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…
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.