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This past week was spent primarily mowing the property my boss owns. I was near a Starbucks and during the two days I was out there I took note of all of the traffic they had. This is definitely one busy store. The SUVs were all over the place. It was as if there was no gasoline issues and that the prices of gas had no effect on these people. I guess if you can afford to drive a Hummer or Escalade you can afford to gas it up and put high end coffee in your own tank.

I must admit that it was tempting to be so close to the coffee shop. I too fell victim to it’s allure. How can one resist it’s fancy coffee? The delicious smells as one walks in. The progressive and earthy way in which they present themselves? I know I couldn’t. I parked my mower. I walked into the store like a woman possessed and ordered my favorite coffee concoction. I am addicted to the White Chocolate Mocha with skim milk and cream on top. What the heck! I have to live a little! I too have an SUV. I am a part of that crowd right? Never mind that my Jeep is a ‘99 and has over 116,000 miles on it. I still belong! I drank that coffee as if it was the best thing in the world. I then finished my mowing for the day with a smile on my face and more zip in my motor!

The gas situation in Tennessee is a very annoying. I have curtailed much of my driving. Fortunately my boss filled my Jeep for me as it was used to get to the job site and conduct my job. It was at $4.19/gal as of Sunday. In Nashville they have been running out of gas as people are panic buying. Many are topping off their tanks without a real need. They were told not to do this but of course they didn’t listen. There were several cases of road rage and gas rage as well. I was scheduled to go to the Nashville VA for an MRI. I cancelled and will go on a later date. They agreed at the MRI clinic to work me in next Saturday. The MRI techs told me that it was nuts there over gas. Apparently the pipeline that runs to this area is still damaged due to the hurricane.

I am beginning to doubt that gas will ever go down to acceptable price levels. We are happy when it is $3.47/gal. We feel we are getting a bargain. That’s pretty sad isn’t it? The politicians talk about alternative fuels, drilling in ANWAR ,off shore drilling and hybrid cars but that is all they do. Talk is cheap, gas isn’t. I couldn’t afford to buy one let alone get approved for a new hybrid at this point anyway. Who needs the debt?

I have to consider my food options each week due to the rising cost of fuel. My son and I don’t go out or participate in many activities as it would cost more in gas than I could afford and if I were to sign him up for sports I would be running around to the fields for practice and games. Just not feasable at this point. How unfair to him. He is a natural athlete and somehow I have to find a way to get him into these activities without breaking the bank. For now all things are on hold. We have to get through the winter. I know I am not alone. Many of us are going to have to hunker down and go without some of the luxuries of life. It is going to be an interesting if not a scarey time for some of us. Not sure what the future holds but that is a part of the fun. I am always up for an adventure. Going without can be very humbling. I know. I do. More people need to be humbled from what I can see.

Regardless of who is elected President in November, we are in for a rough ride. It has already begun. We are still in denial as individuals and as a country. I saw that last week as people were getting hopped up on caffeine and gassing up their high end SUVs. People are still not getting it. The economy has taken on a life of it’s own. Large companies have failed. The government has taken over and now we as taxpayers have to pick up the slack. When it hits, it will hit hard. This is only the beginning.

I have said it before and I will say it again. Don’t live off credit. You can see the writing on the wall very clearly at this point. It will come back to bite you in the backside.

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