Gas Prices Are Out of Control: Steps to Saving Money Tomorrow
I was on the road today and found myself looking down at the gas gauge almost immediately. I guess I remember dropping a Benjamin just a few days ago to fill up the family truckster and I’m still pretty pissed about it. Of course, the first thing that came to mind – how can I save money here and share that with the Bushbaker Nation (all 4 of you).
A few of the tips you will not see here is walking, buying a scooter or buying a different ride. All of those, and many more like em, are nice in theory, but not practical for those of us needing to drive 40 miles tomorrow to get to wherever. What you will see is simple changes to driving techniques, automobile tips to get better gas mileage, and tips to filling up at the pump. Fight back tomorrow against high gas prices with some simple changes that can be implemented immediately. And maybe you will only have to part with Grant ($50) instead of those coveted Benji’s ($100). Here are my top ten.
- Drive slower. First on the list since this is what I did today. I set the old cruise control at 65 mph on a busy expressway. There were some people bent about me driving so slow, but I pretty much only care about my wallet at this point. So many people speed aimlessly around and don’t even know why. My slightly slower driving didn’t have a HUGE impact on my gas savings, but every little bit, right?
- Keep tire pressure up. Low pressure on tires means for a slightly better ride since you feel the bumps less, but does horrible things for gas efficiency. Keep the pressure to the recommended tire pressure printed on the side of the tire. This can be a huge saver immediately.
- Find good gas prices. This is the “no freaking kidding” item on this list, but you would be surprised how we pass up a good deal for convenience. Of course, don’t go out of your way for the better price, unless it is HUGE, but do your homework. Visit great internet sites like Gas Buddy and the local Las Vegas Nevada gas price buster site.
- Avoid idling. My wife always says “you use more gas turning the car back on than if you just let it run.” Sorry darling…the experts don’t agree. The experts say that if you are going to idle for more than 30 seconds, it is worth it to turn off the engine. Along the same notion…turn off the air conditioning. Step up and deal with a little warmer weather (unless where you are going requires you to look proper and then you should splurge).
- Anticipate stop signs and lights. There are many offshoots of this, but the general theory is to drive at a constant speed and avoid unnecessary acceleration if you can. Your passengers will thank you and so will your mechanic when it is time to check the pads.
- Take care of your ride. Change the air filter regularly (especially if you live the desert like me). Get regular oil changes and use a fuel injector cleaner. These are all good things to do for your auto anyway so why not do it in the name of saving some scratch?
- Plan your trips in advance. Planning is good. Trust me. If you know exactly where you are going and how to get there, you will not make mistakes and (since we are guys) drive around aimlessly for HOURS instead of asking the homeless guy where the heck you are. The shopping list when going to the grocery store analogy works good here as well.
- Fill up at certain times and days. There was an email that went around the net in October of last year from a petroleum worker. You can read it here. Some good tips and they WILL save you money. Also, I have been told that filling up on Wednesdays is the best day. Prices are the cheapest on this day, but you will only see these savings playing this over the long term.
- Remove unnecessary racks. Three words that should never be put together – ever. But it made the list anyhow. Essentially, remove any drag that could cause your ride to get worse gas mileage.
- Use the cheap stuff. Use the lowest recommended octane in your car. Many vehicles don’t need the more expensive stuff, so don’t think you are doing your sled any better by putting in the higher priced fuel.
I know that when I was driving today to my meeting, I was sickened by the thought my ride was chomping through the fuel like it was going out of style…literally. In my opinion, gas prices are not coming back. They are here to stay and that will change everything from where people live to how they entertain themselves to how they work. Even garbage collection will change…
Identifying a Future Financial Catastrophe
Frugal Dad recently posted on a story from Get Rich Slowly on this topic. I don’t want to comment specifically on the contents of this blogpost – it is heart wrenching and frankly it does not need another blogger chiming in. However, I do encourage you to go to the sites and read what these two great writers have to say on the issue.
