Unless you ride a bicycle or walk where ever you go, you have certainly noticed that gas prices have sky rocketed. Trend data leans toward them continuing to do so and that seems to be a given. We’ve all felt the reluctance to look at the price total display on the fuel pump as we fuel up. Many of us refuse to look at the read out until the fueling operation is complete and then we balk as the amount spent is realized. This reaction is common due to the fact that most people prefer the quick shock of seeing the price, as opposed to a gradually increasing pain of watching the total grow as fuel is pumped. It just hurts to see that much money go out of the window for what could amount to a single trip. To endure this infringement on the household budget, many drivers have elected to use varying tactics to relieve the financial pressures presented by this unwelcome increase in fuel prices.

Tactics such as driving less, carpooling, low price gas shopping, shopping online, and electing for public transportation, have all been used in an effort to offset the effects of rising fuel costs. However, with all of these options come the same feeling of inconvenience and hindrance. When you aren’t able to drive as you wish, it’s then that you come to appreciate the convenience of driving one’s personal vehicle. For many, the sense of freedom is not only gone, but with substantial oil deposits becoming harder and harder to find, and interruptions to oil production due to wars, weather and human will, regaining that freedom seems unclear at best. While the nation has not needed to resort to rationing fuel, many households haven’t been as fortunate. For many, it is a daily decision whether to travel or not. “Do I go to the store now, or wait until other tasks require me to drive in the vicinity of the store?" “Do I have enough fuel to get there and back without having to fill up again?" Questions similar to these are common in most middle and lower income households. Seven out of ten people surveyed, admit that higher gas prices have affected their driving habits. Four out of ten drivers polled admit to changing travel plans such as vacations, trips and entertainment related maneuvering due to higher gas prices. As many consumers have found, attempting to drive less does not always work, as life demands travel. Six out of ten people surveyed say they have redirected money ear marked for other things to purchasing fuel for their vehicles.

This redistribution of funds within the average household is telling, in that the consumers lifestyle is directly being affected buy the sharp rise in gas prices. It’s no longer just about “go or don’t go." For many, it is about “have or not have", and these significantly differ in their scope. It is one thing to simply say “well I won’t go to the store this time." But it is a totally different thing to say I won’t go to the store because I spent most of my money on gas." That being said, many drivers are turning to the Internet as a means of purchasing items and accomplishing tasks while minimizing their fuel expenditures. A new resource for supplementing one’s fuel budget called Gas Money Toolbar is changing drivers focus from merely lowering fuel expenses to actually increasing the size of the driver’s gas budget. The Gas Money Toolbar is providing a means for drivers to pay for the higher gas prices with less of a burden being placed on their household finances. Through its sister dot com website TypoBounty, GasMoneyToolbar dot com presents the user with the opportunity to earn money for gas by helping locate and report errors on the websites that they visit. With average two dollar bounty offered for reported errors, users are able to earn money for gas relatively quickly. “I have been to this gas station 3 times this week" says Larnell White, “I haven’t seen the same price yet. This is madness."

“The average driver can earn enough money to fill up his/her gas tank in a couple of hours of surfing the web", says Douglas Angston, ‘that’s appealing when you fill up twice a week at $54 each."

“Users need gas money, website owners need web traffic and the internet needs correcting." Says John Michaels. “This approach combines and provides for these differing needs, while merging them into a workable arrangement that benefits everyone. The Gas Money Toolbar idea is essentially solving three very high profile problems at the same time."

Consumers can feel empowered once again by the ability to fill their fuel tanks without totally destroying their household budgets. Since they are surfing the Internet for some reason anyway, consumers simply help their favorite websites be better by pointing out the errors they encounter. The websites enjoy rich amounts of traffic and correct their errors promptly to prevent their image from being damaged. It is a win win win situation for all parties.