Today, I would like to talk about a couple of different things that don't really connect, so I will just separate them out.

Driving/Gas Usage - I work in NLR on Camp Robinson and I have a summer class at UCA. I have to work at least four days a week, so I use a lot of gas. So far this month I have filled up my 12 gallon tank about four times. I drive a 2007 Chevy Cobalt, so I get reasonable gas mileage. Usually I drive the speed limit, 70 mph, or a little over. I used the fuel economy option on my car's computer to see what the mileage is for that - about 32- 35 mpg. Today I was running a little low on fuel, so I decided to take the advice I so often hear and slow down. At about 65 mph, my fuel efficiency went up to about 38 mpg. And though I can't remember the exact number, when I drove 55 - 60 mph, the miles per gallon really increased. Even looking at the fuel gage I could tell the difference in the 30 mile trip. The needle barely moved today! The only down side to all of this was watching all the cars (and big trucks) pass me on the left. That being said, I was comforted by the fact that I was saving on gas. This is something that will take some getting used to, because I generally like to drive the speed limit or slightly over.

Reusable shopping bags - I do not mean to criticize people who shop at the stores I am going to talk about, but I just noticed a few things worth mentioning. On Saturday I went to Whole Foods in Little Rock to look for something, and nearly every single person I saw walking in and out of the store had reusable shopping bags. The store was very nice to see! The same day I went to Fresh Market in Little Rock with some friends and I don't think I saw anyone using a reusable shopping bag. The same is true for other stores I go to. It is rare that I see someone using a reusable bag at Kroger, Target, or any other store. There are certainly plenty of options for bags out there, because it seems like every store has it's own bag. I found it hard to start using bags just because I couldn't ever remember to bring my bags into the store. But, once I was able to remember a few times, I was able to keep up with bringing them with me. One nice benefit to have a reusable bag at Kroger is receiving a $0.03 credit on your purchase. I haven't had the chance of doing this yet, but I have heard you get $0.03 for each bag you use. Now, this is not a lot of money, but it seems like Kroger is trying to encourage people to use canvas or other types of reusable bags.