How Are You Dealing With The High Gas Prices?

These days it seems it’s all we hear about – high gas prices. There have been a combination of factors that have resulted in the horrible increases we’ve seen recently. So how are you dealing with the high gas prices.

High gas prices don’t just affect the cost of running your vehicles. They also affect the prices of heating your home. In fact this winter analysts are expecting we will pay close to 50% more in heating fuel.

With no signs of prices returning to previous levels many people are looking for alternative means of transportation and heating this year. These insanely high prices are causing some real financial hardships for many low and middle income families.

When it comes to transportation people are turning to a variety of alternatives. During warmer weather biking to and from work has become very popular. In fact it’s become a family mode of transportation for many.

Another vehicle we are seeing more of is the moped which is like a miniature motorcycle. The requirements for licensing are less stringent, however the top speeds are quite low also. Still a perfect mode of transportation to the grocery store or work.

Others are choosing to use public transit whenever possible or car pool. Car pooling is a great way to cut down the cost of your gas to and from work, and you also have the advantage of HUV lanes which allow you to move along the freeway a little faster.

Motorcycles are another choice that some are making. Good on fuel, insurance is reasonable, however they are not practical for transportation all year round, so their value as an alternative transportation are limited.

If your pocket book is up to the challenge then you should consider purchasing on of the hybrid vehicles or an electric car. The hybrids combine battery and gas and have phenomenal fuel economy. The price of these vehicles has dropped dramatically in the past few years making them an alternative choice for transportation.

The electric cars run strictly on battery and are a great commuter car. They are not a good choice if you do highway or freeway driving but they are perfect for commuting around the city and they use no fuel so the cost of gas is not an issue.

When it comes to heating your home with natural gas or propane people are also looking for alternatives to the high winter heating bills. Wood and pellet stoves have become very popular as an alternative choice of heating. They also make great complimentary heating sources to use with your natural gas furnace as they will help reduce the amount of fuel you consume.

However wood burning is banned in some areas so be sure to check with your local regulatory bodies before converting to wood. If wood is not an option you might consider electric heat. Although still expensive it is now costing considerably less to heat with electricity in many areas of the country.

Electric heat is available in many forms including space heaters, baseboard heaters and electric furnaces. You can supplement with electricity or convert completely.

Gas prices will continue to climb as the demand for the resource exceeds the supply. Since we depend a great deal on importation of gas there is no control over pricing or availability. If you don’t want to continue to deal with rising gas prices in the future than perhaps now is the time to look for alternative fuel sources for your home and your transportation.


Deon Melchior is the Editor and Publisher of Article Click. For more FREE articles for your ezine and websites visit ArticleClick.com. Article Click is a free content article directory. This means that as a publisher you may reprint the articles that are included in our site, as long as the article is unedited and the author box is included with it's live hyperlinks.