What YOU can do during high gas prices

0

Comments Posted on Mar 03, 2012 Posted by mmslattery

Once again we’ve hit a cycle of higher gas prices. It’s nothing new but it always stings. I’m not here to debate what’s behind the rise in prices or who is to blame because no matter where that conversation leads, I’m still at the mercy of the price at the pump when my tank reaches empty. What’s a mom to do? Where I like to focus my energy is on how I can spend and more importantly consume less on gas.

SPEND LESS:

My key method for spending less at the pump is Kroger fuel points. I consolidate most of my spending at Kroger to maximize the fuel points I earn each month. For every $100 you spend, you earn 100 points or $.10 off each gallon up to 35 gallons. I’ll admit I tend to spend about $600 a month, giving me $.60 off every gallon. Though I have to fill my tank about twice a month, I wait to use my rewards only once a month because I bring our three 5 gallon gas tanks with me. It’s a bit of a hassle but if I fill up 35 gallons, that’s a $21 savings a month or $252 a year! Ingles and Food City also have fuel rewards but you typically only save $.10/gallon each fill-up (or just $2 when I fill the van).

CONSUME LESS:

This is not as popular a solution to saving money but making choices about where, when, what, and how you drive can save you much more money in the long run. I learned a lot about practical solutions for consuming less gas when I produced this video for the Knoxville based Southern Alliance for Clean Energy shortly after the BP oil spill. Please take a few minutes to watch it because the solutions are still the same.

The gist of the video is that Americans could decrease our consumption by 20%, thus eliminating our need for the oil we get from the Gulf of Mexico and the Persian Gulf (a combined 20%), by implementing these four solutions:

Increasing fuel efficiencies
Alternative biofuels
Hybrid and electric vehicles
Personal Choices

I’m all for making our vehicles more fuel efficient. Who wouldn’t rather have a car that gets 40 miles to the gallon than 20? Since those mandates are in the hands of the politicians, all I can do is vote for those who see higher standards as essential.

The idea of making fuel from switchgrass and fryer oil is also exciting. Did you know biofuel is made right here in Knoxville from the oil collected from local restaurants? That’s great for trucks consuming diesel, but that’s not a product I can use in my car.

My husband and I have discussed buying an electric or hybrid commuter car for him one day. There’s a charging station he could use at work, and the amount of electricity one charge would cost at home is only about $2. However, we want to wait until he really needs a new car.

So that leaves us with “personal choices.” Here’s where I finally can DO something. When I lived in California, I rode my bike and took the train to work. It was not only the healthiest and best environmental choice; it was the cheapest. Though Knoxville has KAT, the local bus system, it’s not an option for me. I’m a mom shuttling kids around town nowhere near the KAT routes. However, I do take advantage of the school’s buses for our oldest. He should be home any minute.

Where I really save money is being cognizant of WHERE I drive. I rarely just “run out to the store.” If I go to Kroger, I’m probably going to stop at Walgreen’s and CVS too and choose the stores that are closest to each other. I wait to drop off recycling until I have another reason to be in the neighborhood, usually church on Sundays. I wait to visit certain craft stores, the library, or the bank until I have a play date for Brooke nearby or on the way. One of the biggest incentives to plan my trips is it saves me time, a precious commodity indeed.

I also consider HOW I drive. Driving more cautiously or 5 mph less on the highway does save gas. Minimizing extra weight in the trunk saves gas too.

Then there’s WHAT I drive. When given the choice, I always take the more fuel efficient of our two vehicles.

Finally, there’s deciding WHEN not to drive. I pick at least one morning a week to spend time with Brooke at home instead of driving elsewhere. There’s plenty to do here and we never get bored.

Making a few choices may not seem like much, but it all adds up. If everyone started making personal choices to decrease their consumption, what a significant impact we could make!

Now I want to hear from you. How do you spend or consume less on gas?

Social Media from Scratch: new video series!

