It seems as if it will never stop.\u00a0 Just this week I was driving down the road and there were three different gas stations at one intersection.\u00a0 One had fuel for $3.23, another for $3.25 and the final station was $3.35.\u00a0 That is up from $3.17 just 10 days earlier.\u00a0 This is crazy!\u00a0 It used to be that Georgia had the least expensive prices of fuel in the southeast.\u00a0 Those days are gone.<\/p>\n
Some of us can remember back to the late 70\u2019s and early 80\u2019s when a similar situation played out.\u00a0 Seems to me that the price per gallon was 80 cents to $1 way back then.\u00a0 That seems so long ago.\u00a0 At the time, I was just beginning to drive and paying my own gas money.\u00a0\u00a0 Many of as in high school felt them impact on a little income.\u00a0 Others had the luxury of relying on mom and dad for their gas money.<\/p>\n
Now it appears to be happening again.\u00a0\u00a0 I am not sure what was driving the price up 25 \u2013 30 years ago.\u00a0 Today, among other things, it is consumption here in the U.S and abroad like India and China.\u00a0 Additionally, in the summer months the EPA requires that special formulated fuel be required in many, if not most, metropolitan areas and that pushes the price up.\u00a0 Additionally, there are the taxes.\u00a0 Just today, Republican presidential nominee John McCain proposed having a fuel tax holiday in the summer months.<\/p>\n
What can you and I do now to help us in managing our finances and, specifically, the impact on our wallets.<\/p>\n
First, shop around.\u00a0 Be on the lookout for the gas pumps that typically have the lowest price.\u00a0 Sometimes, these typically will be the big box stores like Walmart\/Sam\u2019s, BJ\u2019s or Costco.\u00a0 It may be your local gas station.\u00a0 It is tempting to drive until you find the cheapest and in the process waste a precious $3.35 gallon of gas.\u00a0 Find the place that is typically the lowest price and stick with it.<\/p>\n
Second, reduce your usage.\u00a0 We are in the habit of driving everywhere at any time.\u00a0 We will drive home from work, find out we need milk and run back out to the store.\u00a0 After dinner we take the kids to soccer practice and while we are out we can stop at the bookstore.\u00a0 Ok, I am being a little dramatic, but bunch up your errands.\u00a0 Find out what is needed from the grocery before you leave work.\u00a0 Carpool with other parents to take the kids to practice.\u00a0 If you live in a more rural area, combine your trips to town to once a week.<\/p>\n
What about carpooling or even working from home.\u00a0 Many companies today offer programs in these two areas for their employees.\u00a0 Today\u2019s technology allows more of the workforce to work remotely and taking advantage of the program can help in saving on fuel expenses.<\/p>\n
How about selling the \u201cguzzler\u201d and buying the more efficient, economical used car.\u00a0 A couple things come to mind here.\u00a0 First, you have to find someone who can buy guzzler.\u00a0 A couple of years back, when the SUV\u2019s started losing their appeal, the definition of and SUV was \u201cSimply Unsellable Vehicle\u201d.\u00a0 That may be the case with many cars today.\u00a0 If you can make the change, while paying cash for the NEW used car \u2013 go for it.<\/p>\n
Nothing is simple or easy, but we need to make sure we stick to the spending plan.\u00a0 You may find that with the fuel line item in the spending plan increasing, you will need to cut back in other areas to compensate.\u00a0 It is times like these that people begin spending beyond what they have coming in and it leads to debt \u2013 credit card debt.\u00a0 Keep in mind that when you are paying at the pump you are most likely going to find higher prices everywhere \u2013 the grocery store, the ball park, restaurants, clothing, etc. \u2013 everyone is feeling the pinch.<\/p>\n
Taking your income, cutting back where you can \u2013 in your spending plan and in your consumption \u2013 will help you weather this problem.\u00a0 Hopefully, it will be short lived, but no one knows!<\/p>\n
Have any more ideas to share with readers to blog?\u00a0 Post them here\u2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
It seems as if it will never stop.\u00a0 Just this week I was driving down the road and there were three different gas stations at one intersection.\u00a0 One had fuel for $3.23, another for $3.25 and the final station was $3.35.\u00a0 That is up from $3.17 just 10 days earlier.\u00a0 This is crazy!\u00a0 It used […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-145","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-saving-money"],"yoast_head":"\n