With sky-high gas prices continuing to rise, and the cost of food and just about everything else following suit, we’re all looking for creative ways to pinch pennies. None of us can stop eating, and most of us can’t stop driving. Buying a more fuel-efficient vehicle or replacing our appliances with the newer energy-efficient ones are great in the long run, but few of us are in a position to do that now.

Sadly, it’s pretty tough to find ways to eliminate the pain at the pump and the grocery store, so we have to look around to find lots of small ways to save a few pennies here and there in hopes of at least reducing the overall impact on our budgets.

Finding ways to reduce energy costs is, of course, a big priority and brings the added benefit of reducing greenhouse gases and dependence on foreign oil. At the same time, we’re all looking for ways to cut corners in other ways in order to pay for those awful energy costs.

There are a few no-brainers, such as combine trips rather than go out two or three times for errands, turn down the heat or turn up the air conditioner, turn off the lights, use compact fluorescent bulbs. Steps like these can make a big difference if we all save a little here and there, and they will result in individual savings for our households.

We’d like to know what you’ve come up with. Drop us a line at PO box 129, Benton TN 37307; email us at polknews@bellsouth.net; or call 338-2818 with your ideas for saving a few pennies here and there. We’ll start a “Tip of the Week” section to share your suggestions as well as those we’ve gleaned from other sources.

In the meantime, here are some reminders that are often suggested but just as often ignored. Maybe now is the time to start enforcing the “every little bit helps” mentality.

• Keep tires properly inflated for the best gas mileage.

• Minimize the amount of time the refrigerator door is open.

• Run your washing machine and dishwasher with a full load.

• If your dishwasher does not have an air-dry option, prop the door open after the final rinse to dry the dishes.

• Sealing air leaks around your home is the quickest and cheapest energy improvement you can make. Actual savings vary for each home, but it is possible to reduce energy costs by one-third.

What are you doing to reduce energy costs? To cut food costs? To save gas mileage? Let us know.