Photo: SocialTechnologies.com

“Crunchy on the Inside With a Soft Suburban Outer Coating” started its life as a lengthy and thoughtfully written article. I decided to split it up into smaller chunks over several weeks. The first installment came out on Earth Day. The mid-section of this article series has expanded due to the timing of events.

Maybe you employ every gas-saving tip out there, but there is more money to squeeze from other areas in our lives without suffering for it. Some tactics even improve the quality of life.

Finally Filling Up Again

The insidious “E” light came on today as I was driving home from work. I know this doesn’t mean “Get gas now or be stranded on the roadside!” but it always imparts a sense of urgency. Besides, I spotted a screaming bargain at $3.73/gallon (15 years ago in Europe or Japan, dozens of cars would be lined up at that gas station).

I made it 27 days between fill-ups. I paid $6 more at the pump this time.

The Real Cost of Gas

Gas prices are an easy target. The per-unit cost has gone up significantly, but what impact does it really have on our budgets? Let’s examine a hypothetical (and realistic) scenario here:

The Almost-Good Old Days

• $3.00/gallon
• 25 mile round-trip commute.
• 25 MPG

Today

• $3.73/gallon
• 25 mile round-trip commute.
• 25 MPG

To keep this simple, we’re isolating the cost of commuting to work. I’m Asian and I got bad grades in math all through school. Let’s keep this simple, OK? Based on the assumptions outlined above, we have a fuel cost of $15/week in the past. At the higher price, we have a weekly fuel cost of $18.65. We’re talking about $3.65. Can you find $3.65 worth of fat in your weekly expenditures? Yes, the percentage of increase is gruesome, but what is our total expenditure increase over the medium and long term? Oh, and BTW, you can trust these figures. I’m not that bad at math.

Think Outside the Pump

I’m not making light of the budget stretching that’s going on. I also recognize that many people have longer commutes or less fuel-efficient vehicles than the scenario outlined above.

I get my share of “woe-is-me.” There’s a teenager living here. If a solution to your problem is within reach, the last thing I want to hear is whining. Enlist your creativity (or mine) and find the money you’re throwing away.

• Chances are, in a 2-car household, one car gets used more. Drive the one that gets better mileage more.
• One can of soda per day represents $10/month. Drink water instead.
• Attention smokers. Cut out 3 cigarettes a day and there’s your $15/month.
• Do I really have to talk about the oft-vilified Starbucks Latte again? Dunkin’ Donuts coffee costs less and tastes better.
• Visit my buddies Frugal Dad and Mike.
• Ride your bike instead of driving.
• Take the bus.
• Buy stuff on Amazon instead of driving to the mall.
• Stay home and read my blog.

Subscribe to my RSS Feed!

Subscribe in a reader

Subscribe to 21st Century Dad by Email

You pay your bills online anyway.

Save those envelopes to write your shopping list on. Then you can stash your coupons inside.

Sometimes you baby really is smiling. Sometimes she just has gas. For that,we have Mylicon drops.After using the last of the Mylicon, I realized that the empty bottle would be a great way to store the dropper and keep it clean.If you found this tip helpful, please consider making a donation.

I don’t post every day, but I write almost every day. There are several articles in the works, both here and over at ReneeAndElliott.com, our repository for off-topic articles. There is other non-writing work that goes on behind the scenes. Then I have to go live my life so I can blog about it. So yeah, I’m toast.

Even in this impaired state, I can still offer you one quick cooking tip. It’s an oldie but goodie with a new twist.

We all wish our children would eat more vegetables. Some parents have better luck than I do. A trick favored by many resident chefs is to puree vegetables and add the mix to various sauces.

The other night, I pureed a pound of carrots, added some to the spaghetti sauce. The remaining puree was poured into a couple of freezer bags. Next time I need some vegetable puree, I’ll just break off a piece and add it to the sauce.

For the next round, I’m going to use the ice cube tray to make things a little easier.

It’s so simple, a caveman can do it.

If you saved a bunch of money on your car insurance by switching to Geico, please make a donation.

My wife told me about this great site. I’ve found yet another addiction online.

Parent Hacks a collaborative effort of multiple contributors plus a ton of contributions from readers. There are hacks for infants all the way up to those 20-somethings who still live at home. It’s broken down even further by topics of interest such as potty training, toys, behavior, etc.

Graphic designer is one of the many hats I wear, so I appreciate the effort was taken to really brand their site with something clever like the “Swiss Army Knife.” The tips contained within their expansive archive are equally clever. We recently tried out the homemade baby wipes to great success.

I have my own series on hacks too, but any help is appreciated. In a web2.0 world, it’s all about information and easy access to it.

Go check it out. There’s tons of useful stuff on Parent Hacks.

If you find this information helpful, please help me continue helping others.