$57.46
That’s what it cost me to fill up my car this morning.
I remember when I could fill up on around $10.00.
Our monthly gas expense is around $400 a month.
Driving is not a luxury for many Americans. We can’t just decide to not drive anymore. I live ten miles from the nearest store, and have to cross a very busy highway to get there.
I already consolidate trips as much as possible. There is truly nothing else I can reasonably do to drive less miles than I currently do.
And my car gets good gas mileage. Buying a new car wouldn’t really help, either.
I think the gas companies know this. I guess the next question is – how high does it have to go before we start looking at the “unreasonable” options? Things like moving to a place that allows us to walk or bike to work. Or taking our kids out of their extracurricular activities that involve so much driving. Or changing jobs to one that is closer to us.
At $3 a gallon and 30 mpg that’s $1 for every ten miles you go. If your daughter takes gymnastics twice a week and the gym is 20 miles away then that’s $4 a trip, or an extra $35 a month on top of what you are paying for her to go in the first place. You don’t really want to know what it is if you only get 20 mpg.
No solutions here. I wish I did have some sort of magic solution to the problem.
July 28th, 2007 at 10:40 pm
I’m one of those freaks who thinks expensive gas is not an all bad thing. I think it’s the only thing that might get people to be more responsible with their gas consumption. I look at all these soccer moms with their Yukon Denalis and I wonder — what the heck are people thinking?! RQ, I doubt that you are reckless with your fuel consumption, but I look around at all the huge, unnecessary SUVs (most of them anyway), and everyone feeling the need to drive 15-20 miles over the speed limit, and it makes me a little glad that gas has gotten so expensive.
Of course, even I have a limit, and once it gets much over $3/gallon, I start griping too…
Lee
July 29th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Yep. Right there with you. Just had to buy a minivan in anticipation of the arrival of dd #2. Also dd#1 is at the age where toting around friends is important.
My kingdom for an affordable hybrid minivan!
Stacey
http://chairmanmom.blogspot.com
July 29th, 2007 at 4:27 pm
floo powder? apparating? broomsticks? Oh, to live in the world of harry potter. . .
I’m with hegemom — where’s the affordable hybrid minivan? My car is paid off, but we will need a minivan soon. The thought of a car payment with these gas prices make me ill.
It’s to the point where I do my shopping at stores I don’t like simply because they are closer and I can combine trips. Ugh.