What have YOU done to decrease the amount of gasoline you use

me ^ | 5/8/06 | AzNascarFan

[AzNASCARfan]

I would challenge you democtatic underground lurkers (or a freeper with a DU account) to post this over there and see what sort of repsonses come from the left...

I keep hearing how oil dependent we are and how higher consumption is driving up prices... I hear how it is adversely affecting 75% of americans, It seems like if that was the case, 75% of americans would cut the amount they use! I know I cant be the only person in america that has drastically cut the amount of fuel I use over the past year. I want to know what everybody has done to use less fuel.

[AzNASCARfan]

We were a two car family, I wont buy new cars, because I cant really do all the repairs myself with all the computer stuff, and I just cant take my car to a mechanic... I always leave feeling like I got screwed and I come from the opinion that if you want it done right, you do it yourself, that's just me and a topic for another day, but we had a 87 el camino and my 77 chevy 4x4. Two V8 powered vehicles that used alot of fuel. The El camino got about 15mpg and my truck about 11mpg. Last year when we were headed for $3 the first time, we sold the El camino and bought the wife a '93 Saturn (an $800 upgrade) and I bought a '89 accord (for $1500) for myself for my commute. At the time I was doing alot of driving for work and billing 300 miles a pay period for reimburable expenses, and putting 80% of that back into my tank. I had to keep my truck for when I need a truck, not to mention I cant bring myself to sell it, that said in the past year, I have only put 800 miles on it. So the new cars cut my consumption by quite abit, The wifes car gets better than double the mileage at 35mpg and mine more than triple at about the same 35mpg, on top of that, I cut my commute by another 20% by now working 4- 10 hour days instead of 5- 8 hour days...

[L98Fiero]

I eased up on driving the L98 Fiero.

[mlc9852]

Take the bus.

[cripplecreek]

It's simple. I don't waste gas.

[bonfire]

Haven't done anything. Hubby works from home and kids drive to work and school.

I will be using MUCHO gas in the next month as my mother is having surgery. Running back and forth from hospital and home which is 40 minutes away. Haven't even given the cost of gas a thought. Much more important things on my mind.

[Skooz]

I quit my job so I could stay home, watch SportsCenter and stuff my face aith pizza all day. And naps. Lots of naps.

[Red Badger]

I stay at home and sulk...........

[joe fonebone]

cut fuel use????????/ I wanna use more. as a percentage of household income fuel is cheaper now than 30 years ago. I will use as much as I can, maybe even buy some of those cheap SUV's that the panic button pushers are selling off.........or maybe buy that jewelery in the pawn shop that people are pawning to buy gasoline.......

[Pondman88]

I just bought a 04 Chevy Colorado and dam I love the thing...

I smile when I fill up.

[just a dude]

When alone, I ride a motorcycle.

[mnehrling]

Traded in a Jeep Grand Cherokee on a Hummer H3 and my wife's Merc CLK on a Mitsubishi Montero.. oops.. we're going the 'wrong' way.

[xrp]

I drive to and from the airport once a week and always already combined all my errands on the weekends. My weekly fuel consumption is around 10 gallons (reimbursed by company for to/from airport).

[rattrap]

Every now and then I shift at 2000 instead of 5000. I'd rather eat out one less time a month and still have fun in my car :shrug:

[BJungNan]

It is not what I have done, it is what they have done...

Those are the old, lower prices.

[roaddog727]

I drive a 2000 VW Jetta TDI, bought new. It gets 45MPG (Rated) highway / 49MPG (Actual).

And around 38-40 MPG around town.

I saw this crap coming a loooong time ago.

[Glenn]

I got rid of my SUV and replaced it with a much smaller vehicle. My mileage went from 22mpg to 17.5mpg, however. I just can't understand why.

[kabar]

Nothing and I don't intend to. I can afford the increased prices even if they went to $6 a gallon.

[BikerGold]

I keep hearing how oil dependent we are and how higher consumption is driving up prices... I hear how it is adversely affecting 75% of americans, It seems like if that was the case, 75% of americans would cut the amount they use

Then quit listening to the professional liars, as the market, not higher consumption, is driving up prices.

America is prospering; therefore, energy will go up. However, the price is artificially high and will come crashing as these prices are sitting upon vapors.

Soon, going to buy a V-8 car and truck.

[nuke rocketeer]

I now drive a Ram 1500, the wife an E150 conversion van, and I commute by myself to work 35 miles each way 5 days a week. What more can I do?????

[dighton]

Thank you for your thoughtful question.

Our servants polish the jet and fleet of cars every day, cutting air resistance and fuel consumption.

— John and Teresa Heinz-Kerry.

[frogjerk]

What have YOU done to decrease the amount of gasoline you use

Gas prices are not high enough for Americans to care to do anything about it. When the price of gas hits $7 a gallon, then maybe we'll get serious.

[evets]

[Red Badger]

We were in Wal-Mart last evening, and it was crammed packed full of Latinos. I noticed they mostly drive big work trucks, SUV's and the like. If they can afford gas who are we to bitch?.............

[CzarNicky]

I changed jobs so that I live closer to work.

[FreePaul]

I haven't bought more than five gallons of gasoline in the last year. I fill my wife's car and my truck with diesel.

[SJSAMPLE]

I've found that removing both of the corpses that I usually carry in my trunk gives me about 2mpg savings.

But now I have the urge to replace them.

[KarlInOhio]

I bought a Hummer. I don't have to buy gas now because the Hummer is big enough to hold down other cars while I siphon gas from them. I would have bought the Hummer automatic siphon system but it looked just a little too obscene.

