How have the rising gas prices affected my daily life? You mean besides leaving me with less money? Mainly by invading my thoughts. Back when gas was relatively cheaper, the only time I thought about the price was when I had to pay for it. But now, with the price over $4.00 a gallon, I think about the price of gas every time I contemplate leaving my house. And for someone who has always equated having a car with freedom, just thinking about whether or not I should, or really need, to go out is a pretty constricting feeling. Unfortunately, it is necessary. Just getting out because I can has become a luxury I can no longer afford.
Now don't get me wrong, it's not like I've become a hermit, locked in my home in order to save money. It's just that now, every trip out in the car is planned. And I mean every trip, not just the big trips over long distances. Because for me, it's the small trips that really add up. For instance, Fridays we usually order a pizza for dinner, and it's also the day that I go to the bank, which happens to be near the drug store, which is near the pet store, which is next door to the pizza parlor. When gas was cheaper, I would have gone to the bank in the morning when it was least busy, and picked up a pizza later that evening for dinner. If I needed something from the drug store or something for the dog, I just went out and got it whenever the thought popped into my mind. But now I consolidate my trips. I call in my pizza order, go to the bank, head over to the drug store for whatever has been put on the list during the week, swing by the pet store for food and treats for the dog, and then pick up my pizza all in one trip. Of course, in order for this to work, I have to plan out what I will need from the drug store and pet store for the entire week. That is a big change in itself.
I apply this same practice with my grocery shopping. I only go to the grocery store once a week. This was a little tricky for me in the beginning. I was always the type of person who went to the store every day to get what I needed for dinner that night. Now I plan my meals for each day in advance. I keep extra dry good items in the house at all times; they go on the shopping list when I only have one left, not when I am completely out. And if we run out of something during the week, we just live without it (as long as it isn't milk or toilet paper, this can be done). And to my surprise, this meal planning strategy not only saves me gas money, it saves on the grocery bill too. Because as we all know, it's just not possible to only buy what is on the list.
Another aspect of my life that has been impacted by the price of gas is the chauffeuring of the kids. You see, my kids are always on the go, and I am the one who's getting them there. I have always been the "yes" mom. Yes, I will take you and your friends to the mall. Yes, I can give your teammate a ride home from practice. Yes, I will drive you to school instead of making you ride the bus so you can get 20 more minutes of sleep. Now I'm the "yes if" mom. Yes, I will take you and your friends to the mall, if one of their moms will pick you guys up. Yes, I can give your teammate a ride home from practice, if her mom will give you a ride home tomorrow. Yes, I will give you a ride to school, if it's only on the day I go grocery shopping (the school is only a block away from the grocery store). My husband has even gotten on board with this. He used to be perfectly content leaving the running around of the kids solely to me, now he calls when leaving work to see if anyone needs to be picked up.
Now these changes aren't life-altering, but they are changes. They take getting used to. But I have found that just by planning my errands in advance I am only using a half tank of gas a week instead of a full tank. And that's a good savings since it now costs me $65.00 to fill my gas tank.