by Chloe Cole

Created on: May 24, 2008   Last Updated: May 03, 2011

The Price Of Gas These Days

Ouch, $4.09 a gallon! I think my wallet just bit me. I put the last of my money in the tank and frowned. When I started the car and I saw ten dollars gave me an 8th of a tank more, now I wanted to cry. The next day was payday, I sat down to pay my weekly bills and figured how much I would need for gas to get us back and forth to work this week. Huh...that left me with $50 for groceries. I called out to my husband, "Honey, how many days did you intend to eat this week?"

Everythings' price is on the rise except your paycheck these days. It all stems from the rising cost of liquid gold and we all are feeling the pinch. Every week it seems my grocery bill is ten dollars more than the week before, because it costs more to get it to the stores. The rest of my bills are getting higher as well. I now wince at every bill I open, afraid of what it says. I bought a new car because I could not afford my old gas guzzler anymore, and I am canceling all my summer plans. I told the family last night, "if we have to drive more than 10 miles from the house we can't go, and if it's 5 miles or less from the house we are walking."

I am finding it sad, we make a good living and yet I'm pinching the life out of every penny to make my ends meet. There is no relief in sight and I wonder if I will join the other million Americans who can no longer afford their homes. These are scary times we live in these days. The more people who are hurt by the cost of living the higher the crime rate seems to go. My neighbor's house was broke into last week. What did they take? Food, gas cans, and electronics. They took all the food out of her fridge! Boy, that really puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

I have even been cracking the whip on the way the cars are driven these days. "Drive like a grown up accelerate slow and ease into your stops, it'll save on gas." I researched gas conservation on the Internet and made a list, then I passed it along to all household drivers.

Actually, I learned a lot. I already knew the way you drive affected your gas mileage such as letting it idle for to long, and the way you stop and speed up. But, I hadn't been aware that maintenance and where you park also effected your performance. Did you know parking in the sun can evaporate your gas? Or driving on a dirt or gravel road robs 30% of your gas mileage? If you lose two pounds of air pressure in your tires in takes 3% of your mileage. I thought to myself, "Wow, I have a lot to learn."

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