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September 2005 |
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What To Do About the Gas Prices There are some tangible steps you can make toward reducing the impact of gas prices now approaching $3 per gallon. The most "painless" are keeping your car tuned up and your tires properly inflated. But the steps with the most impact require a little more forethought and — gasp! — change to your routine. Plan your trips Take a few minutes and plan each day's driving and look for opportunities to reduce miles if not trips. For instance, is a neighboring child on the same soccer team as yours? Can you car pool to practice? If you need something from the store, make sure you get it on your way home from work. Can you drop your spouse off at a co-worker's home on your way to work enabling your spouse to car pool? Consider mass transit If you can't easily walk or bike to work, that leaves the bus? When you finish scoffing, at least research the nearest routes and timetable. Can it reasonably be done? It'll probably take longer. But because you won't be driving, you actually might be more productive. Weren't you just saying you could use some more time for reading? Or could you be working on the bus? Also, how many of us would benefit from burning a few calories walking between the bus stop and workplace. And here's the clincher, you don't have to take the bus every day. Leaving your car a home just a couple times a week, will reduce your monthly gas bill to the pre-$2/gallon days. Think long term The prevailing attitude is that high gas prices are a storm to be weathered. What goes up must come down. But with China and India industrializing and creating more and more demand for fuel, it's hard to imagine prices going down in the long run. So how do we prepare long term for rising gas prices? If you are moving, try to live near where you work or near effective transit. If you are car buying, shop for fuel efficiency. Make other sacrifices Other than those steps, there isn't much you can do about a commodity like gasoline. Driving around looking for the cheapest gas is probably a waste of time (and gas!). The only other thing to do is to free up more money in your budget elsewhere. And for that we refer you to the Debt Matters Savings Section. |
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