I just read in the news today that American’s are angry because gas prices rose about 30 cents per gallon this month and while they say that this is not hurting American “spending” confidence at this time it is going to hit all of us in our wallets albeit a delayed reaction since I work for the school system I most painfully feel this result every August although I have changed some things this year so maybe not.
So 30 cents a gallon does not sound like much but do you know exactly how many gallons it takes you to fill your car up and how long your tank lasts you? These are important questions so you can really assess how the gas prices are affecting your bottom line. Remember I don’t pretend to be an economics expert I am just a school system IT person with a passion for discussing these issues we are facing and a modern-day homesteader. My definition of a homesteader is if you don’t know it….”If you own a home you’re a homesteader.”
Click here to view video of Analyst Discussing Gas Prices
So you have a tank of gas let’s say it holds 15 gallons and you are going to go fishing at the lake this weekend and you need one tank to get you there.
15 X 3.51 = 52.65- Old Price of Gas (National Average March 2011)
15 X 3.90=55.50 – New Price of Gas (National Average March 2012)
So lets take the difference between the March 2011 price and the March 2012 price and you will see for that weekend you are only out…..$5.70 if you count the trip round trip. That does not seem so bad does it? Now take your gas totals for a month and say you fill up your tank 4 times a month you are now out about $12.00 a month and your yearly difference you have less of per year is about $144.00 and that starts to look like a night at a hotel, a raised bed in your garden, a sewing machine perhaps that number looks entirely different. It starts stacking up and sneaks up on you and when you really feel it is when you have a big family trip and instead of lodging being the most expensive item in your budget its gas.
Well we can’t control the powers that be with the gas prices which we know they know we are all going to travel so they are going to raise the prices. My recommendation stay close to home for your vacations if you can or even have a “Staycation” we have done those before in the past and they have been a lot of fun!
Ideas for coming up with that gas difference per year….
1. Ditch the papertowels
2. Eat homemade pizza instead of take out
3. Grown your own food when you can
4. Do your own car repairs
5. Go through your spending budgets and try to cut things in half if you can’t cut all of it out. I go to a professional salon to get my hair done I am not giving it up I need the color but I can give up expensive shampoos and other products. What can you give up in the beauty department?
6. Maybe instead of going to a shooting club to shoot your guns you can go out to the hunting grounds where its a little more affordable.
7. Try to spend your money on priorities, whole foods, prepping items, and lose some of the fluff if you can. I know some things are not easy to give up like ice cream its tough but we are working on eating less of it.
Wishing you all a great Tuesday! It was gorgeous here today!
Fondly,
If you liked this post you may enjoy the following related posts:
Food Prices Are Climbing What’s A Consumer To Do?
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I love articles about saving and being smart with money. Thanks
Glad you enjoyed it Bobbi!
This is a great post. Thanks for the tips. My father and I are really careful about where we drive in our car to save gas, and we’ll usually group things like trips to the grocery store around when we have to go out to church or for other appointments during the week. Love and hugs from the ocean shores of California, Heather 🙂
Can you imagine the gas bill of people who are driving long distances to work? When I started teaching I drove 45 minutes each way. No way I could do that now.
Katherine I know what you mean when we lived in the Washington DC area my commute one way was approx. 1 hour and 10 minutes give or take a few minutes! NEVER AGAIN! I wonder how many people on average who have OVER a 45 minute commute..I now drive 7 miles to work 🙂
Me too, it’s almost 40 miles one way so I fill up (20 gal) for 4 days and then a bit for the 5th. There are no options of working closer since we live out a ways.
Kathy that was how my life was when I lived in Maryland it was impossible to get a job close to home because there were so few….I know what you mean.
Seems like the price of everything is rising right now. A lot more people here in Ireland are making food stores which is a very new development for us. People are worried about the future and wondering “where will it all stop.”
Bridget I am not sure it will…….we are certainly in different times aren’t we?