The cheapest grade of gasoline is about to hit $4 a gallon in Texas. I've never seen anything like this in my now longish life. I even remember the "good old days" when a gas war would give us gas at 19 cents a gallon. I was a teenager then, so I'm sure that it was even cheaper while I wasn't paying attention.
But now . . .
I have tried for a long time not to burn unnecessary fuel. The key words there are "tried" and "unnecessary." These days, we are limiting our trips out from the house by really thinking about what is necessary. If we have to go, then we try to add more errands to the trip so that we will save a little bit of gas.
Many times, our jaunts about town center on grocery shopping. Tuesday is the day that the weekly grocery sales end. By the time that Tuesday rolls around, we have checked all the sale flyers to see if there is anything that makes the trip worthwhile. Then we start adding stops to the trip and planning the day so that we can balance the most efficient route against the need to get the cold stuff home fast. That is sometimes nowhere near as easy as it sounds.
One other strategy that has begun to emerge while I am in Houston is to shop with or for the cousins. BigKidCousin and I have gone shopping together several times. I pick her up and we both get our errands and shopping done on the same trip. NextDoorCousin is good about picking up something that I need when it is more convenient for her route than for mine--and I have been making an effort to reciprocate. I'm guessing this will work for neighbors and friends as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment