Everytime one of these increases in Gas Prices happen, I have to tell my boss, my Trophy Wife, that we are not going out in two vehicles when we can do the errands and shopping in one vehicle, hers because it gets the best mileage. So we plan our trips.
A couple of fishing friends and I are going in one vehicle instead of two or three. Before we drive any distance, tides, river flows, weather and fishing reports are checked and validated.
One of my friends and I swapped boat motors in late July and August. We took off my bigger motor and stored it and put his smaller motor on my boat. It worked fine for our local lake. We used my bigger Electric Salt Water Trolling motor instead of the gas motor when possible. We just recharged the battery after each use. We even used the smaller motor to go on our local river. We allowed a little more time to get to the fishing areas, went upstream on high tide and returned to the dock with the outgoing tide. Again we used my electric motor once we were in the fishing area and to go to close areas. I used my electric motor to dock and then drive the boat on the trailer.
We still have half of a tank on a 3.5 gallon tank after several lake and river trips.
Next week, I will be talking to a few other striper fishers, so we can use our cell phones while fishing. Instead of random going to sites, we will go to different sites and let the others know by cell phone if anything is happening.
Last but not least some of us forcing some fly and tackle shops to mail us products ordered by phone via the internet. One friend in another city asked the owner to start mailing orders instead having to drive to the shop. The owner said he couldn't afford to do that. My friend ordered over $100 from a fly shop in Oregon. He got free UPS shipping and the order in a couple days. He then mailed a copy of the order to the local fly shop. That local is now taking phone orders and shipping any order free or at cost depending on the order amount.
I think you need counseling to revive your great American "rugged individualist" free spirit and shed this "we're all in the same sinking boat" Nixon/Ford/Carter Malaise!!!
Snap out of it, man!!! Git a grip!!! Expend that energy!!! Live a little!!! We just had a war for oil, remember?(snicker)