Filling Up is a Pain

It costs $45 to fill the gas tank of my Volkswagen Beetle. Forty-five.

For that much money, I can get my hair done, treat a friend to dinner or buy a new dress. Just seven years ago it cost about half that for a full tank. Back then a crinkled $20 bill could get me through the week. Now, with prices averaging $3.94 nationwide (about $3.79 locally), it hurts more and more every time I see a gas station.

There was a time when a full tank meant the freedom to hop in the car and zoom down the highway to browse the aisles of Target, check out a sale at Oak Park Mall or walk around Zona Rosa. Last summer I would’ve gladly made the 19-minute drive to a Chick-Fil-A without being worried about gas.

These days carefree drives are hard to come by. I do more walking. I carpool. Before I get behind the wheel, I think about those miles. If I want to get a No. 1 with cheese from my favorite fast-food joint, I think about the errands I can run along the way.

Do I need to fill a prescription? Is it time to buy dog food? Any friends I need to visit along the way?

This multitasking allows me to make my tank last two weeks, sometimes a teeny bit longer if I don’t give into the urge to splurge.

Still, there are days when I just want to roll down the highway with the windows down and take my dog for a drive.

Sometimes I just want to drive all the way to Lee’s Summit to visit friends and check out the new Peachtree Restaurant. It’s fun to get in the car and go.

At least it used to be. A few years ago I packed up the Beetle and took my dog to North Carolina for a week. We visited my mother, and then we got in my sister’s truck and drove some more. We left the mountains and went to the coast for a few days where we had a chance to hang out at the beach. We just drove our worries away. Back then that road trip was cheaper than a plane ticket.

Not anymore.

So people are hanging out at home more. They are putting their cars in park and riding their bikes or catching the bus. Instead of dining out, they are ordering in or cooking at home. I know I’ve already learned a few new recipes.

I’m doing more online shopping, reading more books and renting more movies. I’m pretty sure Netflix and Blockbuster are raking in the dollars.

And forget those last-minute road-trip vacations. It’s time to learn to live like tourists in our own town, enjoy a getaway without getting away and burning that gas.

This summer it’s all about the “staycation” — staying home. Any ideas?

Jeneé Osterheldt’s column runs in FYI on Tuesday and Saturday. To reach her call 816-234-4380 or e-mail josterheldt@kcstar.com.