Back in pioneer times, it was easy to heat a house. Go outside, chop some wood, throw it on the fire or in the stove, and presto. There you go. It was also easy to fuel your vehicle – just give the horse some hay and oats, and your buggy could go for miles. It wasn’t hard to get the wood for the stove. You’d either chop down some trees or you’d trade a neighbor who had wood. You’d grow the oats on your own farm, and the hay would come from your own wheat. Yes, all of this required a lot of manual labor, but the actual process was pretty simple.
Today, it’s not so easy. We function on electricity and oil, and oil is becoming more expensive all the time. Every oil producer in the world is trying to increase their ability to produce even more of the stuff, and scientists are trying to invent substitutes so we won’t be so dependent on it. It’s not that we’re running out – there’s another problem, which is that it takes energy to produce oil, and then you turn around and use that oil to produce more energy, and you’re not really getting anywhere. And when it comes to ethanol, you use more energy to produce it than you get. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense.
But what are we willing to do in order to keep ourselves from going deeper into debt to continue to maintain our current lifestyles? I don’t think we’re particularly willing to sell our cars and get horses instead – we wouldn’t have access to the feed that was more readily available in pioneer times. But what are some things we could reasonably do?
Carpooling – I tend to shy away from carpooling because I like the freedom to swing by the grocery store on a whim without inconveniencing the others in the car with me, but you know, it makes a lot of sense. If four people can compromise and work together to come up with a schedule and a route that works for them, they will each save ¾ of their normal gas expense, and that’s huge.
Consolidate Errand Trips – Instead of heading out the door every time you need something, what if you sat down and made a careful list of all your errands and arranged them according to location. Then, instead of zigzagging all over town, you could hit them in order, saving gas as you go.
Walking – we were each given a gift of transportation as part of being human – our own feet. When you can, see about walking. If you have four errands and they’re all close together, what about parking your car in a central location and walking from place to place rather than driving? This will not only save gas, but will help you stay healthier. Exercise is good for you, you know.
These are just a few tips and tricks we’ve all heard a million times, but it may be more important to listen now than ever before. We need to find ways to stay financially afloat in these unstable times, and there are things we can do to maintain control over some aspects of our financial lives.
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