Struggling to Keep Up

Gas prices are currently in the price range of $3.50 a gallon. This is causing difficulty and the burden is hitting home. I watched the local news last night and the cost of filling an eighteen wheeler is approximately $600 to $700 which could cause a bit of a problem for everyone. I know that this latest increase is a problem for me since $3.50 a day for gas is $17.50 a week, $70 a month which is an additional $5 a month from my update at the end of February. The question now is what else can we get rid of to make up for the rising gasoline prices.

The shock at the gas pump when our car took over $30 to fill up from three quarters of a tank was almost as bad as the shock I felt at paying almost $4 for a gallon of milk. The cost to purchase groceries is increasing a great deal as well. This is starting to make me wonder just how my small family is going to make it though without a drastic increase in income. My light bill has felt the effects as well.

The fuel adjustment charge was approximately $15 this time last year; my last bill had it at almost $60. That is nearly four times as high as it has been in the past. That didn't include the $300 almost $400 worth of electricity that my family of three managed to use on the last two bills. The only thing that saved us from having the utilities cut off is the fact that a few years ago I opted for budget billing which sets the bill at $200 a month at this point in time. At the moment we're almost $350 over budget and doing everything possible to bring the bill back down below budget to prevent having an outrageous bill when the settle up date comes.

How are we getting the light bill down? First, we fixed a busted pipe under the house, hopefully that will help some. Next we cut off the central unit to prevent it from running up the light bill and opened the windows to let fresh air in. Anything electrical has had it's use reduced as much as is humanly possible. I even do more laundry by hand to prevent having to run the washing machine and all the clothes are hung out. Who knew a broken dryer would ever work to my advantage.

The grass is going to have to be cut especially since I live in an area where snakes are common. My problem is that I'm afraid of how much it's going to cost at the pump to fill the lawnmower. I have even considering buying an old fashioned reel mower to save on the cost of gasoline. The yard is too big to cut out the cost of gasoline entirely for it but even a small portion cut with a gas free lawnmower would help my wallet a great deal. Finding the money to pay for the additional lawnmower is another problem. Utilizing public transportation to do away with the gasoline, maintenance and insurance cost would be incredible.

There is a large problem with the use of public transportation in the area; it is not readily available here. You have a choice call to schedule the bus ahead of time or call a cab and spend more than you would have spent on gasoline for that day. That fact alone makes public transportation a choice that isn't actually an option. The cost of taking care of the home is increasing as well.

The main focus with the rising cost is to spend as little as possible without neglecting basic needs. Recently I was figuring out the cost of my daughters supplements each month. She takes a fish oil supplement that is approximately $42 for a 4 ounce bottle at the pharmacy. Online the same bottle is $35 and an 8 ounce bottle is just under $63 which not only saves money but it saves money in two ways. She goes through 8 ounces a month and that bottle saves at least $5 a month. It's not a lot but that $5 can put enough gas in the car to get her to one of her therapy appointments and home again.

The $5 savings on one supplement gives me the additional $5 that the rising gas prices have caused. The last order that I received came with coupon codes for 10% off the next order which will help to cover one more supplement next month. I've been ordering samples of items to see what I actually need and which options work best for the least amount of money.

That's about it for the update because there are still more areas to figure out. Should we trade the cars in for something with better mileage? The savings would have to be rather significant to make up for having yet another monthly expense.

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