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Back to basics
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| H&N photo by Andrew Mariman With energy costs on the upswing, many people are looking for ways to cut expenses. Patty Case dries her laundry outside to do just that. |
Cycling, clotheslines making a comeback
By Ryan Pfeil
H&N Staff Writer
How do you deal with the higher prices of things? Start by avoiding them, if possible.
That’s the theory some Klamath Basin residents are using, especially when it comes to gas and energy prices. Pump prices are inching downward and now are below $4 a gallon in the area, but who really expects that trend to continue?
Read on for ideas and examples of what area folks are doing to cope with prices.
Keys for handlebars
Charles Moresi has put only 26,000 miles on his pickup truck over the last 13 years — an average of just 2,000 miles a year.
“Sometimes it would sit there for almost a month,” Moresi says.
He bikes whenever he can, and has ridden around Klamath Falls for 32 years. He used to ride to work at Mazama High School and Klamath Union High School. He still does errands, such as quick trips to the grocery store or post office, on his bike.
Most of the time, he simply enjoyed it — he wasn’t thinking about saving on gas.
“But now it’s a bigger issue than it used to be,” Moresi says. And he’s not alone in the bike lanes.
Klamath Falls resident Ken Paulson walks and rides his bike for short trips or errands around town.
“If I want to take a short trip to the coffee shop or something, I’ll take my bicycle,” Paulson says. He also walks in the mornings and sometimes takes hikes. Paulson says the physical activity saves him money on gas, and also helps keep him in shape.
Kevin Marcon, a mechanic at Hutch’s Bicycles in Klamath Falls, says the bike business is booming with like-minded people trading over their keys for handlebars.
“We’re having a really hard time keeping bikes in stock,” Marcon says. “Sales have gone through the roof.”
Trip consolidation
Once a week, Beatty cattle rancher Becky Hyde travels to Klamath Falls for groceries and ranch supplies. The trip puts about 90 miles on her Dodge Durango. Limiting trips saves her a significant amount of gas money.
“We’ve always tried to pretty much do one trip to town, anyway,” Hyde says. “But now, definitely. You need to be careful.”
Hyde, a former general manager for Cascade Cattleman Magazine, used to drive to Klamath Falls every day from Chiloquin for work.
“I think that would be tough right now,” Hyde says. She carpools when she can. During 4-H, she and two other families carpooled to Bonanza once a week for events. Hyde says motorists should have thought-out plans for commutes and longer drives.
Using a clothesline
Patty Case, an associate professor at the Oregon State University extension office in Klamath Falls, uses a clothesline — she learned it from her parents, who raised her and her six brothers and sisters.
“(They) were just very cognizant of saving wherever they could,” Case says. “They had this rule to not use the dryer unless it was raining outside.”
Case says she has had problems with bugs and an occasional bird dropping, but the energy savings make it worth it to her.
“I thought people still did it, but apparently it’s out of fashion,” Case says.
Case uses the dryer in the winter. Even then, she limits the use by hanging washed clothes over a rack in front of the fireplace.
“It’s a little messy. You’ve got clothes everywhere.” Case says.
According to data collected by Pacific Power, the average cost per load for a clothes dryer is about 36 cents. If you dry one load of laundry per day, you’ll spend more than $130 per year on dryer costs.
Homegrown
Case also grows her own vegetables. She says it saves her money on grocery bills, and cuts energy consumption from driving to the store.
“I love, in the grocery store, when I can just walk past the vegetable aisle,” Case says.
Basin resident Sherry Stutts has grown her own peas, beans, potatoes, lettuce and other assorted vegetables off and on for years. Stutts also appreciates the savings. “I haven’t had to buy much in the way of salad goods at the store for quite awhile.”
Growing vegetables instead of buying them also can have health benefits. Aside from the nutritional value, Stutts says, the gardening activity provides exercise and fresh air.
“Gardening, period, is very good for you,” Stutts says.
Case says that while the savings will come, initial investment is often significant. Watering system costs, crop coverings, and compost are all factors that should be considered.
“Initial investment’s going to be a little higher,” Case says. “Then you have to want to do it.”
Local produce
If you are going to buy produce, buying locally will also cut down on energy costs. Fuel costs are reduced and sometimes cut completely as less distance is covered in the food’s delivery.
And then, there are reusable shopping bags. Plastic or paper bags have energy costs associated with their manufacturing and being thrown away or recycled.
“That’s not there when you use a reusable bag,” says Jay Talley, co-owner of Nightfire Natural Foods.
Several Basin grocery stores offer reusable bags.
Basin Transit System
Amber Houston was a senior in high school when she found out she couldn’t drive because of medical reasons. It didn’t bother her, and still doesn’t.
“The instructor basically told my dad that driving was not for me,” Houston says.
Now, the 28-year-old utilizes the Basin Transit System for a majority of her destinations. She rides to and from work, to her boyfriend’s house, and wherever else she wants to go in town.
“(It) usually drops me off less than a block from where I need to go,” Houston says.
Houston also occasionally takes a taxi or walks. The system has worked for her since she got her job six years ago.
Monthly passes are $40 for adults, according to Basin Transit Service’s Web site. Figure a back-and-forth to work five days a week and whatever traveling around the city you want during the weekend, and you’ve got more than a tank of gas at whatever the current rate.
Motorbikes, scooters
Four years ago, Chuck Warnock purchased three 1970 Honda Trail 90 motorbikes from a farmer. He sold two, but still drives the yellow one around town on errands and to drop off bills.
“On hot days, it’s nice to get the breeze,” Warnock says.
Warnock still drives a car, and says that while the motorbike has the benefit of much higher gas mileage, there are also higher safety risks, such as bigger blind spots and limited protection. Warnock says motorists typically look for bigger objects in the road, leaving them to miss smaller traffic.
“Especially with these cell phones,” Warnock says. “It’s just bad news.”
Still the trade off of much better gas mileage makes the ride worth it.
Tony Crain, a salesman at Tread and Track Motorsports in Klamath Falls, says sales of smaller motorcycles and scooters have increased heavily.
“I’d say that’s directly related to the price of fuel,” Crain says.
The smaller bikes get anywhere from 50-70 miles per gallon, with scooters getting anywhere from 75-110 miles a gallon. These statistics have made the tiny transports a popular driving alternative.
“We’ve sold every scooter we could get,” Crain says. “Some of them are even pre-sold at this point. Scooter sales definitely exceeded expectation.”
That’s the theory some Klamath Basin residents are using, especially when it comes to gas and energy prices. Pump prices are inching downward and now are below $4 a gallon in the area, but who really expects that trend to continue?
Read on for ideas and examples of what area folks are doing to cope with prices.
Keys for handlebars
Charles Moresi has put only 26,000 miles on his pickup truck over the last 13 years — an average of just 2,000 miles a year.
“Sometimes it would sit there for almost a month,” Moresi says.
He bikes whenever he can, and has ridden around Klamath Falls for 32 years. He used to ride to work at Mazama High School and Klamath Union High School. He still does errands, such as quick trips to the grocery store or post office, on his bike.
Most of the time, he simply enjoyed it — he wasn’t thinking about saving on gas.
“But now it’s a bigger issue than it used to be,” Moresi says. And he’s not alone in the bike lanes.
Klamath Falls resident Ken Paulson walks and rides his bike for short trips or errands around town.
“If I want to take a short trip to the coffee shop or something, I’ll take my bicycle,” Paulson says. He also walks in the mornings and sometimes takes hikes. Paulson says the physical activity saves him money on gas, and also helps keep him in shape.
Kevin Marcon, a mechanic at Hutch’s Bicycles in Klamath Falls, says the bike business is booming with like-minded people trading over their keys for handlebars.
“We’re having a really hard time keeping bikes in stock,” Marcon says. “Sales have gone through the roof.”
Trip consolidation
Once a week, Beatty cattle rancher Becky Hyde travels to Klamath Falls for groceries and ranch supplies. The trip puts about 90 miles on her Dodge Durango. Limiting trips saves her a significant amount of gas money.
“We’ve always tried to pretty much do one trip to town, anyway,” Hyde says. “But now, definitely. You need to be careful.”
Hyde, a former general manager for Cascade Cattleman Magazine, used to drive to Klamath Falls every day from Chiloquin for work.