0

Comments Posted on Feb 14, 2012 Posted by mmslattery

I am so proud to announce a new educational video series for those trying to make sense of social media: Social Media from Scratch. It features the wit and wisdom of marketing consultant Mark W. Schaefer and is available online now. For two years, Mark has been teaching classes aimed to “cut through the clutter” of the latest marketing tools. Should every business have a Facebook page? What are the benefits of blogging? and How can you use Twitter to boost sales?

I can vouch for his expertise and approachable teaching style because I took this class last spring. As a business owner and entrepreneur, I learned a lot and was inspired to try his formula for success. I’m still in the early stages for some of his ideas, but I did get my first client from Twitter a few weeks ago! I’ll post more on that as the project develops.

So when Mark asked me in October if I would video tape his classes for online access, I thought, “Great idea!” Knoxville area residents can still take his classes in person (the next series is coming in July), but now everyone around the world has access to his information right now, any time. And you can even access the first session for FREE. You know how I love that word! Subsequent sessions are just $9.99 each or you can buy the whole series (about 8 hours) for $49.99. That’s an exceptional value in my opinion.

Mark is also a great writer and has just released his second book. His first book, The Tao of Twitter, is a best seller and developed out of his classes as companion materials for his students. His second, Return on Influence, is fresh off the presses and is “the first book to explore how brands are identifying and leveraging the world’s most powerful bloggers, tweeters, and YouTube celebrities to build product awareness, brand buzz, and new sales.” I’m looking forward to reading it.

Thank you, Mark, for your guidance and support of my business and I wish you the best in your latest ventures.

MOVE THAT BUS!!!: From my perspective

4

Comments Posted on Jan 18, 2012 Posted by mmslattery

“Move that bus! Move that bus! Move that bus!” my smiling three-year-old chanted, as she marched around our playroom this morning. Her enthusiasm was ironic, given her response to the real crowds chanting these three magic words just an hour earlier, but we’ll get to that.

Today my daughter Brooke and I were part of the crowd of 1,000 spectators welcoming the Watson family home for the ABC show, “Extreme Makeover Home Edition.” Since the show has now gone off the air and this is the last special slated to air around Thanksgiving, this was a momentous occasion for TV history and for Knoxville. It was an occasion for which I wanted to reminisce one day and say, “I was there.”

This would be a very different story if I weren’t a stay-at-home mom with young children. The older two were in school, but Brooke is with me most of the time. One key benefit of being a SAHM is the freedom to bring my kids to unique experiences. However, with that freedom comes responsibility for caring for the often changing whims, needs, and attitudes of toddlers no matter what.

Now, I had a pretty good idea what monumental task I was taking on: asking a toddler to stay put and content while we stood primarily idle–in mud–waiting for a TV crew to spring into action. I was hauling all 30 pounds of her on my back for potentially several hours. Watching the producers and film crew pace back and forth, I was swept back to the years I’d spent on the other side of the barricades. I had been the producer on the walkie talkie, shadowing my camera man, instructing the crowd not to look at the camera. Different show, same theatrics. I had even interviewed Ty a decade ago for TLC’s hit show, “Trading Spaces.” And yes, he was a nice guy. How odd it felt not to have credentials around my neck.

The big reveal had been slated for 10:00am. I got antsy as I looked at my phone’s clock: 10:13, 10:28, 10:37…They had shot the crowd cutaways shouting, “Move that bus!” but the family was still nowhere in sight. Then an angel voice behind me came through loud and clear, “Mommy, I wanna go home.” I stalled with goldfish, stalled with water, stalled with a pacifyer (usually reserved just for bedtime now; I was desperate!). We even stepped away from the crowds so that she could run around across the street, but it was too late. You know that melt down phase that toddlers enter…the point of no return. The only solution was to head to the car. Part of me cried, “But we’re so close! You can’t leave now!” Another part said, “Is seeing a bus move really worth torturing your child?” And besides, any one of these strangers could be on the phone with Child Services reporting a negligent mom.

It was at this point I was thankful I had not taken a shuttle bus and had stashed the van one block away. We exited quickly and were home with hot chocolate and marshmallows within 20 minutes. It turns out the reveal happened 45 minutes after we left. From where we had been, I wouldn’t have been able to see the family or the film crews anyway.

Now in the warmth of my home, I ponder what drew a thousand people to stand in the cold and the mud–some for SIX hours–to be part of this experience? Was it the draw of celebrities like Ty Pennington and Jenny McCarthy? Had they volunteered during the rain, snow, or howling winds this past week? Did they want to see themselves on television? Or could it have been simply the desire to be a part of something bigger and greater than themselves? Even though we missed the big moment, I take comfort that I got the big message.

When it comes to changing lives on a grand scale, “Extreme Makeover” has it down. Aside from the desire to make good TV, I do believe the producers had good hearts with noble intentions. They accomplished what most builders would have said was simply impossible before the show. You can’t build an incredible house in 7 days–you just can’t! They made the impossible, possible…again and again. Isn’t there a nugget in all of us that wants to be a part of that? And don’t we all want to pay it forward in some way?

I believe in the good nature of all human beings. And the good news is that we don’t need a TV show to prove it. My wish for Knoxville is that “Extreme Makeover Home Edition” lit a fire in our town. The frenzy is over, but the real opportunities can now begin. Surely this fire will make every individual seek at least one way to be bigger, greater, more awesome by volunteering. Maybe you help build a Habitat for Humanity house, maybe you become a mentor for the Boys and Girls Club, or maybe you donate money, food, or supplies to a few of the hundreds of amazing non-profits that serve our community. The ripple effect blows the mind. Small gestures can evolve into big blessings. The only question remains, “How will you look back and say, ‘I was there!’”?

For WATE’s coverage, check out this video.

Please leave a comment about where or how you plan to serve our community. Thanks for sharing!

1/2/12: Wishes, Resolutions, and Reality

0

Comments Posted on Jan 02, 2012 Posted by mmslattery

When I said today’s date aloud, I chuckled at how regimented it sounded: 1, 2, 1, 2, time to get in step. I love the motivation and optimism for change I feel in early January. Two years ago, I reorganized the kids’ playroom and vowed to document their milestones and witty comments in individual journals. The playroom just got another massive revamp and the journals are practically empty. But last year I focused on physical challenges. I accomplished two for myself–my first triathlon and the Warrior Dash–as well as running with my son for his first 5K, an amazing experience.

So why do some resolutions remain mere wishes and others become reality? For me, it comes down to priorities and a level of commitment. I’m a big believer in setting only a few resolutions, writing them down, and having a means to assess whether you’ve accomplished them or not. Once I signed up for the races, there was no way I was backing down. Seeing it written on the calendar helped motivate me every day. Along the way, I’ve benefitted in many ways from basic better health. The satisfaction of completing the goals was the cherry on top.

So what’s on the list this year? I’m hoping blogging about them will make them more likely to become reality:

Make social media a more regular part of my routine. I plan to make blogging, Tweeting, and Facebook updates a more regular component of my business. And this year, I’m putting Mark Schaefer’s three keys to success for social media on my computer so that I see them everyday: targeted connections, meaningful content, and authentic helpfulness.
Continue my exercise routine. Complete the Tridelthalon again with faster times in all three categories. I may also sign up for this Women’s Only Wild Rose triathlon in Oak Ridge June 3. I’ll also track my daily activity by wearing my new pedometer.
Run more races with my son. We now have a family membership to the Knoxville Track Club, giving us discounts on some local race entry fees. Bobby and I entered the New Years Day race yesterday, but he hurt his knee. Though we walked most of the race, we still finished and I was proud of his perseverance. He’s very excited about the 5K on the day of the Knoxville Marathon, where he’ll finish crossing the 50 yard line of Neyland Stadium, and his face will be on the jumbotron. We might also give this event a try, an adult/kid version of the Amazing Race in Nashville February 12. Sounds so cool!
Make my own bread. For quite some time, I’ve been saying I should make my own bread (in a bread machine, that is). My husband had one before we met and it has sat idle for 15 years. After my neighbor showed me how easy it is and how she grinds her own flour, I decided this was the year for fresh bread. I’ll probably order my supplies through Breadbeckers. If you have tips, please share.
Make the journals a priority again. I still think it would be an amazing gift for them one day. A few sentences a day doesn’t seem too tough, does it?