In celebration of $4/gallon gas

I'm in no way thrilled about the recent rise of gas prices and have even found myself falling into a panic every now and then about it. However, complaining won't accomplish anything will it?

So, in an effort to keep a grateful spirit, I present to you four reasons I am celebrating $4/gallon gas:

1) High gas prices have encouraged our family to slow down and stay home more. A go-go-go lifestyle isn't healthy for anyone, so I'm thankful for the motivation to reconsider outside activities and commitments and pursue a simpler, more relaxed pace in our life.

2) High gas prices have helped us get in better shape. We have added a lot more exercise into our daily lives as a result of the higher gas prices as we try to walk instead of drive as often as we can.

3) High gas prices have caused us to be more efficient. While we used to think nothing of driving to a destination and driving back, we now try our best to plan ahead and combine trips. We rarely go anywhere without consciously making an effort to work some other errands into the trip. This not only saves on gas money, but it also saves us time and effort as it's much more effective to tackle four errands at once than to make four separate trips.

4) High gas prices have saved us money. I know it might seem like a misnomer that rising gas prices have saved us money, but when you factor in how many errands we've decided not to run, how many times we've opted to walk to the park instead of driving somewhere, or how many times we've just stayed home, in the long run I think it's saved us money.

What about you? I'd love to hear reasons you have found to be thankful for high gas prices.

Comments

[Frugal Freebies and Deals]

Seriously- I hope as prices go up and up it causes a major shift it American thinking. As a whole, we tend to be very wasteful and think nothing about polluting a world that God has given us to care for.

I would love to see us greatly reduce our dependency on any oil, not just foreign.

[A.D.]

Ditto to all four reasons, Crystal! I might add, being in better shape saves on medical expenses too, and walking for our exercise saves the cost of gym membership and exercise classes. (Not that we did that before, but walking to take care of errands moves us outside almost daily even if the weather isn't great).

[Alisa Bowers]

Amen, my sister! This is the exact spirit I have decided to adopt regarding gas prices, food costs, and high energy bills during the summer. Thank you for putting it into words so well. Joy is a choice!

[Shannon]

I also combine trips more often now, however, since we live in the country, we walk no where. The nearest anything is 10-15 miles away, lol. We DO drive the Gator and street legal dirt-bikes more when we can. Just remember the farmers when you are filling up.... we are filling up big equipment everyday to feed America, only to hear complaining for all our hard work and sacrifices.

[FishMama]

Excellent perspective. Thanks for making lemonade out of lemons.

I would add that we save $ because we aren't tempted to make road trips that would cost us a lot of $ in hotel, food, and activities. While we're "missing out" on vacations, we're "gaining" some moolah for our debt snowball.

[robin]

1. Gas prices drive up grocery prices- which means more people are supporting local farmers and farmer's markets.
2. Gas prices drive up conventional produce prices to the point where organic is a reasonable option, and therefore supermarkets are carrying more organic produce.
3. Gas prices being up mean we've cut back on eating out- which means I'm learning to really cook, and so are my kids.
4. Gas prices being up means that I really scrutinize the budget- which means less money gets frittered away on incidentals.
5. Gas prices being up means people are finally taking a good look at alternatives to oil; I'm happy to hear that earth-friendly, sustainable, clean energy, as well as viable options for public transit, are being explored in an earnest way.

[Celeste]

I think $4/gal gas has saved me money too. It has forced me to discover, and in some cases rediscover, some of the amenities close to my home. I've been taking advantage of a bread thrift store, Walgreen's and Aldi much more than before because they are within walking distance. I also rediscovered the discount fabric store nearby. Just this weekend I discovered a great county park within 5 miles of home that has a beach, hiking and mountain biking trails! There's even camping! I didn't realize it because I live in a pretty populated suburban area, but this park is huge and I can foresee some weekend camping trips there!

[Elizabeth-The Whole Family]

Like you I am thankful for those same things, but in general I think as gas prices rise we are more careful in other areas of spending and end up saving MORE than what we are spending in extra gas $.

[Jeannine]

I am thankful that it is only $3.75 where I live.

In some countries it is about $10.00 a gallon.

In other countries the average person does not even have a car.

I can still afford food, shelter and clothing for my children as of now.

I can trust God to provide for my needs even as I too at times feel terror as I drive by the gas station and see the prices.

