I have to drive a lot for both of my jobs unfortunately, so I kind of can’t get around that. I’m now trying to be more conscious of how many trips I make where I’d usually go home then run my errands, I’m trying to run them on my way home etc.

And yeah, paying to go shopping sucks. There is only one mall I can think of that I have been to that did that, but they validate for the first 3 hours. The mall wasn’t very exciting so if you were there for more than 3 hours there is probably something wrong, hehe.

With the T-Bird slowly wearing away from the inside out, I’m saving up for a down payment on a Prius. My trip to work is 50 round trip, 5 days a week. I rented a Prius and discovered that it doubled my gas mileage. Since I need to buy a new car anyway, I’m going with a hybird. Seeing your car get 40-50 miles per gallon is worth it.

Now I’m just waiting to see if the French car that runs on compressed air will ever be available here. Imagine never having to fill up at a gas pump again!

I thought I was so smart, finding street parking near school so that my only commuting cost would be gas. Now, gas prices are on the rise and it’s been snowing non-stop for a month.
There’s nowhere for the ploughs to put the snow except for where I park (that it, where I used to park!) That leaves me with higher gas costs AND paying for visitor parking on campus ($10/day) when I can’t find a recently vacated spot on the street. Add in the parking ticket I got for being too close to the intersection (the only part of the road where there wasn’t a mountain of ice) and I’m left thinking the $200 parking pass might have been a solid investment. I mean, my peace of mind is worth at least that, right?

And about the mall thing… I’ve never even heard of having to pay for parking at the mall but I think it would make me angry! I’d probably end up doing most of my shopping online just to avoid that fee. I’d have to pay shipping but atleast I’d earn money back through ebates or mypoints.

When I talk to people at work about carpooling, they say that they don’t want to have to coordinate their schedule around someone else… which I understand, but in the grand scheme of things, is getting to work 10 to 30 minutes early/late or leaving work at a different time all that big a deal, especially if it a. saves you $$$, b. saves the earth, and c. helps you get to know a co-worker?

Studies have shown that it takes a LOT for people to actually change their behavior… even when they say they will. So it will be interesting to see what actually happens.

I also hate feeling that I can’t drive somewhere because it’s too expensive, and won’t cut day-to-day driving significantly unless we do see $4+ a gallon gasoline. But to compensate, I have been discovering free/low-cost, local things to do on weekends (festivals, cooking classes). I used to be in a book club — good way to meet people, and not an expensive hobby especially if you can find books at the library or online swap sites.

If I can walk somewhere, I do. I live across the street from two grocery stores and a natural foods store so I try to walk to do my errands if I’m in town.

Do you have a Sam’s Club or Costco nearby? Might not be worth joining if you only are using them for cheaper gas, but if someone in your family has a membership you can usually get an additional card for yourself. (That’s what I do.) I pay about $.15/gallon less for gas when I fill up there. Not much, but it adds up.

Instead of driving to see my family, I booked a train ticket via Amtrak. I used Fuel Cost Calculator (www.fuelcostcalculator.com) to price what gas vs. a train would have cost, and it came out to almost the same thing with the train being just slightly more expensive. Still, for almost 10 hours of uninterrupted work/reading/movie-watching time, it’s worth it, as is foregoing almost 700 extra miles on my car — the fact that wear and tear on my car will be nil.

Firestone (if you have those) has a fuel service — I forget what it is/what they do, but I had this done last year and saw my gas mileage go up quite a bit afterward. I think it’s $70 or $80, and they often send out coupons for $10 or $20 or will give you coupons when you’re there that are good on your next service. Oh and, I believe that keeping your tires properly inflated helps you to get better mileage as well — or at least ensures that your tires wear evenly.

Sorry so long, hope these help somewhat!