Fuel prices seem to reach record highs each day now.
And the prices at the pump are affecting the way we do business across the board. Grocery prices have increased; building materials are increasing in cost; even our utility bills are impacted by the price of fuel. And there isn't any relief to this problem in the near future.
Sure there are alternatives, but the vast majority of consumers still rely on fuel, in some form or another, that began as a barrel of crude oil.
And the present fuel crunch is beginning to hit us hard.
A trip down Oak Street on Saturday showed gasoline prices at $3.49, $3.50 and $3.51 per gallon of the lowest grade gasoline available. And speculators are saying we could see $4 gas by the summer.
So what can we do now to cut back on our gasoline consumption; and what can we do to eventually curb our demand on oil products?
An efficient automobile should be the first step. The days of the sport utility vehicle in every driveway era could be closing to an end. That same trip down Oak Street presented hundreds of SUVs sitting in car lots. And most of these trucks have been sitting there for some time. Instead people are opting for smaller, more economical vehicles.
Another way to cut back on fuel consumption is to combine trips to town. Make a list, and knock all of your errands in one trip instead of making comparable trips numerous times throughout the week. You'd be surprised at the amount of fuel you save, and you save some of that much-needed time in the process.
But what about the folks who cannot cut back on the amount of time they spend on the road. For many, their job requires excessive amounts of traveling, regardless of the price at the pump. Independent construction workers, your newspaper carrier, your Fed-Ex carrier or even you pizza delivery guy - all of these individuals travel many miles, sometimes hundreds, each day as it is required by their job. They can't cut back on the amount of driving they do, mainly because we depend upon them, regardless of the price of fuel. Let them know you appreciate their services. It could be a monetary tip or even a simple thank you.
Without these folks, our windows or our heating and air systems do not get installed, our newspaper doesn't show up when we need it, our package we've been waiting on for weeks doesn't make it to our door step or we have to go into town to pick up that pizza.
There is a long-term solution to our dependency on oil products, but our legislators, those guys and gals up on the hill, are going to need some time to make it happen. But first, they are all going to have to get on the same page and hear our numerous calls for relief.
Until then, the only gas tax holiday that will help us, will be the gas tax holiday we create for ourselves. Because when we are more conscious and conservative of our fuel consumption, there will be days when we will realize the amount of fuel we are saving. That fuel we are saving in the process will be our relief, our gas holiday per say.
