Dealing with the High Price of Gasoline

With the price of gasoline about to hit the $4 mark in some regions of the country in the next few weeks, it has sparked a wave of creativity on how to conserve the household gasoline budget. Our family has been among those that have made our gasoline dollar stretch.

We probably need gasoline more than most people since we live in a rural setting. It is 13 miles to the nearest grocery store and gas station. My commute is 15 miles each way via quite country roads. Here is how we have been managing.

Gone are the days when we use to say "fill'er up" at the gas station. Now we have a set amount that will be going into the tank. Recently it has been $25 to fill my small commuter car up for the week, so that is my gas limit for the week. We also have a pick-up truck that we no longer take to town but use around the neighborhood for local trips and hauling. To use the truck to go to town would cost $8 for the trip alone, which is something we don't want to waste money on. The weekly limit for the truck is $30. If there is very little gas left in the truck before the next fill is due, we simply don't use the truck.

Our trips to the store have been limited in the past because of the time it takes to make the round trip to town. Now we limit them because of the gasoline use. The weekly trip to the grocery store is done on Saturday morning, and I make a complete list so I don't have to shop during the week. If we do run out of something, I make a point of taking the long way home from work. That adds 5 more miles to the trip, but I can hit the grocery store along the way.

I learned long ago when commuting to choose my route not according to time but miles. I use to live in suburbia where I had the choice of the freeway or the back roads to work. I drove both just to see the difference in time and distance. The back road took 10 more minutes than the freeway route but it was 15 miles. The freeway was 26 miles and took less time. I opted for the back road since I would save just under 2 gallons of gas each day. Over the course of a week that would save me quite a bit of money. So I was on the road for 20 minutes more each day but it was worth the cost in gasoline.

Not everyone has the option of mass transit or carpooling. If you live close enough to work or school think about bicycling or walking at least one day a week. I remember during the gasoline shortage of the 1980's where there were gas lines everywhere. I also remember there was a huge demand for bicycles at that time. I guess the bicycle will be making a comeback again.