Seriously, my work commute hasn't changed, but a lot of the side trips I used to make I do on my way home from work instead of going home and then making a separate trip. I've probably cut off about 200 miles per month. If gas gets more expensive I'll try to switch to a 4 day work week.

[Reaganesque]

Possible DU response: "Um, like, I'm sending good vibes to all oil producing states to get them to, you know, like, lower oil prices and junk."

[cyclotic]

Nothing. I drive an old minivan and my wife drives a full size van. With 4 kids, that's what we gotta do.

I do ride my bike to work once in a while, more for the exercize than fuel savings. My wife told me that I need to ride it ofen enough to pay it off in saved gas though to justify dropping $1,000 on a bicycle. (I think she was kidding.)

[BraveMan]

50MPG . . .

[L98Fiero]

"Every now and then I shift at 2000 instead of 5000."

Actually, I have seen my milage go from 25.6 to 28.0 by doing just that. Not nearly as fun, though.

[From The Deer Stand]

Nothing. But to compensate for extra gas costs I've cut back on donations to the Republican Party. When they once again realize they are conservatives then I'll bump up the donation and cut back on driving. In the meantime, happy motoring!

[elli1]

In the accidental category--For the first time ever, both kids played on the same hockey team, so that reduced hockey-gas consumption by one-half. More effort to combine errands & more 'making-do' with what's in the pantry/ freezer rather than running out for one or two ingredients.

[Darnright]

I drive a very small, short-wheelbase Suzuki Sidekick. I do a lot of praying, and keep my life insurance premiums paid up.

But, hey, I get 25-29 mpg!

[cyclotic]

exercize=exercise.

Nice typo

[RandallFlagg]

I'm gonna buy a Yamaha Morphous and pound it out to look like the Kaneda Powerbike:

[Mygirlsmom]

It's simple. I don't waste gas.

That's just it - the "conserve" crowd doesn't get the difference between use and waste. We cannot as a country conserve ourselves into greater productivity. We use oil as part of that productivity.

But there are many that would have us crawl into holes, sit in the dark, and eat nothing but cold oatmeal all in the name of conservation. Of course, for liberals, that's the answer to every challenge life presents - that and picking the pocket of those who refuse to play their way. (After all, they're the ones with the money)

[jiggyboy]

Now that it's not raining every damn day here in Silicon Valley, I do as much as I can on my bike, even some Home Depot runs. (But truth be told, this my normal late-spring strategy.) Three miles one-way is about my limit, but that's pretty much all the daily or occasional errands I need to do -- bank, groceries, car parts, post office, etc.

[Hoodat]

I'm gonna trade my wife's Honda in for one of these:

[Coldwater Creek]

Hope that your mom does well! Sometimes we just have to suck it up. Gas has gone down 20 cents in my area just last week.

[RGSpincich]

tire pressure=60lbs. I think I need new shocks....

[Coldwater Creek]

I just love people like you all. My bank stock and mutual funds that have oil company stock are doing great and are way more making up for the rise in fuel prices.

[bonfire]

Thanks! She's having a HUGE surgery with a LONG recoup time. We have faith she'll be good as new!

I think our gas went down also....although, once again, I barely pay attention!

[dalereed]

Absolutely nothing but my gas bill last week was $160 and that doesn't count the wifes car.

[tubebender]

My mileage went from 22mpg to 17.5mpg,

You can justify the fuel consumption by the time saved running to and from the Beer warehouse.

BTW That sure is a purty car. My 65 GTO tripower got good mileage if I kept both feet out of the of the other two carbs. Most of that type of driving came mostly on Sundays and then it was only a 1/4 mile at a time...

[Zeddicus]

My car (a 6-cyl BMW 3-series that gets decent mileage) goes practically unused from March to November - I ride a motorcycle as my primary transportation.

My wife also rides a motorcycle. Her car (4-cyl Subaru) get used for kid-related duty and getting stuff that won't fit in the bikes' luggage.

We've also cut our home heating oil consumption by around 60% with the installation of a wood stove 2 years ago.

It just seems strange to me to hear conservatives righteously bragging about unbridled overconsumption.

[east1234]

I watch my tire pressure, change airfilter more often and go easier on the accelerator, took me from 15 mpg to almost 17 mpg, not a lot of a difference. Other than that I avoid unnecessary trips.

[mnehrling]

You could thank us if either of us drove a lot. Both of us live within blocks of our offices and all of my out of town work trips are on the co dime in either rental cars or air.

[fortunecookie]

I think a general presumption is that most or all Americans waste gas. Some of us don't. Cut back? Yes, I have. I've been more conscientious in terms of consolidating errands. I live in a rural area. There is a bus or 2 that runs for senior citizens, a cab or 2, mostly to shuttle folks the long distance to the nearest small airport, but mostly if you want to do something you have to drive. I have a short commute, no waste there. My car gets excellent mileage. But I have to drive to do just about anything else, including mandatory meetings for work. And some of it is unavoidable. It has cut the 'fun' out of my life, trips to the mall (30 miles to the nearest) and such are down or out.

I will be using MUCHO gas in the next month as my mother is having surgery. Running back and forth from hospital and home which is 40 minutes away. Haven't even given the cost of gas a thought. Much more important things on my mind.

Like bonfire, those of us who don't have a choice, who have to drive and conserve in other ways, will (continue to) bear the brunt of the high cost of gas.

[SlowBoat407]

I can't do much more to save gas on the road, but on the water I use a sailboat instead of power. That means I can go all day on the amount of gas it takes me to leave the dock (unless the wind is favorable, in which case I sail out of the dock!)