Inspired by two other Walletpop bloggers who wrote; Mad about gas prices? Light your car on fire! and Mad about gas prices? Go to a dunking booth, I thought I'd weigh in on the subject with my idea. If you're mad about gas prices, stop mowing your lawn!

Although your local municipality might take exception to your sparing the blade, in addition to making a passive gas pricing protest, not cutting your lawn could save you a bundle of money. Consumer Reports states that lawn maintenance costs about $700 per acre, per year. Your grass roots protest might put some green back in your pocket.

If sowing your seeds of discontent puts furrows into the brows of your neighbors, when your grass gets too long you could just get a goat. Although they smell bad, attract flies, and have little regard for what vegetation they eat or don't eat, I can tell you personally that goats manicure a lawn very nicely. The biggest problem with goats though, is that they tend to roam if not well fenced. Be prepared to replace your neighbor's rhododendrons often. Hence the reason our household is now goat-less.

You could buy a reel type lawnmower and continue cutting your lawn sans gasoline, but that's more physical work than most Americans have become accustomed to facing. You could pave your yard and call it a tennis court, but the money you'd save in reduced lawn care expense you'll probably spend on increase home cooling costs. You could cover your lawn in clover, which might also help to save the honey bees, but lots of other interesting little insects like clover also, like bumble bees, ants, and hornets for instance.

I think the best idea is just to attempt to reduce the area of lawn which you need to keep mowed. Hedges, shrubs, and landscaping accents can help to tighten in the edges. Building a nice big deck around your house will cut down on mowing and add to your home's value. Adding a parking space to your driveway can accomplish those same results.

As for me, I'll just plant some more trees, which for me, cuts down on my mowing. I use Spruce trees as a method of eliminating some lawn. I let our grass go long between cuttings, which is actually a little healthier for most turf over time. I'll make my gas price protest known by driving a little less each month, and when I do drive, I'll be sure to leave the tailgate on my pick-up truck laid down. Hopefully, none of the lumber I usually carry back there will fall out.