Two tactics for (painfully) topping off the tank
It seems that lately, when I get into my car to drive somewhere, I get flashbacks to sitting in middle school math class and staring at a worksheet with story problems.
Instead of Susie having 42 watermelons or some other ridiculous idea, I find myself calculating costs.
If I drive X number of miles, my car gets Y miles per gallon, and gas costs Z, how many tears will I cry along the way while money flies out the tailpipe?
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Rising gas prices are part of the times, I know. But that doesn’t make it any easier to swallow when you watch the digits creep up and up at the gas station.
Easing the pain at the pump
Like most things in life, complaining about things you cannot control doesn’t do much good, so maybe it’s better to avoid the topic. Instead, here are a few things you can do to ease your pain at the pump.
You can reminisce and tell stories about how cheap gas was when you were younger. I’m sure my parents' generation has its own stories, but I like to tell my kids how I used to collect a handful of change from my tip jar at work and would proudly turn it all into gas.
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“Four dollars and twelve cents on pump number three!” I’d proudly say, knowing those four dollars would get me much, much farther than it would today.
This is a good tactic because instead of complaining about gas prices, people will complain about hearing all of the stories about when gas was cheap, therefore, creating a common enemy — and then driving away from that common enemy (if you want to spend the money).
Plan the next route while fueling up
Another way to distract yourself from the high gas prices is to spend an unusual amount of time planning the route of your errands and destinations so you minimize gas usage. You do this all at home without the car running, of course.
For example, instead of just picking up your child from a school event, you can pick up your child and then make the rounds of other stops around town. Take your kid to the library, the bank, the grocery store, the pharmacy!
This tactic will not only save a little moola on gas, but will also be a nice bonding time for your family despite the emotions from some of the included parties who may complain about having to help carry in the groceries.
All of the stress that ensues from an afternoon of family errands will certainly help you forget about those high gas prices.
Or you can just take a walk or ride a bike, which is never a bad idea, either.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Record: Strategies for whiling the time as you paying the price at the pump