Normally, I take a no-nonsense approach to this type of thing. “The parents, kids, friends cousins, etc who are in financial trouble got there because they were not disciplined. They deserve to have some tough times and this is simply God giving them a little growth.” I believe GRS referred to it as “Give up and move on” as to what some of the readers might suggest. It is a VERY tough situation that I have not yet had to deal with in my life, but I am certain it is coming.
The real issue I wanted to address is to how to identify when a family member or friend is heading down this path. If you can identify the behavior, maybe, just maybe, you can help them, or yourself, resolve it before things get crazy. These are not all in-your-face type of behaviors. Some are extremely subtle and very hard to detect
Here is a list of ten dysfunctional money-related behaviors:
- Using money as a mood-changer. Many people use spending money to change their moods after a bad day or family argument, etc. If you get the feeling you are doing this, stop and think before acting. Are you using the purchase to get back at someone? Try to view the situation in a new way. Develop more flexible problem-solving skills.
- We’ll deal with it later. Incurring more debt only puts more financial stress on you to pay more, which is a VERY risky behavior. What would happen if someone lost their job, or got too sick to work? Waiting to deal with issue later could be the kiss of death. As Tony Robbins would say, “kill the monster while it is still young.” Always deal with it head on.
- Till debt do us part. Marriage is tough enough, but when couples get out of control with their finances, it always ends badly. Keeping secrets about how money is spent, or earned, can create havoc and erode trust at home. People differ in their attitudes about budgets, investment style, insurance needs, standard of living, vacations, hobbies, etc. It is important to choose someone from the outset whose values are in sync with yours, or if its too late for that, to have regular discussions about financial priorities and decisions.
- Hidden addictions. This one can be obvious, but oftentimes is not. The internet has changed everything for this one. Shopaholism, gambling and drugs are all well-known addictions and sometimes are easy to spot. They all eat up huge amounts of money and can ruin someone’s life very quickly. But when the internet came into play, things changed for those with addicting personalities. Having the latest gizmo, software, hardware, clothing, etc is now just a click away and can be done VERY discretely.
- Not planning for major purchases or choosing impulsively. Major appliances eventually roll over and die. Replacing these items is costly, but sometimes our emotions take over what could be a rational process. Sometimes, we may feel a sense of entitlement where “only the best will do.” This occurs with items that NEED replacing and items that WANT replacing. Or even worse yet, items we have NO NEED for at all, but all of the sudden are “must haves”.
- Playing rescuer for the financial crises of grown children. This one can be for your grown children or your parents (going the other way.) You might do this because a) you feel you “have to” in order to prevent some catastrophe, or b) because its “what good parents or children do,” or c) because you get a kick out of stepping up to control their lives. In any event, this is a terrible situation to be in and is reminiscent of the post that started this article.
- Not wanting to look in the mailbox. This is my favorite as I have done this like EVERYONE has done this. This head-in-the-sand approach is probably costing you more money because, out of your fears about knowing and looking, you may be missing opportunities to undo the damage, or at least do damage control. Once you take the time to know what you are dealing with, it will be scary but you can adopt a plan of action to curtail new spending, take steps with creditors, pay bills on time to avoid those deathly default rates, etc.
- Letting money “burn a hole in your pocket“. Having money handy is comforting to most people, but before you spend your tax return money, consider letting it “cool off” for awhile, safely parked in a savings account that’s difficult to access. Adopt a time frame where you choose to do nothing. You might find that you actually like saving.
- Emotions about inheritances. An inheritance can elicit powerful feelings ranging from guilt over what you did not do for your parents, to sadness that they did not get to enjoy their own hard-earned money, to fear that you will blow through your inheritance, or feelings of entitlement after having had an unhappy family life. Whatever your case, get sound financial advice from a trusted source. My advice: resist fancy home improvements or any other impulse purchases until the money, and your emotions, “cools off.”
- “I’m going to win Lotto”. Having dreams is a fun thing but if your solution to money stress is to score big at Lotto, you woke up and smoked your breakfast. The reality is that most of us will have to work until we get to retire, and only a tiny percentage of people ever win lotteries. It’s far better to use your wits to plan soundly towards making your retirement dream comfortable.
