Edie on E

As is typical, my car's gas needle is pointing disapprovingly to the big red "E."

Despite being relatively responsible in other aspects of life, I tend to act like a teenager when it comes to my car.

I drive too fast. I don't pay enough attention to what is happening around me, and I tend to forget to fill up my gas tank.

Sometimes I cut it a bit too close and run out of gas. Yup - all the way. Like broken-down-on-the-side-of-the-road-calling-the-nearest-relative-or-forgiving-friend out of gas.

Usually it's just forgetfulness but this time it is pain. Pure pain.

Thus far I've been able to avoid this unpleasantness by gleefully slipping into the passenger seat of my fiance's car whenever we need to drive somewhere. He likes to drive (actually, I think it is more that he DOESN'T like me to drive) so it tends to work out.

I remember to give him some gas money when we go on long trips, but for the little errands around town, he foots the whole bill. Since our checkbooks haven't yet merged, this has kept me pretty blissfully unaware of just what paying $3.50 per gallon feels like.

Last night, knowing that either a fill-up or break down was in my near future, I started considering how much longer I could afford gas without changing my habits.

Eventually my driver is going to become my husband and then it will be OUR money he's spending on gas, not his - so I have to figure this thing out.

I told myself that right off I needed to start driving less like a race car driver and more like a sensible adult. This should bring relief to my parents, friends and anyone who has the opportunity to ride with me.

If that doesn't work, I'll start moving on to some of the other gas-saving tips compiled here.

But what if that's not enough? What else could I do? Walking to work, not going home for lunch, and limiting long trips have all crossed my mind. What do you do, dear blog readers, to save gas? Do you have any advice? Leave a comment!

~ EH

Weekend gas up

This is what a grimmace looks like. It's not a wrinkled lip and bared teeth - well that's there, too, it's just not in the photo. This clearly is a photo of a gas pump in the spout of my gas tank, but trust me, I'm grimacing.

I drove around on fumes for three days hoping the price would drop, but it never did. Finally, on Sunday morning, I didn't have any choice but to break down and buy 21 gallons of gas for the low, low price of $75. To top it all off, I had one of those Dillons gas coupons at home - you know the coupon you get for 2 cents off per gallon for every $100 you spend at Kwik Shop's corporate partner, Dillons. Anyway, I'm not usually much on coupons, but at these prices, I'm gonna keep one in my wallet all the time.

There's something I've been wanting to do, but I'm too scared to do it. I drew up a budget three or four years ago, and one of the line items was for fuel. I'm not certain, but I think I budgeted something like $150 or $200 for two vehicles. Now, I'm certain it's over $400 and some months approaches $600, depending on my travel needs. I wonder, too, how people with few means are able to pay for gas. It wasn't too awfully long ago that I had to gather three of my closest and least judgemental friends to help me scrape together enough loose dollar bills and couch cushion coins to buy $5 of fuel to get me through to payday. I don't know how one ever finds $50 sitting in a car ash tray or in between the seats.

Anyway, here's the damage after Sunday's fill up: $74.41. So far, the price is still holding steady at $3.49

JP

So, gas prices jumped ten cents overnight and I'm sitting on a quarter tank of gas. Last week, it cost me $73 to fill up my truck and it drinks gas like a dehydrated marathon runner drinks water. Now, I'm looking at spending more than $80 to fill it up.

A couple years ago, when gas was creeping up to $2 a gallon, I started riding a bike to work. That lasted about 2 weeks, mostly because my coworkers didn't appreciate me coming in smelling like a sweaty sock. Tonight, I spent an hour online looking at Web sites selling motorized scooters and re-engineered chainsaw engines that can be mounted onto a bicycle. But I know that I'll keep driving to work, because I don't like waking up early enough to walk to work and I have two kids that usually have somewher to go - and I don't like the thought of hauling them on my back while I troll around town on my scooter.

Rumor has it that gas will hit $4 a gallon this summer, and I heard for the first time today a new phrase: Stay-cation. I guess it means that people will stay home this summer instead of traveling across the country for a much-needed vacation. Instead, they'll stay inside their own homes, crank up the AC and find cheaper ways to entertain themselves. Wow, Bush's economic stimulus plan is looking better all the time - to the oil companies.

Anyway, in an effort to serve our readers, we're going to keep an eye out for the cheapest gas prices in town. It'll only be a few cents difference from anywhere else, I imagine, but every cent counts these days, I suppose.