[Katie in Ohio]

We are driving way less and budgeting WAYYYYY more. I'm trying to think of it as an exercise in creativity but it gets hard when "everybody else is going ________ or buying ____________ or eating _________". It's not just my children who have the "I Wants" anymore.

[Marie]

Our church is more careful about activities and meetings.

We find more of my husband's co-workers willing to consider carpooling (yet to happen though).

I'm more willing to wait out sick kids since they're just going to tell me to give them tylenol anyway.

Makes buying the few books I want to read cheaper than using our library which is a $11 roundtrip in gas alone each time we go making anything checked out cost $22.

I want to stay a 1 car family which cuts out a car payment and extra insurance because its too expensive to go anywhere once you add in admission + gas.

[S]

Way to think of the glass half full! Thank you!

[Trixie]

Hi there!

We, and especially my husband tend to put in a good amount of miles for our businesses. While most of our mileage is a business deduction, we still have to pay the $4 plus per gallon. We aren't too excited about that so we've done a few things to cut back.

#1. We live in a rural area and attend church in the largest "city" near us. Our church is not far from George's largest suppliers so we've taken to stopping by the suppliers to pick things up after services. It saves an extra trip to the city and makes his Monday's a lot easier.

#2. My mom lives several towns away on the other side of the city. I'll drop by to visit her when I'm in the city instead of coming straight from home.

#3. We've reduced our trips to the lake. It's about 2.5 hours away and that's a lot of gas, folks. We won't rule this out entirely as George's parents live their and we don't want to cut out visiting them entirely!

Take Care,

Trixie

[Lizz @ Yes, and So Is My Heart]

This is a great post!

We have also been spending more time at home. I didn't realize how accustomed to going my children had become. Yikes. I think it will do wonders for all of us if we stay home and enjoy each other more. We've done exactly that this week and it has been mostly wonderful.

[Beth/Mom2TwoVikings]

Here, here to all the above. I was grinning BIG TIME when I realized today that tomorrow is "cash envelope stuffing day" ala Dave Ramsey thanks to DaHubby's Wed. paydays and I haven't used the money budgeted for the min-van yet from last week! *big grin* I'm nearly empty but I just went TWO weeks on one week's worth of budgeted gas!

And, one blessing you didn't mention but is somewhat related...now that I've been outside more, just hanging out watching the kids play, I've gotten to visit with my neighbors more as well...and having extra eyes around da 'hood is always a good thing, eh?

[Michelle]

Hi Crystal,
Your blog has been circulated to many young mommies in our church and it has really been a blessing to reap the savings that you have spent time finding & learned how to get. But thank you especially for this post and all the posts that encourage gratefulness and giving thanks. I can definitely lose sight of all that I have and too quickly become ungrateful. Thank you for turning my heart and calculator the right direction!

Michelle

[Jay]

Thank you for finally putting a positive spin on the prices!! We traded in our 98 F150 truck for a 08 Ford Focus and can you believe the extra mpg on the car is actually paying for the car! That's how much of a gas guzzler the truck was. So the high prices have taught us to get a more efficient vehicle. And like you, we are being more careful at extra trips to places that could be combined.

[Abi]

I was very depressed about the price of the gas, when I saw my baby son's face and I understud that this is a way of finally getting some concious about the global pollution and a fast way to stop spending the nature sources just because we have them, without thinking in the consecuences for the earth and our childrens.

[Sonnie]

No real way of saving, but just THANKS for reminding us it is not all bad. We can find good today. As a single mom of three, I have cut back on travel time. I work two jobs so that can take extra gas. I try to fill up once I hit 3/4 tank. It makes me feel better.

[Suzy]

The other thing I can think of is that at least it's got the majority of people starting to conserve. We all need to be better stewards of the earth, and if it's something forced upon us due to the economic hardships of having to pay so much for gas (and everything else), then that's a good thing, big picture-wise!

[Britt]

We live out in the country so walking anywhere is out of the question. I'm happy though that we combine errands...in fact, Tuesday is my day to go out to accomplish them. Our neighbors laugh at me since they never see my van move...except on Tuesdays :)

[Tasha Via]

I love how you always try to think positive=) Those are all true for us too. Thanks for helping us think more about the blessings.

