Small Gains

I've been watching gas prices with a lot more interest lately. It is definitely getting crazy for US gas prices, and I'm starting to notice. Really notice. I've always paid attention, but I've never really made a super conscious effort to change my behavior until fairly recently. I am grateful that we are not living paycheck to paycheck as we once were, as this kind of cost increase would require a ton of creativity and sacrifice.

Because leaving the house is costing so much, we're trying to do much better at combining trips and carpooling more errands with our roommate. We're also having a blast riding bikes and walking.

Not leaving the house as much is having some nice financial side effects. We're not eating out as much, we rarely stop off at the store for one ingredient. Basically, we're doing all the things we try to do anyway, but with that high gas price as an incentive, we're doing it much more effectively. So not only are we saving on fuel, we're saving on not eating out, impulse buys, and other small places. I see this as a positive thing!

With every loss there is one small gain. We're focusing on the gains of this fuel issue. Saving money, spending more time together as a family, and enjoying creative cooking are gains in my book. I'm hoping our nation will also gain wisdom and knowledge in fuel economy. Perhaps this high price will lead to more fuel efficient transportation, or more exploration in alternative energy sources. This is a crisis for many people, but hopefully the loss of our super cheap gas prices will result in gains for our family and our nation, however small.