Every second meme right now is about gas prices. The last time we paid this much at the pump was in the global financial crisis (although some reports are saying prices have never reached the highs they are now).
When it was announced on Friday that our prices would go up at least 30 cents a liter by 6pm, the wait at gas stations mirrored those at Covid testing stations.
Yes, it sucks. Most of us are still suffering in some form financially from the effects of the pandemic. The last thing we needed was to have to spend an extra $40 on fuel every week.
And yes, there’s also the viewpoint that complaining about petrol prices is petty and ignorant. The reality is that the higher prices are due to a war where real human beings are dying daily.
But it might also be your reality that your extra $40 gas money comes out of your food budget. Let us not descend into unnecessary ‘suffering comparison’. The war sucks. So do the gas prices.
Instead of complaining let’s take action.
Nine ways you can combat rising gas prices.
1. Take public transport where you can
It might be less convenient and take longer but you can also use that time to work, read or listen to your favorite podcast.
2. Bike or walk
Especially for those short trips that guzzle gas the most. I biked down to our local convenience store to get our milk yesterday and while it cost me about $1.30 more to get it from there it would have cost me at least that to drive to our supermarket and taken twice as long.
3. Carpool
If you really must drive, consider carpooling with workmates. This can also work for kids’ sports activities too. It takes a little bit to organize but could cut your gas bill in half!
4. Shop fortnightly.
I’ve previously thought nothing about popping out to the supermarket once or even twice a day. Not anymore! Again, this takes a fair bit of organization and forethought but those short trips uptown are where 70% of our fuel goes. Even if you switch from going a few times a week to once a week you’ll save money.
5. Shop local
Choose all your local shops. We have a fruit and vegetarian grocery 5 minutes by bike from our house. It’s not as flashy and not quite as cheap as the one that’s a 25-minute drive away but the fuel to get to the flash one would be half the price of the food bill. Shopping locally also means we are supporting all the small businesses that need our help to recover from the effects of the pandemic. Repeat after me, Kmart (Walmart if you are in the States) does not need my money.
6. Make a family challenge
Choose a day a week that you don’t use your car. Challenge everyone to bike or walk to school or walk. Biking to school is my favorite way to start our day. Not only do we get a big injection of fresh air and vitamin D, but it’s also a lovely thing to do after rushing out the door.
7. Shop for the best discounts
Most petrol stores operate some kind of reward system. Find which one is offering the best deal on the day you need to refuel using an app like GasBuddy or GasGuru.
8. Try being a one-car family
We sold one of our cars last year and committed to a trial of owning one car. Six months later and we are coping just fine. At the risk of sounding like a broken record – it just took a bit more organization. Honestly, I wish we’d gone down to one car when we moved into town two years ago!
9. Embrace online shopping
Again, something many people have learned to do more over the past two years. Personally, I hate it. I enjoy being able to touch and try on the things I’m buying. We live in a fairly small town though so access to certain things is a thirty-minute drive. If it’s the sports bra I’ve brought for the last few years there’s no good reason to add $15 onto the purchase price by driving to get it.
Okay, that’s it. I’m all out of ideas. This certainly isn’t an exhaustive list though and if you have any other suggestions please leave a comment below! We’ll need all the tips we can get in the coming months.
I want to take some space to acknowledge the absolute atrocities playing out in Ukraine at the moment.
I know most of us are feeling the pinch now and we’ve just finished off talking about how to save money, but – Ukrainian citizens need our help right now, and every little bit counts.
Here are three places to donate to help Ukrainians.
This charity was started by Glennon Doyle in 2012 and has raised over $35 million dollars since then. The money is largely raised through ‘love flash mobs’ where donors give a maximum of $25 each.
They are a charity that aims to positively impact one million children and dogs by 2025.
Their Ukrainian campaign will support refugees arriving in Romania, Moldova, and Poland, displaced by the war unfolding in their country. All donations will go directly towards paying for food, medical and essential items for their families and pets.
Help Unicef help the 1 million Ukrainian children already displaced by the war.
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