trips and vacations, how often do you vacation and could you rent this vehicle for that trip. My son and I rented a small SUV for our cross country trip. Put 4500 miles on it one week and did not have to worry about it breaking down or anything like that. It was great. I would do it again!!! Do you have the large car or SUV because you have kids and one in the child seat? Would a regular 4 door smaller car do just as well? Maybe you should have a family car and a commuter car?? Savings in gas, at these prices, would pay the extra insurance and payments. If over 80% of the time you look around the car and you are the only passenger and it is not getting 30+ miles per gallon, it is time to do some real soul searching.

Buying a new or used car. Make it your goal to get a car with double the mileage of the car you have. That might not be possible, but it should be your first thing to look at. I know as Americans we are car crazy and no one more so than I am.

My next car will be "Electric". Most people would find that they would not have any issue with a full electric car to use in their daily life!! They are great for around town and they are getting to be easier to find with several brands. If you need to go out of town, then rent a car. But I have been watching and there is the growing network of charging stations around the interstate system. Tesla already has charging stations along most interstate highways, east coast to west coast.