If you are like everyone else, I know you’ve noticed that gas prices have gotten higher than they’ve been in years. Why is that? Well, it’s complicated. People blame the oil companies, politicians, OPEC, you name it, but do you know who is really responsible? Us. That’s right, you and me. Now, before you get all huffy and indignant, let me explain.
Oil is a commodity. The price fluctuates daily due to a lot of different factors including supply and demand. The more demand and less supply, the higher the price can go. And vice versa. So, what has that got to do with us? Well, in a broad sense, we control the supply and demand of gasoline with our driving habits. Now I’m sure there are those of you who will say I don’t drive any more than necessary. But let’s be honest folks. How many of us can really state how many miles we drive every month with any certainty?
How much money, time, wear and tear (on our cars and our brains) could we save if we started to pay attention to our habits? Quick story.
My wife and I were carpooling to work one day, and she looked over at the long line of stationary cars we are whizzing by and said, “Why don’t more people carpool?” And I answered in my usual, smart-ass tone, “Because their car is the last place, they can actually be alone.” I truly believe that. In your little, glass and metal box you can sing, talk to yourself, even pick your nose and most people won’t notice or even care, because they are doing the same thing. Oh, you say, you are going to tell us to start carpooling. No, it goes deeper than that. Let me explain.
I am merely suggesting we get a handle on how many unnecessary miles we drive our cars every month and how we can turn that into cash. So, how do we do that? Glad you asked.
Number one, set a goal. Guesstimate how many miles you drove last month. What’s the distance to and from work? Between you and your friend’s or kid’s house, the store and basically anywhere you drive in a typical month. Once you have a figure in mind, set a goal of 300 miles less over the next 30 days. That’s 10 miles a day less. If you can achieve that small goal, you can expect to pocket $45-$50 by the end of the month. Knock off 15 miles a day and you could push that up to $70. You might be thinking OK, how do I do this?
Number two, journal your mileage. Have a notebook, use the tripmeter or use your phone to log your miles every time you get home after work or an errand. Just like a food journal and all the forgotten calories you eat; you will be amazed how many miles you mindlessly drive. You might just ask why I don’t just write down the mileage on the odometer and the check it at the end of the month? For the same reason that when you are on a serious diet you weigh yourself every day to keep close track.
Number three, figure out ways to cut back. Start combining trips. Hit the store on the way home from work instead of making a special trip on the weekend. If you can, take public transportation. I had a job 25 miles from my home that offered a discounted bus pass. I rode the bus every day for a few months and saved a lot of money and stress. I even finished a couple of books! I saved $120 a month riding the bus on gas alone.
But here’s the best reason of all: If we all, or even a healthy percentage of us, start to use less gasoline we can begin to swing the pendulum towards lower prices. Using less will increase the supply on hand and the price will begin to fall. You see, we have all the power because there are so many of us. If 100,000 people use 10 gallons of gas less a month that equals 1,000,000 gallons more supply. A trend like that will begin to move the needle in the right direction.
Your Bloodbrother always,
PSW