Ways to manage as the cost of fuel, other things rises

Everyone is feeling the effect of the tough national economy ... well, almost everyone except the oil companies and all of the overpaid professional athletes and movie stars.

The high price of fuel is the main reason we’re all hurting. And that’s not just because it takes $70 or more to fill up your vehicle. The high cost of fuel has pushed prices of necessities like food higher.

Does anyone else find that one of the supposed solutions to high fuel prices -alternative or renewable fuel - is one of the major culprits of the higher food prices? Corn is used to make ethanol. According to renewablefuelsnow.org, it takes a bushel of corn to make more than two gallons of fuel.

Corn is found in a wide array of products we purchase every day, such as foods, medicines and cosmetics. It also has various industrial uses, such as cleaners, detergents, crayons, chalk, batteries and paint.

Corn is used to make cereals, baby food, chewing gum, soups, pudding, powdered sugar and many other food items. You will find corn in sweeteners for drinks, pet food, lipstick, facial makeup, aspirin, antibiotics and coating for pills. It’s even used in rubber tires.

We’re very dependent on corn. Now we’re leaning on it for fuel, so we can drive to the store to purchase more corn-related products.
There’s plenty of blame we can pass along for the high fuel prices: big oil companies, OPEC, Republicans who are “owned” by big oil companies, Wall Street, and Democrats and environmentalists for not allowing the U.S. to drill for oil in Alaska and the Gulf of Mexico.

We need to blame ourselves too, because we can cut fuel consumption in a number of ways, which would bring down the price of fuel … at least some.
Here are some staggering statistics from the Natural Resources Defense Council:

-    Americans spend more than $200,000 per minute - $13 million per hour - on foreign oil.

-    The U.S. spends more than $25 billion a year on Persian Gulf imports alone.

-    The U.S. accounts for the consumption of 11 percent of world oil production.

People have come up with a number of ideas on how to combat high fuel prices. Some have purchased hybrid vehicles. Others are buying motorcycles and scooters. Some people choose to carpool, make fewer trips to stores, and have “stay-cations” instead of vacations.

I have a pickup with a V8 engine, but I’m not about to purchase a motorcycle or a hybrid. It’s kind of hard to pull a cargo trailer with one of those.
What I can do is slow down to the speed limit or a little under it. I accelerate slower when a traffic signal turns green. I keep the proper air pressure in my truck’s tires to help improve mileage as well.

Going the speed limit is a lifestyle change for me, but I’m getting better at it. Thank God for cruise control.

There is more we can do, and for some ideas go to dothaneagle.com and do a keyword search by typing in the words “money tips.” It will take you to a Web page filled with ideas, and my favorite – an updated list of fuel prices in Dothan. Even better, you can help inform people about where to find the cheapest gasoline prices.

Check it out. It’s pretty cool.

Ken Tuck is the managing editor of the Dothan Eagle and regional editor of Media General Alabama Newspapers. He can be reached at or 712-7960.