Carbon footprint-A carbon footprint is "the total set of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions caused by an organization, event, product or person." Greenhouse gases can be emitted through transport, land clearance, and the production and consumption of food, fuels, manufactured goods, materials, wood, roads, buildings, and services.
My wife, son and I have decided to decrease the size of “our carbon footprint”. We will be doing this mainly based on rapidly rising fuel prices and the instability of the oil market. It seems obvious to me we will not see gas at less than $3 to $3.50 a gallon from here on out.
With that area of the world in constant turmoil, I can no longer budget my fuel costs. I do not dare budget for more than a week at a time. We have all seen gas prices jump $0.40 to $0.50 in a day. And it has the potential to skyrocket at any time.
I am finding it very hard to commit to a job outside of my home that requires me to travel by automobile. Just because gas is $3.89/gal today there is absolutely no guarantee it will be that price tomorrow. If I drive as little as 40 miles per day (10 or 15 minutes each way) fuel cost will be $50 to $60 per week. Milwaukee and Madison are one hour away from me. I cannot afford for fuel to be 30% to 40% (or more) of my take home pay.
Okay, with that being said my 11 year old son and I now walk to and from school each day (a 1 ½ mile round trip for him, 3 miles for me).
Besides the fuel savings (and health advantages) it gives us time to talk each day. We own a 10 yr. old mid-size SUV. I estimate the trip used at a minimum 1 gallon of fuel per day. At $4.09/gallon this is a $20.45 savings per week. Not to mention lower carbon emissions and less vehicle wear.
My wife has now taken a position as a Customer Service Representative with Alpine Access. She will work from our home Friday thru Monday. The fuel savings on her part comes to more $800 per month. And with only 6 more weeks of school this also eliminates the need for summer daycare.
She had been commuting 2 hours per day, 6 days per week as a retail store manager. A couple of weeks ago her fuel cost for the week was more than half of her take home pay. Game over.
As I was saying in yesterday’s blog, I had a telephone interview. I have accepted a part-time position as an appointment setter (not quite telemarketing, but pretty close) for his business. Calls are made from a list of customers who received a mailing for the service (not quite cold calling, but pretty close).
I found the position on Craigslist. I answered the posting and got a call that day. He explained want he was doing and what he needed from me. We then agreed on compensation. The job is temporary, but could evolve into further work. I intend to help it evolve.
I also answered another posting today for a local campground that is looking for a blogger/marketer. It takes time and effort to look through all the trash that is out there to find a real work at home position, but they are out there. Obviously, I will be spending zero dollars for fuel.
We are also involved in running the 2 websites, affiliate marketing and have an Avon business. We both take paid surveys and do work at M-Turk. We have really taken back control of our immediate financial future. We are no longer at the mercy of oil prices and the weak economy. We will even plant a small garden this year to offset food costs.
In actuality, we have removed close to $800/month from our fuel expenses. The more we look at work at home opportunities and then consider the fuel savings it is not hard to see why so many folks are involved.
We will continue to work the programs we are involved in and look for new and profitable work at home opportunities.
Like always, join and follow the blog, click the banners and text links to start making money. You can use the EWAHR forum to post questions or request a review of a site. You can also email me directly at ewahr2011@yahoo.com
Peace.
No comments:
Post a Comment