Cockroach Economics

I know it has to be on a lot of people's minds that there HAS to be a way to squeeze more mileage out of our cars. I know it is on my mind. I go out of town often and the costs have gone way up for me. I have a theory that I use in my life for situations such as this. I call my theory "cockroach economics". Allow me to explain:

In almost any circumstance, there is a way to squeeze in through the cracks and meet your goals. You may have to do things in a non-standard way, but you CAN get things done. I am not talking about illegal or immoral things, however I am talking about thinking outside the box. This sort of thinking will lead to changes in your behavior.

Now let me explain in practical terms some of the things I have done and some of the things I want to do to squeeze more energy out of the world around me. Remember, think like a cockroach and grab stuff that nobody else cares about! First the easy stuff:

1. Slow down. I got about 10 percent better mileage by going 60 instead of 70 on the interstate. That is NOT insignificant. I may look like a grandpa doing that, but if you have read my recent blogs, you know that is now an accurate statement anyway.

2. Maintain the car, especially the air filter and change the oil. 'Nuff said.

3. Walk or use a bike. Lots of places are accessible and it beats paying for nearly 4 dollar a gallon fuel.

4. Explore alternate fuel. I know all about E-85, and that might be possible for people with an E-85 or "flex fuel" vehicle, but even if you drive a 1998 Neon, there is now evidence that you can go a lot higher than E-10, which is what you are using now. (Missouri has a law that says that all stations are to use 10 percent ethanol unless it is cheaper to run 100% gasoline, which it almost never is.) The recommended amount may be E-20 or even E-30 on non-flex fuel vehicles.

5. Try making your own fuel... I'm NOT kidding. If you have a farm with lots of grain, you can legally go to the ATF and apply for a permit as a fuel distiller. It takes about a month to get the permit and it is not that hard to get. You can make a "beer" out of the grain and then distill it down to ethanol. With corn you can make about 5 gallons of fuel for each 50 gallons of beer. You can still feed the corn used to make the beer to your livestock after you distill the ethanol into fuel.

6. Insulate your home.

7. Save money by re-using stuff that others do not want. What I mean is that it is a lot cheaper to get pretty good stuff at yard sales or Good Will and pocket the savings. Get food at Aldi's or Sav-A-Lot. Get the day-old bread to make toast. Most people know how to really get by on less if you have to. Coupons and sales help a lot too, but don't blow your savings driving all around town grabbing only the sales or you will burn it all up driving the car.

8. You can burn old broken pallets in your wood stove if you can get the broken pallets for free. You might have to pull a few nails or you can scrape the nails out with the ashes, but either way all that heat feels better if it cost you nothing.

I am talking about using practical ideas to lower the costs of living. This is the essence of "cockroach economics". If you have access to stuff that others want to get rid of, you just have to be creative with ways to use the freebies. These are just ideas to get you into the mindset. You know your situation, just capitalize on it.