“I think that would be tough right now,” Hyde says. She carpools when she can. During 4-H, she and two other families carpooled to Bonanza once a week for events. Hyde says motorists should have thought-out plans for commutes and longer drives.
Using a clothesline
Patty Case, an associate professor at the Oregon State University extension office in Klamath Falls, uses a clothesline — she learned it from her parents, who raised her and her six brothers and sisters.
“(They) were just very cognizant of saving wherever they could,” Case says. “They had this rule to not use the dryer unless it was raining outside.”
Case says she has had problems with bugs and an occasional bird dropping, but the energy savings make it worth it to her.
“I thought people still did it, but apparently it’s out of fashion,” Case says.
Case uses the dryer in the winter. Even then, she limits the use by hanging washed clothes over a rack in front of the fireplace.
“It’s a little messy. You’ve got clothes everywhere.” Case says.
According to data collected by Pacific Power, the average cost per load for a clothes dryer is about 36 cents. If you dry one load of laundry per day, you’ll spend more than $130 per year on dryer costs.
Homegrown
Case also grows her own vegetables. She says it saves her money on grocery bills, and cuts energy consumption from driving to the store.
“I love, in the grocery store, when I can just walk past the vegetable aisle,” Case says.
Basin resident Sherry Stutts has grown her own peas, beans, potatoes, lettuce and other assorted vegetables off and on for years. Stutts also appreciates the savings. “I haven’t had to buy much in the way of salad goods at the store for quite awhile.”
Growing vegetables instead of buying them also can have health benefits. Aside from the nutritional value, Stutts says, the gardening activity provides exercise and fresh air.
“Gardening, period, is very good for you,” Stutts says.
Case says that while the savings will come, initial investment is often significant. Watering system costs, crop coverings, and compost are all factors that should be considered.
“Initial investment’s going to be a little higher,” Case says. “Then you have to want to do it.”
Local produce
If you are going to buy produce, buying locally will also cut down on energy costs. Fuel costs are reduced and sometimes cut completely as less distance is covered in the food’s delivery.
And then, there are reusable shopping bags. Plastic or paper bags have energy costs associated with their manufacturing and being thrown away or recycled.
“That’s not there when you use a reusable bag,” says Jay Talley, co-owner of Nightfire Natural Foods.
Several Basin grocery stores offer reusable bags.
Basin Transit System
Amber Houston was a senior in high school when she found out she couldn’t drive because of medical reasons. It didn’t bother her, and still doesn’t.
“The instructor basically told my dad that driving was not for me,” Houston says.
Now, the 28-year-old utilizes the Basin Transit System for a majority of her destinations. She rides to and from work, to her boyfriend’s house, and wherever else she wants to go in town.
“(It) usually drops me off less than a block from where I need to go,” Houston says.
Houston also occasionally takes a taxi or walks. The system has worked for her since she got her job six years ago.
Monthly passes are $40 for adults, according to Basin Transit Service’s Web site. Figure a back-and-forth to work five days a week and whatever traveling around the city you want during the weekend, and you’ve got more than a tank of gas at whatever the current rate.
Motorbikes, scooters
Four years ago, Chuck Warnock purchased three 1970 Honda Trail 90 motorbikes from a farmer. He sold two, but still drives the yellow one around town on errands and to drop off bills.
“On hot days, it’s nice to get the breeze,” Warnock says.
Warnock still drives a car, and says that while the motorbike has the benefit of much higher gas mileage, there are also higher safety risks, such as bigger blind spots and limited protection. Warnock says motorists typically look for bigger objects in the road, leaving them to miss smaller traffic.
“Especially with these cell phones,” Warnock says. “It’s just bad news.”
Still the trade off of much better gas mileage makes the ride worth it.
Tony Crain, a salesman at Tread and Track Motorsports in Klamath Falls, says sales of smaller motorcycles and scooters have increased heavily.
“I’d say that’s directly related to the price of fuel,” Crain says.
The smaller bikes get anywhere from 50-70 miles per gallon, with scooters getting anywhere from 75-110 miles a gallon. These statistics have made the tiny transports a popular driving alternative.
“We’ve sold every scooter we could get,” Crain says. “Some of them are even pre-sold at this point. Scooter sales definitely exceeded expectation.”
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Habitat wrote on Aug 16, 2008 7:33 AM: