Here Comes the Microcar

I live in a relatively small city in the Upper Midwest portion of the United States far, far away from the cutting edge “left coast” where “green” concept cars are a dime a dozen. Around here people care about the environment, but getting motorists to trade in their gas-guzzling “Ram Tough” 4×4’s for an eco-friendly vehicle that looks like a roller skate on four wheels could be a long time coming. Or is it? The big news around the state came is that motorists are one step closer to being allowed to drive new energy-efficient microcars on local streets. Microcars … Continue reading

Gas Tank Giveaways

Are high gas prices making you reevaluate your summer road trip? We are paying more than $3 a gallon around here, but judging by the number of SUVs (weighed down with jammed packed bike and luggage racks) I saw lined up at out local Shell station on Sunday I doubt many people are calling off their vacations and opting to stay home. Perhaps those travelers were taking advantage of one of the many gas promotions being offered by hotels nationwide. Several companies are trying to make road trips a bit more affordable by footing the bill for your gas. Take … Continue reading

Do You Visit Gas Tracker Sites?

Well, I’ve figured out another sector of the population that is benefiting from the astronomical gas prices besides oil companies—Internet gas trackers. I’ve spent many a blog touting sites such as GasBuddy.com and the AAA’s “Fuel Price Finder” so it stands to reason that as gasoline prices go up, the more money these types of websites make. Take a look at GasBuddy.com. The site got started in 2000 to track daily gasoline prices using volunteers to e-mail what they found while traversing the country. According to its creator, back then only a few dozen people used it. But by 2004, … Continue reading

And You Thought You Had It Bad At The Gas Pump

How much are you paying for a gallon of gas these days? Around here the price is hovering around $3.50. Outrageous! But, not as bad as in Aspen, Colorado where unleaded gas prices recently broke the $4 mark. If you think that’s bad consider this: some disabled drivers are getting socked even harder because they can’t get out of their cars to pump gas themselves. Some gas stations are charging disabled drivers up to 50 cents more a gallon for the same fuel you and I are filling our vehicles with. I learned about the gas rip-off during a recent … Continue reading

The Great American Gas Out Fizzles Out

Did you take part in yesterday’s Great American Gas Out? It was a grass roots movement to have all motorists boycott gas stations for one day with the hopes it would somehow have an impact on gas prices. One email I received promoting the boycott had a goal of taking $2.3 billion in oil company profits. Needless to say, gas prices in my area are just as high today ($3.30 a gallon) as they were yesterday. So to the man who I ran into yesterday in the check out line at Wal-Mart who insisted that one-day boycott had exactly zero … Continue reading

Paying More At The Pump… And For Pizza?

How much are you paying for a gallon of gas these days? According to AAA, gas prices set a record high on Monday, averaging $3.07 for a gallon of self-serve regular in the United States. In Vail, Colorado the price of a gallon of regular unleaded is hovering around $4. The spike in gas has me clutching my pizza coupons very tightly. After all, the high price of gas is bound to create a domino effect that will soon mean we will all be paying more for the pizza we get delivered to our doors via gas guzzling pizza delivery … Continue reading

Holiday Travel: This Is It!

For the past five weeks I have been sharing travel tips with you in a series called “Holiday Travel.” Well, the countdown we started more than 45 days ago is in its last days. Brace yourself fellow holiday travelers—we may be in for a wild ride. According to travel guru AAA, a record 64.9 million Americans will be hitting the highways, the rails and the sky during the weeks of Christmas and New Year’s, crowding the nation’s airports and roadways like never before. AAA says the number may even surpass 65 million depending on the weather. Either way, the projected … Continue reading

Holiday Travel: Saving Money On The Way To Grandma’s House—Part 3

Holidays are expensive enough without having to deal with exorbitant gas prices. Whether you are traveling across the state or across the country to get to grandma’s house this holiday season it’s always a good idea to plan for emergencies. In keeping with “Holiday Travel” blog tradition (click here to see what you have missed so far) here are more tips on how to get to a loved one’s house with money in your wallet and your sanity intact: Don’t Forget The Mustard Four months ago I was driving to our playgroup’s picnic when I realized (one exit shy of … Continue reading

Holiday Travel: How To Save Money On The Way To Grandma’s House–Part 2

“Over the river and through the woods to grandmother’s house we go…” I’ve got that song stuck in my head after hearing it being played over and over… (My 2-year-old is obsessed with “A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving” and Chuck and his buddies break out in rousing version of the classic song at the end of the tape.) But, I digress. We’re continuing our “Holiday Travel” series with tips on how to save money while hitting the highways on the way to grandma’s (or whomever’s) this holiday season. The following are more money saving tips to consider prior to pulling into … Continue reading

Holiday Travel: How To Save Money On The Way To Grandma’s House

Well, here we are just two weeks shy of what official road warriors (those men and women at the American Automobile Association) are calling one of the busiest travel days of the year. It seems like just yesterday that I was blogging about the busy summer travel season… but, alas, time waits for no man and no man likes having to wait in traffic SO with that in mind this section of our “Holiday Travel” series takes us back to the basics. Yes, this blog is for all you merry motorists making your way to grandma’s house for the holidays. … Continue reading