I think this list is a good one and I am sure there are plenty more. And for the guys reading this, it is very easy for us not to face our fears about this subject, grab a beer and forget about the discussion. DON’T! Get on the horse and tackle this thing if it is close to happening to you. I would say “be a man about it”, but you already know that is the case.
Taipei Garbage Collection Coming Soon To The US
This is a great post from John Chow on his recent trip to Taipei. Essentially, they have a different view of garbage collection and the way things get done. I read all of John’s posts are have him in my must read’s. He is a great blogger.
John posted this as an impromptu post when he encountered this on accident. What is interesting is that this, along with so many other things in our society right now, is about to change drastically due to the things going on in the economy. This is a staple in all things manly…impromptu stuff…
GAS PRICES
People were just pissed off when gas prices hit $3/gallon last year. It did nothing to change car usage or consumption habits here in the States. Now that gas prices are north of $4/gallon with no real end in sight based on the price of oil, people are way beyond pissed. They are taking action. SUV’s and Pick-ups are on the selling block over town and prices on these guzzlers are coming way down. Even guys who use these auto’s as an extension of “who they are” or compensating for other inadequacies, are now simply saying “screw it. I can’t afford it and it is not that important.”
Gas prices just might force this type of solution for our garbage disposal. Our local garbage hauler will raise prices soon and guys like me will quickly tell them to go flock themselves – I will dispose of my own garbage – especially if I can do it cheaper.
FOOD PRICES
The price of a gallon of milk at our local store is now $4.30. There are many reasons for this, but WTF? The wife and I will make sure we will use every piece of food and throw NOTHING away. The price of cheese (and my wife is an addict to the stuff) has doubled over the last year! Absolutely NO more waste in our household. Again, another very significant trend to MUCH less garbage. If everyone does this, it will not make sense anymore for the trash man to make normal rounds around town in their gas guzzlers.
GREENING OF EVERYTHING
I called this over two years ago. EVERYTHING is going green and there is no argument here that this method of trash collection is greener than the current one. If we all lived in high-rises, the garbage collection would be identical to this one. You bring your garbage to a central location and it gets sorted and processed. Efficient and the ecological footprint is MUCH smaller. There is not much else to say on this “greening of everything” unless you have been living in a cave for the past couple of years – which I wouldn’t put past some of the folks I run into on a daily basis…
SMART DEVELOPMENT
As a developer, I can tell you that real estate usage and smart design is at the VERY top of our list when it comes to new projects. Smaller roads, alley loaded products, walk ability and mixed-use type of developments all lead to a garbage collection solution similar to one we see on this video.
IN CONCLUSION
Going to the garbage man with your garbage/recycling would suck (because it is such a change in mentality), but just might be the only way we can manage this in the future. It might be thrust upon us and it just might help all of us think a little bit about our consumption and our waste.
I am a bottom line kind of guy and I act with my pocketbook. If my collection company decides to charge a BUNCH more scratch to pick up my waste, then I will no doubt look for a different solution. This solution looks interesting and I can see this happening at some point in the future right here.
What to do with those you love (after they are dead)…
I found this article by Norma Love at the AP on the web today concerning a new alternative of dealing with bodies of our loved ones. The following description was offered up in the article:
“The process is called alkaline hydrolysis and was developed in this country 16 years ago to get rid of animal carcasses. It uses lye, 300-degree heat and 60 pounds of pressure per square inch to destroy bodies in big stainless-steel cylinders that are similar to pressure cookers.”
They are claming this revolutionary technology, developed 16 years ago used on animals, is a game changer for the industry.
Since Gail and I are relatively young, we have not talked very much about what we done with our bodies after we die, but this certainly has peaked my interest in the subject and I will tell you why.
The alternatives have always been either bury or burn. I hate getting burned and I think that option doesn’t work for me just because of my hatred for the feeling of getting burned. Will I feel it when I die, I don’t think so, but why take the chance? Then, what do J.D. and Gail (I am certain she will outlive me) do with the ashes. I mean, I thought it silly to have ashes buried, put out sea, or placed in some remote place on the Earth, “because he always loved that…” How messed up is that thinking? Nope, that option stinks.
