I posted some gas-saving tips in May on this blog. In looking at a Delaware gas price website, I can see that it looks as if we’re a few cents lower per gallon than you folks in Delaware are at this time.

Whereas $3.79 a gallon is not that hard to find here, it looks like you folks in Sussex County are saddled with some of the highest gas prices in the state of Delaware. If you frequently drive upstate, it looks like your best bet is to fuel in Smyrna at this time. In specifying Rehoboth Beach, it looks like the Safeway on Rt. 1 is the lowest reported at $3.93. The $3.90s seem to be the going rate in Sussex, with the Exxon station on Rt. 1 in Dewey is still over $4.00 a gallon.

Things are tough all over. With the price of everything going up and the size of our paychecks maintaining their previous levels (or, in some cases of salespeople, shrinking), there is easily more month than money in a lot of cases. I have even noticed the last couple weeks a dramatic slow down at the store I work at. Our sales last week were at a weak February level…in MID-JULY !!! Apparently, people aren’t travelling anymore, or in some cases already have. The stimulus checks are either spent or, in a lot of cases, banked.

And of course in an economy when it costs $75-100 on average to fill our gas tanks (even more, in some cases) and we’re only buying the necessities at the grocery (and other) stores, the housing market is doing anything but booming. I am noticing new developments being completed and new homes in some cases standing empty. I know Jody might be able to elaborate more on this, but that also is not looking good. Jody has shared with me that a number of his colleagues have left the real estate sales profession and have moved on to more theoretically productive work.

I talked to a restaurant worker the other day. He echoed many of the sentiments above as well. Since eating out is a luxury, that is often the first thing cut from a budget (even though I still try to frequent my favorite local restaurant at least once a week). So there are quite a few restaurants closing up as well.

The only thing I can think to say to you fairly-local-to-the-beach folks is this…pack up a picnic and go to the beach. Go surf fishing, boogie-boarding, or whatever be your pleasure. Enjoy the summer as you can…it won’t last forever (I hate to remind you that today is the 23rd of July). Do what you can do, but try to make some time for some low-cost fun this summer.