:: The popular uprisings across North Africa and the Middle East, the heart of oil production for much of the world, have pushed oil prices almost as high as they were two years ago and there is no telling whether they will rise further or how long they will stay that way.

Meanwhile, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation reported that food prices had risen in February 2011 above their previous peak in 2008 and warned that they could rise even further as the unrest continues or spreads further. Read the rest of this entry »

Replace Your Tires with Low-Rolling-Resistance Rubber When replacing your tires, ensure your new ones utilize low-rolling-resistance compounds. Most modern family cars and SUVs are thus equipped from the factory, but many consumers are tempted to replace their tires with the cheapest ones that fit, not the original-equipment tire. Rule of thumb: Replace your tires with the same ones that came with the car or with one of the many new low-rolling-resistance aftermarket tires. They can be a touch pricier than their standard-compound counterparts, but they can represent a gain of 1 to 2 mpg.

Slow Down Slowing to 60 mph in places where you’re used to driving 80 sounds about as enticing as volunteering for an IRS audit. Read the rest of this entry »