The other option is to bury me. Not much better than the first option. What if I wake up and find out that I am 6 feet under. I know that there is a very remote chance of that happening, that’s why they call it death, but still, what if? How horrible the thought. Who would hear me and I simply don’t have the time to learn the amazing put my fingers through wood trick that Uma Thurman’s character “The Bride” was forced to learn in Kill Bill. So, if I am buried and not quite dead yet, I would be very upset.
Finally, and this is not really an option (at least for me), dedicate my body to science. What the heck does that mean? In my mind, there would be a bunch of punks looking over my torn apart liver from all the beer I drink at my favorite watering holes. Not to mention the years of sipping cocktails with friends on the weekends. Those same punks might then decide to use me in some weird experiment to see what happens to the human body when put under severe duress or something like that. Ouch…again, what if I can actually feel that on the other side…not a good thing.
This new alternative means that I have face the music with the whole burn thing, but they know for certain that I am gone and there is no coming back. The best of all it is “green” for the environment. No worm food jokes or sprinkling the Bush-man over Lake Michigan while everyone toasts…”remember when” or “he always liked the Chicago skyline and now he will get to see it forever.” Just fry me up, turn me into some powder that can simply go down the drain and move on. I am liking this alternative already…
ROI of Replacing Light Bulbs
This is one of my favorite posts from the other site. I am in the never-ending quest to save money, lower the household expenses and become financially free at some point. This is just one of the wonderful ways to save money. It had some good banter between Gail and I as she loves that lamp in the corner of our living room. I, on the other hand, am planning a very unfortunate “incident” for our little energy hog lamp friend…
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Try to calculate the Return on Investment (or Internal Rate of Return) of doing this…good luck. Today, I spent several hours doing household chores. My wife went back to Detroit for a business trip and left me a little honey-do list. So today, like the good robot husband I am sometimes, I did my thing and went through that list. I spent every agonizing, errr enlightening, moment on checking off every task and achieved the whole thing – save some last minute cleaning she wanted done right before she comes home on Tuesday.
One thing that wasn’t on her list but was on mine, was replace every dinosaur light bulb we have in the house with those new fandangled bulbs that look like a bowl of spaghetti. 
Since I am all about saving money and doing my own financial analysis to justify my actions, I had to look at this based on my return on my investment (or Internal Rate of Return). It took the idea of saving money bigtime for me to actually do the right thing – what kind of person am I???
I thought this process would have taken me about 20 minutes, but after spending roughly 2 full hours on this little project, I was felling pretty good about myself. I replaced nearly 40 light bulbs and did a variety of equivalent 60 watts, 75 watts and 100 watts.
What is cool about this is the learning process. What I learned was the following:
- the old 60 watt version uses only 14 watts in the new version
- the old 75 watt version uses only 18 watts in the new version
- the old 100 watt version uses only 23 watts in the new version
These new light bulbs use 1/5 of the electricity as the old version. HUGE savings when it comes to paying my those really nice folks at the utility company. The package says I can save, under normal uses, the following:
- the 14 watt version saves $46/year
- the 18 watt version saves $56/year
- the 23 watt version saves $77/year
Since I replaced nearly 40 light bulbs today, I know the savings could very well be huge. If the average savings per yer is $50 per bulb (on average since most of them were the small kind) and I replaced 40 of them (I need my calculator), but I think that is roughly $2,000 per year in energy savings. I am not that optimistic and I know that it simply can’t be true, but lets say I was off by 50% and it only saves me a cool grand each year.
Time to crack out one of my best friends (Microsoft Excel) and do a little investment return. The total investment in light bulbs was $33. My time is free since I was working around the house and my wife gets a special discount – for barter of course… 
The internal rate of return on this investment is silly to discuss. It is off the charts, so let’s not even discuss it.
