My Turn

Beating fuel price hike

 

The recent fuel price hike will certainly shrink people’s disposable income and catalyse price hikes.

The fuel price increase exerts extra pressure on the same pockets that have to provide for food, water, electricity and other essentials. We can groan over the increase, but what matters most is finding a solution to survive to travel a mile longer on the uncomfortable path of austerity. We cannot stop the price of fuel going up, but we can decrease the impact of skyrocketing prices on our wallets.

We live in communities where everyday vehicles pound the road in the same direction. We are in communities where our children go to the same schools or schools that are in the same location. We need efficient utilisation of resources. It is cost-effective to give each other schedules on whose vehicle takes kids to school per week.

It also makes sense for people that work within the same neighbourhood to schedule their vehicles weekly instead of each person driving a five-seater vehicle to work. When the going gets tough, prestige does not matter. Survival must be the focal point.

The timing for travel also helps in circumventing the price hike. Driving during peak hours on congested roads consumes a lot fuel. The economics of fuel is clear: you save a lot when you drive on the road with less traffic. Starting off early does not only save fuel, but also offers the opportunity to work longer and accomplish all scheduled tasks.

To beat traffic after work hours, stick a little bit longer in the workplace, responding to some crucial e-mails, reading some books or even studying to advance your career.

You may even read motivational or leadership books that will eventually increase your knowledge and make you competitive.

While waiting for the evening traffic jam to vanish, the time you spend enriching your knowledge and enhancing your technical competence would have been lost while stuck in traffic jams.

This is no gospel for increase in fuel prices.  It is just a dosage for managing fuel prices.

Speeding thrills when travelling long distances. The desire to reach thedestination compels one to press hard on the gas, but it consumes more fuel as well. The higher the speed, the higher the fuel consumption.

Speed thrills, but it kills as well. Apart from putting your life at risk, you spend more to sustain the high-flying cruise.

The little is saving that attained by driving normal speed may be channeled towards necessities like water, electricity and even food.

Now is the time to bite the bullet. Do we really need to drive every time we are heading to a neighbour’s home for a chat? Do we need to drive every time we are going to buy a few things? Are all the trips motorists make so necessary that we cannot take a walk or even cycle or use public transport?

Most motorists spend a lot of time sitting  either in a vehicle or office. This is not healthy. There is need to walk for the benefit of your health. You will also be saving on fuel. You were not born to live and die in a vehicle. You were blessed with legs that have been carrying you long distances for many years. Do not wait until medical doctors advise you to start exercising. Start exercising now.

Fuel hikes must always be anticipated as they are determined by forces beyond our control. As a fuel-importing nation, the only thing we can manage is how to transform our lifestyles to cope with increasing prices.

It helps a lot to find solutions than to keep lamenting day in day out. n

 

 

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