How Stay-at-Home Moms Can Save Gas

A friend of mine once joked that stay-at-home moms should be called "stay-in-the-car" moms, since most spend more time taxi-ing their kids around than they spend sitting at home with the children. As a work-at-home mom, I find myself often falling into that pattern. Every day, it seems like there's somewhere my daughter needs to be-- and, with gas prices piercing through the four-dollar mark, this can be a nightmare for my budget. Fortunately, I've been able to cut back on my gas consumption tremendously in recent months, and I'm now using only half the amount of gas I used a few months ago. As both an environmentalist and a mom on a budget, I'm very glad I've made these changes.

If you're a stay-at-home mom looking to reduce your gas consumption as prices soar beyond $4 a gallon, here are some simple tips that can help you decrease the amount of fuel you spend for your kids.

1. Eliminate all unplanned trips-- even if your child really wants to take one. There was a time when, if we ran out of juice, we would drive to the grocery store two miles away to get more.of it. Now, my daughter has to choose: either she will walk a total of four miles with me to get the juice, or she'll have to do without it until our next scheduled trip to the store. No matter how much my daughter wants something (or no matter how much I want it) I no longer excuse those unplanned trips, and I'm amazed by how much money this has saved me.

2. Plot your journeys. If you need to buy markers for your child's school project, but the nearest store selling them is five miles away, find out exactly what else you could do on that end of town. Perhaps you can do this week's grocery shopping a day early so as to combine the two trips. Maybe you've also been needing to get printer paper from the same store, or you can stock up on the folders and binders your children will need for school this fall. By combining the errands now, you ensure that you won't have to make the same trip again in the near future.

3. Talk to other parents about carpooling. If there's a child in your neighborhood who attends the same schools, lessons or recreational activities as yours, find out if carpooling may be an option. Take turns toting the kids back and forth each week, and you'll both save money. Carpooling can be especially valuable to parents who live far from their children's schools. If your child's school is ten miles away, you drive forty miles each day to drive him there and back-- in other words, $8 a day, or $160 per month. By splitting the drive with a neighbor half the time, you can save a whopping $80 per month, so it's well worth the effort to ask around.

4. Get your kids to help with gas budgeting. A child is likely to resist when you explain that you can't go to the zoo because you can't afford the gas, but he may understand if you include him in the decision process. You might demonstrate, for example, that the as for trip to the zoo costs the same amount as his allowance, and then you can ask him if he's willing to split the cost with you. This is also a good time to introduce your child to environmentalist principles. Awareness of the cost of gas can help your child become passionate about conservation.