We can grouch
about gas prices -- or we can do something. Forget about forwarding
e-mails that call for a boycott -- that’s a waste of time. Instead,
why not change gasoline from something we dread thinking about into
a personal challenge -- a game instead of a grumble. The aim: How
can I roll back the price on a litre of gas?
To save money
at the pump, let’s see if it’s possible to effectively turn back
one’s fuel costs to that of a year ago. The first move is to
identify the biggest savings.
For our
purposes, let’s assume that you commute daily. Short of getting a
job closer to home, your travel distance can’t be reduced. It’s also
a given that if you had another option for getting around -- like a
skateboard or Vespa -- you’d already be doing that.
Government
pamphlets often suggest drivers try out public transit, which
usually seems a poor option for many suburban motorists. A bus just
can’t penetrate the nooks and crannies of a modern subdivision. Yes,
you can save money -- especially when factoring in the cost of
driving at 50 cents a kilometer -- but transit often takes longer
than driving and may be less comfortable.
Two recent
exceptions are York Region north of Toronto and the
Kitchener-Waterloo area, where special bus routes opened this
September, offering simpler, faster commutes than previously. Even
the overused TTC in Toronto has added some buses and made its
monthly passes more flexible. Those living in Ottawa may wish to
wait longer before test-driving the region’s beleaguered transit
system.
So if you you
must drive to and from work, the next place to look for cost savings
are errands and recreation. Without requiring a big lifestyle shift,
the sensible approach is to combine trips where practical.
Next on the
list is getting intimate with your vehicle’s needs. Are you happy
with the maintenance schedule? How much air do your tires lose a
month? Do you have a good feel for the best pressure, and own a
reliable tire gauge?
More points
(and dollars in your pocket) are given for reexamining the vehicle
payload. Considering the Canadian predilection for filling our
closets, cupboards and garages, the trunk is likewise a victim of
our rat-packing habit. But it’s a pricey place to store items that
don’t get much use.
Our next
strategy has the potential to turn the game into an obsession -- so
be cautious. Driving routines are entrenched -- and while some are
inoffensive, others are mindless fuel wasters. My own personal
weakness is hurtling toward any colour of traffic light. No matter
if it’s a red, yellow -- or a green that I know damn well is old --
there’s me careening towards it, hoping a miracle will occur by the
time my wheels cross the stop line.
I have had
better luck with changing the hurry-up-and-wait habit. Like some
hunched-over taxi driver, I just wasn’t aware of how often I
accelerated toward congestion and then had to hit the brake. Tsk,
tsk.
Another way to
lose points in the game is to spend too long hunting for cheaper
gas. We know that gas station managers are like the Borg from Star
Trek -- telepathically knowing when everyone else is raising the
price and following suit.
Only during a
brief period after Katrina, where the numbers hurtled upward so fast
that some fell right off the signs, were there big disparities
between fill-up stations. Usually, there’s only a few cents
difference throughout one part of town, so cruising around for 20
minutes to save a toonie means your time is worth six dollars an
hour.