Shawn-Knight.net

Gas Price Clarification

Posted in General by Shawn Knight on July 1, 2008

Well it seems the gas prices post from yesterday sure fired up a bunch of you all, which I fully expected. As much fun as it is to discuss “red hot” topics, based on the comments received, it seems most people completely missed my point.

Most everyone who replied flipped out about how they HAVE to have gas to get to work, see the family, etc. These people totally missed the point of my post. Basically, be thankful that you are in good health and can get around on your own, when you want to. Want something to complain about? How about you go a week without driving your car, then get back to me. Gas isn’t vital to sustain life. Food, water, shelter, clothing - those are NECESSARY items. People who don’t drive, for whatever reason, already know that.

How To Save a Bit of Fuel

For those that can’t seem to pocket the extra price of gas, I would suggest a few things to help ease the pain. See if you can pick up some extra hours or overtime at work to help offset the costs. Also, remember that almost everyone has some degree of waste in their budget (do you have a budget?). Cutting back on some other less important expenditures can help when it comes time to pay at the pump.

Try to drive as little as possible. Group errands together and accomplish as many as you can in one outing. Going back and forth from town to home will burn up a lot more fuel.

When you are driving, remember to be easy on the gas pedal. It’s not a race from stoplight to stoplight. People burn up a lot more gas than is necessary simply because they have a lead foot. Just chill and take it easy… you’ll catch that other guy stopped at the next light anyway!

Why drive everywhere by yourself? Car pooling to work or school is a great way to save on gas prices, especially if you have to drive a long distance. You may not like the idea of riding with other people, but your wallet will thank you.

Sell some extra junk on eBay, Craigslist or have a yard sale. Take those funds that you made and put them in a separate account specifically for fuel.

These are just a few ideas that should get your head above water if you really feel you are sinking.

Here are a few more related posts:

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Comments (11)

Comments

  1. lulugal11 Said,

    Another thing they can do to reduce gas costs is to take part in the drawing on my blog. Check it out at http://www.howisavemoney.net/save-money/win-gas-card-save-money/.

    (Shawn I can’t believe you’re not pimping my contest…..after the ‘wonderful’ traffic you got :-) )

  2. Kattikawn Said,

    I think you’re missing the point. All those things you mention–food, shelter, clothing–all those things necessary to life require money, which requires a job. You don’t get to work, you don’t eat. What are you going to do, grow your entire year’s worth of food in your own backyard? Not everyone can work from home, especially the lower class who make the least amount of money to begin with. So yes, in a way, affording the gas to get to work is vital to sustaining those things required for life.

    My point is that just because you don’t drive, your well being is assured with the help of those who *do* drive. You need a ride to the grocery store just as much as the next person needs to drive to it. Whether you do it yourself or not, you could not survive if you couldn’t even get to the places that provide the things you need.

  3. Forumistan Said,

    Gas prices are very high in our country, Turkey…

  4. Frank Black Said,

    i love how you posture it like you expected all this controversy to come up from your blog post about “complaining about gas prices”. Like that was the point. Paalease! let me clue you in, YOU WERE WRONG!!! High gas prices, high food prices, a housing bubble recently popped; these are all signs of inflation and recession. Should we not be complaining about a recession, should we just grin and bear it? Really, should we just all shut up and leave the complaining to people like you, who really have your finger on the pulse of society, complaining about all the complainers?

    For someone with *almost* a journalism degree, you’d think you’d get some facts…any facts.

    You gotta love the internet, anyone can say anything without any shred of proof. At least this time, people protested what were obviously flimsy arguments.

    now i’m going to go Ebay some of my junk so that i can afford to feed my children. Drive Less?!!? you are a demigod of ideas and creativity. Carpool???!! why didn’t i think of that? you, sir, are a philistine.

  5. Shawn Knight Said,

    Oh geez, another “recession” guy. Do you even know the definition of a recession? if so, you would realize we are not in a recession. Maybe you should not spend as much time on the internet, go out, get another job and actually provide for your family. If my family was starving, the last thing I would do is argue with someone on the net about gas prices. Take action, go make some money. Jobs are plentiful. As for the “recession”, don’t believe all the hype that the media spoon feeds you.

    I never said my suggestions for saving gas were original, but I bet if you tried some of them, you might save a few bucks a week.

  6. Kumqwat Said,

    People think it’s the end of the world because of inflation. They just keep on crying and crying. Grow up! Try and advance and make something of your life. If you can barely afford to feed your family and get to and from work, then you really need a reallity check on what you’ve accomplished.

  7. Frank Black Said,

    So we’re NOT in a recession?!!??! so just what is it? you probably would have told all those complainers in the Great Depression to suck it up. you gotta stop getting all your news from Rush Limbaugh and Fox News. A recession is usually defined by a decline in a nation’s GDP, we may not be there yet, but since the unemployment rate has increased for *SIX* months in a row, many news organizations are starting to agree we’re in some sort of a recession. for a guy who has a computer and knows how to type, you think you’d get some God D*** facts in your blog.

    I’m not saying this isn’t our fault, when America continued to cut interest rates over and over again, of course the dollar is going to become devalued.

    Buddy, you have a failed degree in CS and then journalism, when you fail at your economics degree, then maybe you can define whether we’re in a recession or not.

    And for a guy that runs a blog, it seems like the only content of any merit or gravitas comes from posts from people who’s name isn’t in the URL. the only reason i keep coming back is because i don’t get this kind of high quality fodder at my own blog.

  8. Shawn Knight Said,

    Funny that you do have a blog, yet are too much of a coward to ever post your URL.

  9. Frank Black Said,

    yeah, it’s cowardice alright. you got me pinned. My posts aren’t about me, they’re about your piss poor blog and your half baked opinions. this ain’t about me, it’s ALL about you. Get bent buddy.

  10. Stephen Said,

    The dealership said my scooter will run on cheap booze. Problem solved.

  11. Bigman Said,

    Double your price and add a few more cents and you are at our gallon price here in Sweden. Makes your price not so scary after all :)

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