Pinch at the pump prompts ingenuity

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By Melissa Coulter | Monday, May 12, 2008 9:49 AM CDT | () comments

“At soon-to-be $4 a gallon, does gas theft surprise anyone?” Mr.Toby wrote on QCTimes.com this week. “The moral and responsible answer is to say, ‘Oh, I can’t afford to drive, so I won’t.’ But most people need to get to work or the store to survive. People are going to do what they need to do.”

These may seem like desperate times, but we needn’t resort to illegal measures to stay on the road. Even those who can’t give up the car keys completely are employing strategies to save money and reduce time behind the wheel.

Oldskool wrote, “Now they’re predicting gas to be at $200 a barrel in a couple of years! That’s like $7 a gallon. You guys wouldn’t make fun of me if I got a moped, would you?”

Mrsramirez wrote, “I’m just glad I drive a four-cylinder and my hubby has a six-er. But even with these, it’s still a nice chunk of change we are putting in the tank. I wish I worked closer to home. I would think about riding a bike. I am thinking about a motorcycle, though.”

Now is the perfect time to explore alternate forms of transportation. Bike to Work Week begins today. Cycling commuters will begin sharing their stories on “Think Outside of the Car,” a blog beginning Monday on QCTimes.com.

I’m lucky I live close enough to walk to work if I give myself an extra 30 minutes. I’m going to attempt to leave the car parked as I commute this week, but it will be a challenge. I’m spoiled by the convenience of my vehicle.

Commenters are changing more than their driving habits to afford the next fill-up.

Yolanda wrote, “We don’t go to movies or run around anywhere I don’t absolutely have to. I consolidate my trips. We use energy efficient bulbs and use other means to save money. Shh ... don’t tell, but we don’t always have name-brand toilet paper. We even shop specials, compare prices, clip coupons and do whatever we can to keep things in budget.”

These are sensible things to do all the time. I wonder why it takes sticker shock at the pump to get us to change our ways.

Ignatius J. Reilly wrote, “It’s always seemed odd to me that people complain about paying $3 to $4 for a gallon of gas, yet they’ll pay $27 per gallon for a double mocha latte at Starbucks and not even blink. I guess it’s about priorities.”

Our waking hours are filled with marketing messages convincing us that we need to buy this or that product to make our lives better. That’s fine. Hyperbole is the norm in advertising. But what happened to our skepticism and self-control?

“Entitlement — that’s all I’m hearing today,” Marismom wrote. “We are not entitled to cheap gas. We are not entitled to cheap food. We are not entitled to government bail-outs. Take your eyes off your gas gauge and your oversized latte for one minute, and look at what is going on in the world! We have to save, spend less, conserve our resources, fight fraud, vote people into office who will cap spending, keep our taxes low to encourage investment, realize you can no longer coast through life with only a high school diploma and stop pointing the finger at everyone else and look at the choices you’ve made.”

I’ve spent much of this year considering my choices as a consumer. My New Year’s resolution to make my life “greener” each month has been good for the environment and my wallet. This month’s investment in a used bicycle will likely pay for itself by the end of summer in money not spent at the gas station.

Melissa Coulter writes on the comments posted online at qctimes.com.