Where will one gallon of gas get you?

I've read that if we would all cut one gallon of gas from our tank's use, that we would save enough collectively to drop the current price per gallon. I don't know that I believe that, but I'm willing to consider it.

Trouble is, I stopped being gas-reckless years ago. It's like, if you already cut salt and excess sugar from your diet, what's to give up?

When my children were babies, I had a double stroller. We essentially live downtown and our downtown was viable then, so I'd pop them in the stroller and make the rounds. I could pay my utility bills, check the sales at the five-and-dime, and do a final stop at the grocery store. They were entertained by all the movement and I might not move my car from its post for days. I was gasoline-responsible.

Then, in belt-tightening moves, all the utility offices closed. I'd have to mail my monthly payments. One by one the downtown stores closed, thanks to more shopping avenues in the small city 25 miles away, and the expansion of our own Wal-Mart. My beloved Safeway went into private hands and finally just closed. Over a period of time, I went from walking to do everything (at least the church didn't move and I can still walk to services) to turning over the ignition. But I was responsible about it and put my trips together and planned loops for doing all my errands.

My current vehicle, the Chevrolet TrailBlazer, gets about 18 mpg. So, as mental exercise, how do I cut 18 miles per tank? This really isn't very easy. Wal-Mart's about 2 miles from the house... if I didn't go 4 times per tank of gas... I could walk to the post office daily, but that's less than 1.5 miles round-trip. I have to see to my dad's business every week... that's 70 miles round trip. I can't give that up.

I'm not doing very well here, am I?

I had a Dallas Area Romance Authors meeting this morning 45 miles away. With attendant side trips (all my errands at once, remember?) I was bound to be looking at over 100 miles. We have plans for the evening... I just didn't go and face the traffic.

I figure I saved 6 gallons of gas. Heeheehee... I'm now good to go for the next six tanks.

Or, where's that wonderful gas-guzzling Suburban I used to own? At 13 mpg, I'd have saved 8!