What are you doing?

Everyone's talking about it...no one can avoid it...it keeps getting worse. What am I talking about? Duh...Gas Prices! Yea! Everyone's favorite subject. Okay...so maybe "favorite subject" is a stretch, but everyone's talking about it almost all the time, you'd think it was for some people.

Well, this post will avoid being the rant side of things and instead offer up more ideas on how to relax, when it comes to gas prices.

First off, I think we'd all be a lot better of if we did a couple of things:

#1. Realize that there is nothing, I repeat NOTHING, we can personally do to lower the price of gas. You may get those emails, saying, "Don't go buy gas from these people and prices will go down...blah blah blah." I'm here to tell you...it'll NEVER work, because we could never get enough people to follow suit, oh and IF we could, I'd personally rather have that many people do nice things for other people, rather than lower gas prices. You know..."Pay it Forward" style.

#2. Ignore the news. It'll only stress you out and upset you. I think we all feel they only bring up the fact prices will rise, just so oil company's have a reason to raise them. Honestly, I doubt that it's true, but that's why I've just come to the point of ignoring ALL news coverage of gas prices.

Okay...now...here ARE some things, you've either thought of or not, that could possibly help.

#1. Combine your trips out. Instead of running out multiple times a day...make one trip, and plan it like a circuit, so you can make the shortest trip to each destination.

#2. S...l..o..w D...o...w..n. We aren't at the race track. I've got a GPS system in my car that once I program the destination, it'll inform me of my arrival time. Well, I've toyed with it...I've exceeded the speed limit and gone the speed limit, (to the same destination) and really you're only saving a couple minutes here and there...nothing to get all worked up about.

#3. Take some tips from "Hypermiling". Not necessarily a new idea...but it's catching on. I'm a fan. Basically, you alter your driving habits in order to maximize your fuel efficiency. In fact, I've been really working at this for a couple of weeks, and have seen a couple of things.

I've increase my average mile per gallon, almost to the point that I've exceeded what the sticker on the car said when I bought it. I've also noticed that I've relaxed a LOT more on the roadways. I find I don't get as upset with the slower drivers and I only laugh at the impatient ones.

This is already long enough, but I figure since I've not posted about gas prices...might as well.

~jeremy