Gas Prices

Well, today it officially happened. Gas prices went over $4.00 a gallon. Actually, it went from $3.99 yesterday to $4.07 today. Yikes! There is on station I keep my eye on to gauge the prices. Its on the high side for Napa. It right on the highway. I buy my gas at a station off the beaten path that is always about 7 or 8 cents cheaper. That station is probably close, it not over the $4.oo mark. There's just something about paying that much for gas. Now $3.99, that's bad, but $4.oo, that's terrible. So, I will dedicate the remainder of this post to ways to save gas.

-My brother, Seth, owns a Prius. He loves it and he gets great gas mileage. Alas, we don't. But, if you are in the market for a new car, consider a hybrid.

-Check your tire pressure. Ever ride a bike with a low tire? Its hard work. It's the same with your car.

-Drive the speed limit. Traveling at 55 mph give you up to 21% better mileage when compared to speed limits of 65 mph and 70 mph.

-On longer trips, use cruise control if you have it.

-Remove excess weight from your car. Do you really need that case of water in your trunk?

-Combine trips. Have a lot of errands to run? Plan to do them in one trip instead of lots of little trips.

-Cruising. This is my own word for it. I have started to take my foot off of the gas pedal when approaching stops long before I used to. I am surprised with how far my car will go without using extra gas. Didn't Newton make a law about that? I have found areas around town with slight hills where this works very well. Just make sure your parking brake is not on, I say from personal experience.

-Ride a bike or walk. Matthew and I will occasionally ride our bikes to school. It takes us about 20 minutes, so we have to plan ahead, but its a nice ride.

These are just a few ideas. I know there are many more. Anyone have a great idea to share?

Extraction!

So, Matthew had 3 teeth pulled last week. Yes, they are baby teeth. Yes, they would come out anyway. It was still a little hard on me. You see, I had several teeth pulled when I was a child. Too many teeth, not enough room. They said that if they pulled my baby teeth (root and all) then my permanent teeth would come in straight and I wouldn't need braces. Well, I did have braces. Twice. So, fast forward 30 years and my son is in the same situation. Too many teeth, not enough room. He had a tooth that he lost at least 3 month ago that hadn't yet grown in. X-rays showed the problem. It was trying to come it, but the poor thing had no room. So back to the dentist for 3 extractions. Matthew was a trooper. He had never been numbed before, so he went through the alphabet, finding which letters he could and could not say with a "fat" lip. He made it though with just a little discomfort. The dentist was great with him. Even rinsed a drop of blood off his shirt before he knew it was there. We went home, gauze in mouth and three teeth root and all in a cute little container. It took a little time that evening to get back to normal. I had him with a tea bag in his mouth a few hours later to stop the last of the bleeding, something I remembered doing from my childhood and a dentist friend reminded my of. Something about tanic acid for any science people out there. Our dentist even called that evening the check on Matthew. What a guy! The next day, five dollars richer thanks to the Tooth Fairy, he had a couple of Tylenols, when to school, and then was fine. Kids recover so quickly!

Paper or Plastic?

So, what's your answer to this question? Paper is a renewable resource, right? Plastic doesn't use any trees and are recyclable, right? Here are some facts about paper and plastic bags.
-To make all the bags we use each year, it takes 14 million trees for paper and 12 million barrels of oil for plastic.
- The production of paper bags creates 70 percent more air pollution than plastic, but plastic bags create four times the solid waste — enough to fill the Empire State Building two and a half times. And they can last up to a thousand years.
-Many paper and plastic bags don't get recycled and end up in landfills. While paper will biodegrade, it is bulkier and takes up more space in a landfill. Plastic bags, made of petroleum, are in the landfill to stay.
Well, you know where I'm going with this. Paper or plastic? Neither! I use canvas bags. I have 3 that I use. I just got number four on Earth Day from my son. He got it for free at an Earth Day event here in Napa. He knows how crazy mom gets if she walks into a store without a canvas bag and has to walk out with a store bag.
Not on the canvas bag bandwaggon yet? Would some incentive help? When I use my bags at Luckys, I get a 5 cent credit on my bill for each bag I use. At Trader Joe's I get an entry in a drawing for a $25 gift certificate. I haven't won it yet, but I'll let you know. Whole Foods gives a 5 cent refund, but gives you the option to donate it to a local charity, or keep it. I keep mine, thank you, but its nice that they offer it. If you shop once a week and get a nickle back per bag, you should pay for the bags 1 1/2 to 2 years. And think of all the paper and plastic bags you won't be using!
Still want to make a difference without buying the bags? Most of the same insentives apply when you resuse paper bags.