What is truly neat to look at is how these 10 C-notes are going to multiply over time, invested VERY mildly at 8% return. To see what this means to me in 30 years time – saving the $1000 every year; invested at 8% annual return – simply use the following formula in excel “=FV(.08,-1000,30)”.
(BTW, I am writing this with The Matrix on in the background…killer flick)
This silly little bulb replacement exercise just netted me an additional $113,283.21 for our retirement. If my adjustment down to $1000 per year is wrong and I actually save the $2000 per year, my take at the end of all of this (just replace the 1000 with 2000 in Excel) is an unbelievable $226,556. I am besides myself right now. Somebody needs to come on over my pad and punch me in the face a bunch of times for not doing this sooner. If not in the face, then at least a couple swift kicks in the beans. What the heck was I thinking?
Oh yeah, one more thing, I of course put all my dinosaur bulbs on craigslist to try to offset my $33 initial investment. For some reason, spending the initial scratch still gets to me. Those light bulbs seem perfectly fine, but in the in long run, those things were eating me out of house and home. Taking food off my table sort of speak. And the Financial Analysis Guy can never have that!
One more thing, the Financial Analysis Gal has this amazingly beautiful floor lamp in the corner of our living room. It is artwork – I will give it that. She loves it and we can’t craigslist it quite yet, but the time is coming. Why? That halogen lamp uses 300 watts (that’s 21 FREAKING times more energy than my little spaghetti style friend). That lamp is now officially put on notice!!!
Best of Las Vegas Results
The Best of Las Vegas 2008…what a great tagline. I wrote this as soon as the list came out. It makes nice writing and nice press for the local Las Vegas newspaper, but it is really not all that important to us locals. Try to keep in mind my two favorite Las Vegas restaurants – Gordon Biersh and The Crown and Anchor. I need to add several others to this list, but since both of these are really close to my house…they are in this post.
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The local rag here in Las Vegas called The Las Vegas Review Journalis an “OK” paper. They are definitely right leaning and do a pretty good job on reporting the news – regardless of their political viewpoints.
Every year, like most local papers, they do an online poll for “The Best Of” in that metropolitan. The LVRJ does a descent job of this but sometimes they miss the mark completely. If you are local like me, you have your own hotspots you like to frequent. I strongly encourage anyone coming to visit Vegas or who has just moved here to read this Review Journal article.
They even do a Razzie-type thing of the Best of the Worst. This is actually really cool. In this town, the press is part of the show and when you see someones face over and over again for the same things, you know that this list was needed. Our good friend Oscar Goodman, Las Vegas’ Mayor, made the list once again, but I don’t fault him for it. He is so freaking good for this city it is amazing. I love what he has done and what he brings.
Now, on the list itself, they have some celebrity type folks that give their favorite places. This is OK, but take their information with a grain of salt. They are just one person’s opinion and some of these folks are transient in nature due to their jobs.
I was really bummed not to see my two favorite pubs in Vegas. One is a chain and you have all heard of it – Gordon Biersch. I have been to almost every GB in the nation and this one takes the cake. This one is not like any of the others. If you are a local, or a visitor, go see Kala and Billy “The A-Team” on Wednesday or Thursday nights. They are the absolute BEST in town. They have the most amazing Southwestern Egg Rolls. Enjoy a Heff with lemon or skip it and go straight for their flagship beer, Marzen. Can’t go wrong with any of em.
The other is a genuine British Pub that made the list some time ago – The Crown and Anchor. This place is rough around the edges – just like a British Pub ought to be. They have all the soccer (or football everywhere else) matches and have genuine English food. They make some of the best Yorkshire Pudding around. Enjoy your favorite beer (Guinness, Bass or Boddington’s for me), take in a football match, and maybe even try some of the famous Snake Bite. Great stuff. And yes, if you are Brit coming to town, you will feel right at home. Almost every British native in town ends up here at some point during the week.
On all of the other stuff on their list, you can’t go wrong with it. There is always something to do in Vegas. From world-class clubbing on The Strip, to outdoor activities, to top-notch shows for every genre – this place never sleeps and you can get pretty much anything you want here, literally.