The #1 Secret To Saving Money At The Pump

Are high gas prices stressing you out? Do you have to give up a couple lattes a week in order to fill up that gas tank of yours (which I don't recommend by the way, coffee is good for the brain and provides all sorts of health  benefits...yes I am a shareholder of Starbucks)?

Here is the #1 secret to saving money at the pump:

Don't Drive

Crazy? Not at all. At least, not if you're willing to make some slight modifications to your lifestyle and give up some of the conveniences that we've enjoyed for decades here in America.

I bring this up because I read an article today on medicalnewstoday.com titled "The Psychological Cost of Climbing Gas Prices."

Rising gas prices are affecting more than the family budget. More pain at the pump results in more employee stress on the job, says Wayne Hochwarter, the Jim Moran Professor of Management at Florida State University's College of Business.

Admittedly, I am able to forgo driving because I like to bike and Seattle is a relatively bike-friendly city to live in. Plus biking (but any exercise will do) makes YOU FEEL BETTER! But here's the kicker, and this is exactly why it's taking $4/gallon gasoline for people to finally rethink the way they live day to day.

Hochwarter gleaned the information by surveying more than 800 full-time employees this spring when gas prices hovered at about $3.50 per gallon. All of the people surveyed work in a wide range of occupations, primarily in the southeastern United States. All drove personal transportation to work and had an average commute of 15 miles each way.

"All"...as in everyone...not one out of 800 people carpooled, took public transportation, walked, commuted by bike...crazy.  Now I can understand (but not necessarily feel bad for) for those who live in the suburbs and truly have few options besides their own personal vehicle. But you know, why not get together with friends in your neighborhood (that is if you even talk to your neighbors) and see if a couple folks are on the same schedule heading to similar work spaces? There are options, but understandably adjusting to them is not easy. We need make changes, hard changes in some cases. We need to move away from instant gratification (or what feels like instant gratification) and realize that an extra five, ten minutes in time may actually lead to a healthier, less stressful day in the long run.

I just had to run up to Best Buy. Their is one south of here or north. Either way it's about 15 miles one way. It took me a hour plus to bike there (nasty headwind) but truthfully, had I driven I may have gotten there in 45 minutes as traffic was snarled on I-5. In the process I would have spent at least $5 in gas (one way) let alone the wear and tear of accelerating, stopping, accelerating, stopping...

But best of all, as I rode my way north and through the now completely chaotic Greenlake neighborhoods, I witnessed the most bike commuters I have ever seen in this city. Granted the weather is pretty much perfect today, but still...

People are beginning to change their habits, myself included. No their's no doubt about it, driving is getting expensive and depending on what radio station you listen to or newspaper you read, the chances of it continuing to rise appear pretty good.

So, save money, save gas, save yourself (and others)...and drive less.