Maybe it's just that I grew up during that malaise and thus had it drummed into me, but I already do most of those things.

55mph national speed limit,

I'm sure people hate to drive behind me. I don't jam on the gas to speed up. I coast whenever possible. Heck, if there's no-one behind me, I don't even do the speed limit. It works. I have 3-4 more gallons left over at the end of the month than when I used to have someone else driving for me.

Frequent tire pressure check,

Yep.

Tweaking the automatic transmission and shifting the manual quickly,

Nope. Never heard of that. I'll look into it, though.

Frequent tune-ups,

If I could afford more often, I'd do it more often.

Car-pooling,

Nope, but I rarely leave the house, anyway. If I'm out twice in a week it's unusual.

Alternate day gasoline rationing,

Wouldn't bother me, since I only gas up once every two months. (It used to be once a month, but when gas prices got so high, I had to cut back. I've gone from $20 a month to $30 every 2 months.)

Using the car air-conditioning sparingly,

I live in the desert and I never use it -- even in summer.

Turning down the heat thermostats to 68,

68? It's 64 in here now...

Air-conditioning off at peak hours and the temperature maintained at 79,

I use an evaporative cooler. It's much more efficient. Even in the summer, my electric bill is less than $60 per month.

As for 79, again . I'm happy if it never gets above 90. (It's relative, though. The outside temperature around here regularly gets into the 120's during summer, so 90 can feel downright cool.)

The economy switch on in refrigerators,

It's on.

Using the oven less frequently and when possible doing double duty,

Yep.

Turning off TV and lights when not in use,

Yep.

Limiting shopping trips,

I try to go out only every two weeks or less.

Using the computer less and shutting it down rather than on sleep?

Yep.


With the exception of car pooling and alternate day gas ups (and maybe that transmission thing?), I don't see why those should big deals to anyone. To me, it's just good conservation policy.

How about using a bicycle for all of those short trips? My job and most of my shopping is within 5 miles of my house. A bicycle works perfectly for this.

Nixon was Wage/Price controls.  Hardly a malaise with the Watergate fun kicked in!

55mph national speed limit, already doing that personally

Frequent tire pressure check, already doing that

Tweaking the automatic transmission and shifting the manual quickly, huh?

Frequent tune-ups,ok, ya got me here!

Car-pooling, trying to do, not much interest from others in town.

Alternate day gasoline rationing, since my job relies on driving this one's kinda hard.

Using the car air-conditioning sparingly,already doing

Turning down the heat thermostats to 68, 68? try 64! (of course, the woodstove has blissfully made our thermostat obsolete!

Air-conditioning off at peak hours and the temperature maintained at 79, A/C only turned on for about an hour at bedtime.

The economy switch on in refrigerators,economy, schmeconomy! I'm alread doing most of this stuff so let the fridge roll on at 9!

Using the oven less frequently and when possible doing double duty, Using toaster ovens, crockpots and roasters in place of the less efficient oven.

Turning off TV and lights when not in use,already doing.

Limiting shopping trips, already doing

Using the computer less and shutting it down rather than on sleep? already doing (internet access at the library, my computer usually only runs 5-7 hours a week)

Good list, steven. Gives me a few ideas where we can go from here.

How about using a bicycle for all of those short trips? My job and most of my shopping is within 5 miles of my house. A bicycle works perfectly for this.
How I envy your stamina! Five stars!

Using the oven less frequently and when possible doing double duty, Using toaster ovens, crockpots and roasters in place of the less efficient oven. Good alternatives. You rate an A+!

Maybe it's just that I grew up during that malaise and thus had it drummed into me, but I already do most of those things. Good for you.By tweaking I mean soft pedaling toward hi gear sooner.