Ten minutes to write. Less time to read.

Everyone complains about the price of gasoline these days, so I’ve done a little research on how to absorb the extra cost.

First, substitute bottled water for Diet Snapple®, Lipton Ice Tea®, Ocean Spray Cranberry Juice®, or Gatorade®. All four beverages cost about ten dollars a gallon. Better yet, substitute the bottled water for the old-fashioned tap type. You get fluoride for your teeth in the deal too.

Next, re-evaluate those over-the counter beauty aids and medicines. Scope® mouthwash costs $85 a gallon. Pepto Bismol costs $123, while Vick’s Nyquil® sells for a hefty $178. I realize that people usually purchase smaller amounts of these products and that they don’t guzzle them the way they might guzzle cold beverages. Nevertheless, not using Scope® could save about a dollar a day. That would pay for a good half tank of gas each month.

Finally, cut down on paper, especially the kind used in your printer. We’ve heard for years about all the trees that sacrifice their lives just so we can print those memos, letters, and reports. Well, here is an added incentive to go paperless. The ink in those printer cartridges costs $5,200 a gallon.

It almost makes gasoline look like a bargain.