Saving Money due to high Gasoline Prices
March 13, 2011
If you didn’t know, the world is going to end. Okay, that’s true in the long long long (short in geological time) run, but for our purposes we’re still okay. All that is going on at the moment is unfortunate but we have to accept that it happened, and try to do our best to make the situation better.
The sudden oil hike in prices has been fueled (appropriate word isn’t it?) by the recent Libyan turmoil, among other factors. While we do have our own supply here in the US, which president Obama has decided not yet to let us use, it really isn’t such a financial disaster yet. Here’s my gasoline expenditure extrapolation for this year assuming that prices stay at the current average.
| Cost of 1 tank | $ 65 |
| per month | $ 260 |
| per year | $ 3,120 |
(based off of premium unleaded gas for a 2009 Honda Accord on 3/11/11 in greater Los Angeles, CA)
So how can we make the best of this situation? For one, while I’m all for going green and saving green, I’ve tried carpooling and it just doesn’t work for me. I’m late to work, which isn’t acceptable, the carpool lanes in California just don’t work during rush hour, and I find it more efficient to hang around my work area to wait for traffic to die down than to head right into it and go home right after work. I think these are the top methods to help us during this tough time:
- curb expenses elsewhere (no daily Starbucks, Old Navy vs. Nordstrom, home energy retrofit, etc.)
- if you do have money saved up, invest in an electric or hybrid vehicle (my fav. the Volvo C30 electric /other people like the Chevy Volt)
- if you have the time and flexibility, public transportation or ride sharing
- download the GasBuddy app for your smartphone
- spot those deals such as Groupon, LivingSocial, Tippr, download the RetailMeNot browser add-on, etc.
- go into day trading (9 Steps to a Day Trading Career)
- diet (saving on medical costs, insurance, craving costs)
- quit your job and work from home
Obviously, all of my ideas are sound.
Good luck!
March 13, 2011 at 3:29 am
premium unleaded! are you crazy! you don’t even need that! switch to regular, research states only certain makes and models NEED premium. Try regular unleaded, and drive around, only switch to premium if you hear a knocking sound during acceleration. Should save you some dough.
March 13, 2011 at 5:21 am
omg i know, i’ve done the research too. but i drove my mom’s car and she insists on it..
i’m a regular bottom of the line girl!
March 16, 2011 at 5:56 pm
if your mom’s car is a ferrari, i understand. lie to her.