Gas rationing
I was filling up my car last week and realized that just two years ago my tank took $29 to fill. It’s now $57 and that extra $28/week is starting to hurt. I take my bike to work so where the heck am I using the gas?
I’ve decided that the only way I can cut back on using my vehicle is to be very aware of how much I drive. One way to do that is to ration the gas I buy. Welcome back to 1940.
My goal for April is to fill the car with $30 of gas each week. No more, no less, but the $30 has to last an entire week. So far my plan is working; I’m choosing differently because of the $30/week limit. Example?
Last night I really, really, really wanted a glass of wine. I could feel that my red wine cell count was low but…it would be a 15 mile round trip to get it and it was too dark to ride a bike. So, I stayed home and had hot chocolate. You know what? I was ok with that. It’s funny how challenge creates opportunities to make changes we may have been wanting to make anyway.
If I gain some fitness and lose some of the winter wine weight while staying under $30/week, I come out ahead. I double dog dare you to try this…..pick whatever the dollar amount it was two years ago to fill your tank, and make it last a week. Then write to me and tell me what choices you made to stretch the petrol. Email me at info@1world2wheels.org.
For my part, I have to drive to town for a meeting today and one of the stops I’ll make is to the wine store. I deserve a treat for not making the extra trip last night. Yee-haw.
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a.b. Says:
amen! we’re doing our part by planning to be a one-car family by the end of the summer — and i’m pitching in by getting back on a bike after more than 20 years. i’ve discovered that it’s not as hard as i thought, though i am a little challenged when i get it in my head that i look like an awkward 7-year-old in a 41-year-old body. oh, well. i’ll smooth out the ride in a little while. and the boost to my mental health has been AMAZING! i used to be afraid of biking. now i wake up every morning and sniff the air like my dogs, gauging whether today is a good day for biking. what a shift! thanks, y’all, for an inspiring site. :)
djonnymac Says:
an absolutely brilliant idea! both the self imposed gas rationing and the wine! funny but this morning I decided that part of my commute to work will be by bike as many days out of the week that I can barring weather. just spending as much time as I do in a car per day commuting seems a waste but now even more so. also considering how much my bikes are a part of my very existance and are my very best friends, why would I not want ot spend more time with them? YEAH!!! now about that wine….
Siouxgeonz Says:
Snork… another challenge there’s just no way I can meet - not without a car ;)
It’s a fantastic idea, though. It’s as simple as actually *thinking* about just what the trip for the wine costs… and then realizing that I like myself better when I’m living like that.
Griff Says:
Okay Rebecca, you’re on! Trek UK has just introduced a ride to work benefit scheme, get paid (a small amount) to ride your bike to work!! For me that means a 50 mile round trip but I’ll aim to ride it three times a week. Gas in the UK is at an all time high, £1.15ltr, and a week’s worth of travel by car costs me £35 ($70) and that’s in a Toyota Prius! I could do with losing a few pounds too so whichever way I look at it, I’m a winner.
Peter Stahl Says:
That is a great idea. As someone who combines trips and thinks about this all the time I am not sure I can ration much but I will think about it. Why don’t you treat yourself to a good bike light so next time you can go get a bottle of wine in the dark!!! :-)
Val Says:
The real challenge here is the creative scheduling and routing needed to make possible the things you have been taking for granted. The wine, for instance - what is called for in that case is not only a good light, but planning and scheduling the time to get it on the way home. With imagination, each trip commuting can accomplish many tasks, leaving your time at home free of interruption by random errands. I’ve been fine tuning this approach for a while, and, for what it’s worth, the last time I put gas in my truck was February 2007.
Nancy Nally Says:
Well, as the mom of an active 5 year old with autism, just doing my errands on a bike isn’t practical or safe, especially since the streets around here aren’t set up to accommodate bikes. Same thing with walking. Nothing within walking distance and we don’t have sidewalks anyway!
But I am trying to be very disciplined about not making any trips that aren’t completely necessary and combining the ones that I have to make to make the routing as efficient as possible. Unfortunately one of the worst gas sucks for us is trips to the doctor - unavoidable and we have to travel quite a distance to get there. I try to run other errands that are on the route during those trips if I can. :(
Tim Says:
As a dedicated commuter and even more dedicated wine drinker, I highly recommend a BOB trailer. I get some funny looks pulling a case of Bordeaux but it’s sooooo worth it!