By Meghan Streit
THE ERICKSON TRIBUNE

Remember back in the good old days when a gallon of gas cost only $2.50? With Chicagoland gas prices back up around $3.00 a gallon, those days seem like a distant memory. Depending on the size of your car and its fuel efficiency, filling up your tank can run you $30 to $70 – or more.

Good for the environment – and your wallet
With no relief in sight, many people are trading in their car keys in favor of less expensive transportation. One low-cost option is public transportation, but it’s not always the most convenient.

Hybrid cars, like the economical Toyota Prius, run on a combination of gasoline and electric power. The environmentally-friendly vehicles are becoming  increasingly popular because they get much higher gas mileage. The Prius gets an impressive 60 miles per gallon, according to hybridcars.com.

Sedgebrook community member Eugene Johnson traded his Chevy Impala for a more fuel-efficient Prius. “I wave at all the gas stations when I drive by,” he says. “I think everyone is going to drive [hybrid cars] in time.”

Sharing rides is another way to cut fuel expenditures. Even short trips to the  grocery store, bank, or other weekly errands can start to add up with gas prices so high. Consider pairing up with a friend or two, and take turns driving.

Leave the car in the garage
Sedgebrook community members can dramatically reduce their transportation costs because so much of what they need is housed under one roof. Amenities like a bank, convenience store, doctor’s office, and salon are just a short indoor walk from their front doors – which means no more logging miles and burning fuel just to run regular errands.

“Running errands used to be a hassle. I used to drive eight miles to exercise class,” says Dee Keller, who moved to Sedgebrook from Arlington Heights. “Now, I just go downstairs to the Fitness Center. I don’t have to run around and I don’t have to use my car at all.”