Stop blaming ... start saving! Share your ideas

In the words of fictional news anchor Howard Beale from the movie “Network” ... we’re mad as hell, and we’re not going to take it anymore.

The “IT” we are referring to here is blaming everything from high cholesterol to flatulence on the increased price of gasoline. (Tolerate a little ranting here, and we’ll actually offer some relief.)

We understand that food prices might increase as a result of the costs of petroleum-based products that it takes to bring a gallon of milk or a loaf of bread to market.

Obviously if crude oil prices increase, we would expect an eventual increase in the price of gasoline.

Yes, we’ve heard or read all the explanations for increased oil prices ranging from large scale futures speculation by pension plans to Hurricane Katrina to the Mideast wars.

And, yes, we are mad as hell that Dubai, an emirate in the eastern Arabian peninsula, has become the symbol of all things excessive as they build ever skyward and ever more opulently ... all using the way out of balance dollars that flow from our banks to their banks each day.

What finally brought the absurdity of the “it’s the high price of gas” excuse to a boiling point was something as simple as a cup if ice tea.

One of our editors is fond of a cup of fresh-brewed Wendy’s ice tea (with lemon, please) each afternoon. When he bought that cup of ice tea one day last week, he noted that the price had jumped another 20 cents following an earlier increase of 10 cents that was piled on top of another 10 cent increase.

When the editor inquired about the third increase ... to $1.79 ... he received a variation on the “it’s the high price of gas” response.

In total, the cup of ice tea has increased 28.8 percent from $1.39 to $1.79 since 2005. Assuming that the cup still holds 32 ounces �” as compared with the new “30-ounce quart” or “13 ounce pound” �” that means a gallon of ice tea would buy almost twice its volume in gasoline. What’s wrong with that picture?

But, there is hope.

In today’s USA Weekend, you will find 103 tips on saving your hard earned cash -- tips on how to wheel and deal and find the best bargains on everything from gasoline to lawn care.

In most copies of today’s Telegram, you will find coupons that could save you more than $124.

And, if you send us a money saving tip that we publish in the print and/or online edition, we will enter your name in a monthly drawing for $25 in Columbus Bucks.

Send or bring your tip to Jim Dean, The Columbus Telegram, 1254 27th Ave., Columbus NE 68601 or send it by e-mail to jdean@columbustelegram.com. Be sure to include your name, address, phone number and e-mail to have a chance for the prize.

If we all work together, we can save a buck, maybe even a bunch of bucks.

Here’s a first tip: If you need to keep weeds from growing up in an area, take today’s newspaper when your done reading it and spread it in several layers over the area to be protected. Then, cover with mulch. The paper will compost and save you the cost of a roll of weed block.

Save on readers! Save on!