I just put $75 of gas into my gas hog, but the tank was not full. I put $75 in because the gas station limits debit card purchases to that amount. I had to reset the pump, slide the card again, enter the PIN, and then pump an additional $11.14 of gas into the car to fill the tank completely.

I just paid $86.14 to fill up my tank with gas. It used to cost less than $35. Inflation is readily apparent at the gas pump, but it also is driving increased prices for many other goods and services.

So I have been pondering ways to reduce the impact of inflation in my life and others.

Spending too much on gas? Consider car-pooling, riding a bike, consolidating trips, walking, or riding public transportation. Maybe sell the gas hog and purchase (with cash — no debt!) a gas sipper. What am I doing? I’m considering drilling for oil in my backyard.

Spending too much on food? Shop at discount grocery stores, use coupon services like CouponMom.com, and coupons from the Sunday newspaper.

I have found that if a grocery-shopping trip is planned in advance, it is much more likely that we will maximize our dollars. For my family, shopping with cash envelopes saved us a ton of money because it meant that we could not spend our grocery money on impulse purchases.

I also maintain a vegetable garden that allows us to supplement the food budget during the summer and fall months. Plus gardening is a great, inexpensive hobby that the entire family can enjoy!

Scale back on restaurant spending. Home-cooked food tastes great and costs about 20 percent of restaurant prices. Eating at home helps my family spend more time together anyway.

Spending too much on clothing? Purchase clothes at Goodwill or just go without purchasing some clothes for awhile. I know that I personally have enough clothes to last the rest of my life. Of course I would not be the most “in style” person that you know, but I have never been that anyway.

Vacation costs surging? Many folks are having a stay-cation this year where they are not traveling long distances for their summer vacation, but are instead staying home and making shorter day-trips.

An extreme overall way to conserve spending and minimize the impact of inflation is to complete a spending fast. A spending fast is where one stops spending money on everything but the absolute necessities. Money is spent on only the basics like utilities, food (no prepared or semi-prepared meals), payments and medicines. No $5 Starbucks. No new clothes. No cable. Nothing extra!

People who have completed a spending fast have stated that it is like a cleansing process where they realize how consumer-driven they had become.