[CraftTeaLady]

Hmmmm... thankful. My man is making a HHO gas extender... something he has talked about doing for 8 yrs and now its coming to fruition. :)

We are at 4.40 a gallon here.

[Candace (Mama Mia)]

Love your perspective!! Also love love love your blog. You're helping me be a better home economist. It's been fun saving my family so much money :).

[Angela]

I'm with you for celebrating high gas prices, as insane as that might be.

The high gas got me started riding my bike again after years of gathering dust. Now I'm tanner and more fit then ever - I feel gorgeous and rich every time I pass the pumps.

We've also slowed down as a family, taking the bus and talking/reading instead of rushing all the time. We have to think and plan now instead of react and spend.

I'm loving our new life! Thank you gas prices for setting us free!

Who knew Krispy Kreme's would turn out to be a renewable energy resource! ;)

[Jennifer]

Great blog entry! I was just alking to hubby about this the other day!
Here are two reasons I'm thankful:
1. I have more freedom to say no to things that take me away from home. Saying no is hard for me so the rising gas prices actually help me tremendously!
2. It's teaching me all over again to put my trust firmly in God. He will take care of all of our needs and also teach us what aren't needs at all but rather wants or just lazy habits we've fallen into. God is so good to us! No one can call the christian life boring!
Blessings!

[Heidi @ Today's Daily Dose]

I agree. We have been enjoying more family time at home lately and less time on the run!

[Mrs. Jo]

Boy, this was a hard one! It is VERY tough to be thankful for the high gas prices but I agree that, like you said, we are staying home more and getting more exercise! Staying home more hasn't really saved me extra money, since I'm now not able to get to Walgreens or Wal-Mart more than once every few weeks now, but it has been nice to not be doing those long, hectic trips shopping with two little ones every week. Instead we can stay home and have a pool party in the afternoon! Since I'm nearing the end of a pregnancy and feeling more lethargic, it's nice to have the "gas price" excuse to stay home more and not wear myself out with too many activities as I tend to do! So perhaps the high gas prices benefit our baby in utero!

I guess one benefit of the gas prices is that it has forced me to be CREATIVE, causing me to figure out how to substitute ingredients that I need that are way too high in this town, or how to plan my menus around the loss leaders at the 2 stores in town.

[carrie]

Crystal,

Thanks for offering a positive outlook on this! I agree that the higher prices are encouraging us to drive less and walk more (we live in a small town where running errands on foot is quite feasible).

[Andria]

I absolutely agree. My husband said last night that gas prices couldn't go on like this forever, and I actually said I hope they did! I know that sounds crazy, but we live in a small town that is basically a suburb of a large metro area. We used to go to this metro area for all our shopping and entertainment needs. Now, we look for ways to do that in our cute little town, and I finally feel like I'm part of a community. I have fallen in love with our town, met some new people, started going to our small local library and some neat events there, found some unusual shops and plan to subscribe to the little local newspaper. I've even looked into some volunteering opportunities here.

[Holly in OK]

Can't say that I'm thankful for or celebrating high gas prices. Only that I'm thankful anyway. I'm happy in SPITE of things. Usually. :-)

[Sarah Anderson]

High Gas prices have definitely helped us to be more financially fit. I know that sounds odd, because gas prices have taken more of our money, but they have really made us budget better and stick to our budget. It has made us aware of how much we spend on gas! Like you said, we try to only drive 1 car when we can and combine errands etc.

[denise vick]

one good thing that i HOPE will come out of this is that maybe, just maybe, we will wake up and understand that we MUST break the cycle of dependency on foreign oil. actually, we must break the cycle of dependency on oil period.

[learning the ropes]

http://learningtherope.blogspot.com/2008/06/celebrating-4gallon-gas-one-less-round.html

[Leslie]

Like you, gas prices have made me plan ahead before driving somewhere. I make doubly sure that when I go out I am taking care of more than one errand.

I think the high price of gas has had a good influence on my kids too (13 and 10). They know it's over $4 and realize that I'm not just going to be their taxi at the drop of a hat. My older son likes to spend time at our local skate park and knows that he's not going to get a ride there or back very often. The exercise has been great for him! He has always had a tiny pudge of a tummy and that is disappearing. Both boys know that the high cost of gas has caused other things to increase in price and are more understanding when we say no to spending money on something.

My husband also thinks it's a good thing because it is making our country look more seriously at alternative forms of energy.

