Published 7.17.2008
Local scene a sign of the times?

It was an unusual sight on the corner of South B and East Lewis streets Tuesday afternoon.

On a perfect summer afternoon, while waiting at a stop sign, it was possible to observe, within seconds, two people biking — one with a kid carrier attached — a couple of people walking, and a middle-aged man on a motor scooter.

There wasn’t a SUV or gas-guzzling pickup to be seen.

For six people, at least, getting around town was petroleum-free, or nearly so, and also fun. And for the bikers and walkers, it was contributing to their health.

The happy little parade was both a sign of the times and possibly, the wave of the future.
With a gallon of gasoline costing more than a gallon of milk and inflation at a decades-old high, any way to save money can’t be all bad.

While most people await the major automotive companies to develop and put into production vehicles that get 30, 40 or 50 miles per gallon — or vehicles that run on electricity, deep frying oil or who knows, little wind turbines — some people are already doing something about the high cost of getting around.

It might not seem like much to walk or bike up town. But if hundreds of people in Livingston, thousands across Montana and millions across America would do the same, gas prices might come down and more importantly, the average person, presently being squeezed by everybody from tax-subsidized big oil companies to foreign producers, can thumb their nose at the system.

They deserve it.

Stephen Matlow
Enterprise Managing Editor

Published 7.18.2008
Ways to cope with a bad economy

The economic news this week out of Washington and New York wasn’t good.

Inflation in June topped 1 percent, which, extended over a full year, would mean prices are going to go up at least 10 percent during the next year, and the average American family is going to have to tighten their belts ... or whatever they use to hold up their jeans or capris.

With both private and public employers lucky to be able to give workers a 3 percent increase, the average American will have to figure out a way of cutting back expenses by 7 to 9 percent.

After asking top economic advisors from around my neighborhood, here are some suggestions for surviving the oncoming high cost of living tsunami:

• Water bills: Water only the front yard. Let the backyard go, and watch it turn a pleasant tawny yellow-brown. Almost nobody is going to notice, and there is little chance Better Homes and Gardens is going to feature your house any time soon.

• Clothes: People don’t share clothes like the good old days of the Depression. If someone else is the same size as you in your home, let them borrow your clothes while you stay home in your skivvies watching TV. When they get back, you can switch, then go out and run your errands. One baseball mom with twins suggested she would have to buy only one uniform next year if her sons shared, with one being on the field and the other wearing a towel in the dugout. It is easy to change clothes in the dugout since nobody really knows what goes on in there anyway.

• Telephone: Need to make a long distance call? Phone the person you need to contact when they are at lunch and leave a quick message for them to call back. That way, they will foot most of the bill, and that will allow you to save your money for more important things, like playing the lottery.

• Vacation: Convince your family it would be “greener” to barbecue hot dogs three straight nights in Sacajawea Park rather than driving to Salt Lake City and having the time of their lives at Lagoon Amusement Park.

• Food: This one is gaining in popularity, especially among the homeless and penniless, who have to get by on nothing or next to nothing. Try the no-fat, no-sugar, no-salt, no-calorie diet. The diet has been very popular among the world’s super models in the months prior to their hospitalizations.

• Beer runs: If going to the grocery or convenience store, make sure you pick up enough suds and chips to last a Marine battalion for an entire weekend. Many people waste money making several trip to the store to resupply the basics during either a party or just a night of serious drinking.

• Bar runs: Walk, don’t take a car. You will not only save gas money but the chances of getting a DUI while walking home are about the same as being abducted by night flyers from Zeon-4.

• Gardening: Don’t grow your own tomatoes. It is a proven fact that when you figure in the cost of soil, seed, cages, fertilizer, weeding and watering, each tomato you grow will cost more than a BMW325i fully tricked out.

Better to forget the tomatoes and save the money to pay part of your NorthWest Power bill next winter.

Stephen Matlow
Enterprise Managing Editor