Jeffrey Narten sold his car.
How is he getting around Cleveland this summer? “Uber, bus and walking!”
Narten, of Cleveland Heights, was one of the Signal readers who last week shared how they are coping with stubbornly high gas prices.
According to AAA, unleaded regular gas in Ohio cost, on average, $4.27 a gallon on Friday, compared with $3.16 a gallon last year. The pain at the pump is tough to avoid: A recent census report found that more than 77% of Cuyahoga County residents use a car, truck or van to get to work (not to mention all the other places we drive).
Inflation remains high
Indeed, prices for everything are rising, and have been for several years. The U.S. Department of Labor reported Wednesday that inflation had cooled slightly in July, but prices overall were up 3.4% from a year ago.
It’s that generally higher cost of living that is challenging Yvonne Vincent.
“It’s not just the gas – I get that at Costco,” she wrote. “But the electric bill doubling, the grocery prices. …”
Vincent is looking at opportunities to carpool, consolidating errands and thinking about whether a given trip is absolutely necessary.
She is not alone in filling up at Costco or other wholesale clubs. Caitlin Matthews said she is consolidating errands, but she is also “intentionally shopping at grocery stores that will earn you points that translate into gas discounts at their gas stations! Mostly Meijer and Giant Eagle.”
Jermetha Smith and Dominique Bosnak are all about people power – they are walking or biking more as well as putting more thought into where and when they have to drive somewhere.
Reed Dallmann is making the most of his energy dollars. He said he drives a hybrid car and a Mini Cooper, which, with its 4-cylinder engine, gets good gas mileage.
Justin Vana reported that he bought an EV.
Pumping strategically
George Sam Lishchuk is hedging his bets on gas prices.
“I used to fill my vehicle tank with gas and refill when my tank reached one-quarter or slightly less. Now I have not filled my tank in months. Usually I put in $20 to $25, which gives me over 1/4 tank. I drive until my distance to empty is about 10 miles. I have driven a few times where I reached the 1 mile to empty plateaus.”
Johnnie Hill is coping, in part, by using phone apps that find the best prices and using mapping software (think Waze and Google Maps) to make sure he doesn’t drive longer distances than necessary.
Personal finance experts recommend apps such as GasBuddy, which relies on users to report gas prices in real time. Other suggestions include filling up on Sundays, when prices are often a bit lower, and keeping up with maintenance on your car, particularly on tire pressure.