[Tracy]

Great post! In all things we should give thanks...even in this.

I'm thankful because (I hope) it is causing people to generally become more aware of our political system. I see people trying to educate themselves a little more and becoming more active in the government in general. This is a good thing.

Tracy
www.LinesFromTheVine.com

[Sarah]

I recently started carpooling with a co-worker. I enjoy the company and am saving money despite the high gas prices!

[Frugal]

thanks for this post. it's excellent, and I am among those who are enjoying driving and consuming less, keeping my cash in my pocket, and pushing the stroller and finding free things to do in walking distance. it's crazy, but i can also say i'm thankful for higher gas prices. i hope i never go back to mindless energy consumption, because it's nice to find one more area in which i can live out the values i believe in.

[Estelle]

I am just happy people are using their cars in a much more responsible way, hopefully a lot of drivers will switch to using smaller cars or just driving less!

[Maya Andrews]

i am now posting this here bc I am unable to on your post about the blog troubles
After the post "Reader's tips: free coupons at libraries..." all I see is white space. I also cannot see anything in your left side bar. No way to contact you ect. Just letting you know :) I use Interent Explorer

[Leslie]

Crystal,

Somehow my comment got posted under "learning the ropes" and then my name shows up with the post following it. I'm not sure what happened! Thanks!

Leslie at Writing for the Lord

[Jenni]

High gas prices mean I don't go to the stores that often, which equates to less opportunities to spend money!

It's also better for the environment, and already is encouraging people to think more about fuel efficiency as they purchase cars.

Our gas bill is actually going down because we're being more careful and staying home more.

[Annaelisabeth]

This made me smile.
We are paying £1.18 per litre that is about $2.30ish a litre and there are 4 litres to a gallon so around $10 a gallon. I would be very, very thankful for gas as cheap as $4 a gallon!
We use the tips you state and have reduced our mileage considerably over the last couple of years.
The other tip is to buy a vehicle with the smallest possible engine for your purposes. Our 7 seater has a 1600cc engine which is fine except slow when fully loaded up hill.
Annaelisabeth

[Rebekah]

I'm thankful that its not $22.00 USD right now like it is in Scotland where my sister lives. Hows that for perspective!=)

[celina]

great post crystal...

in canada here, we're at about 5.20 a us gallon...

1) i wish people would stop complaining and stay home more and drive less
2)i hope it will inspire effecientcy in many businesses and schools
3)i hope it will eventually make it so we buy in season again and locally, i hate buying meat from the other end of the country when lots of farmer grow them here in this province
4) nothing against the us neighbours but i wish we would buy closer to home even if less selection..
5) more families may see that 2 vehicles are NOT a necessity.....that you can get by on one
6) the staycation may become popular...

what i find the hardest is the price cascades on everything....but we'll make do, we always do...with HIS help

Celina in Canada

[Sarah Bradfield]

I sent you an email, but thought I'd leave a comment too. Jack in the Box is giving away two free tacos on Thursday if you bring in a gas receipt. Good deal considering you gotta buy it anyways! We have one right next to our gas station so I thought it'd be a fun little trip.

[Recritique.com]

This has been going on in other countries forever they have had to find better ways to economize and now we will have to also. No such a bad thing.

Great article.

Suzy

Recritique.com

Restaurant Coupons, Freebies and more.

[Robin]

Not happy about it exactly, but will be SO happy if it gets our population to stop wasting so much energy. If the only thing that makes us care about the earth is pricing stuff that hurts it higher than stuff that doesn't, bring it on! It will make everything better eventually if the $ cost of everything includes the environmental damage, instead of hiding it.

I am much more affected by the high food prices :(

[Jeannine]

Wonderful comments! I am noticing a trend in many of the comments:

MORE TIME AT HOME!

Also, I am trying to walk once a week to one of my errands instead of driving. It takes an extra 45 minutes, but we all get to excercise and for some reason the children love the walk.

Blessings to you, thankfullness if very good medicine for the heart and soul.

[Austin Chu]

I totally agree with you. The higher gas prices go, the more money I save. I work for a company that manages and tracks gift cards, and I've been blogging about ways to save money on savvywallet.com. One to thing to do is buy discounted gas cards online. As for myself? I converted my old diesel to run off of waste vegetable oil. It's great on my wallet and for the environment.