Gas Prices

All I can say is wow.  How ironic it is to wake up and see that oil has gone up again and oil companies are reporting record profits.  Some things never change.  I had prepared my blog last night and wrote what is below. 

Now on to original post.

Complaining never does any good.  We can’t control the price we pay at the pump.  We can choose how much we pay to fill up our tanks though.  By this, I mean we decide on what car or truck we want, what color, what options and how cool we will look driving it.  My choice was a Ford F-150 Supercrew.  I bought this truck 6 years ago and always said I don’t care about gas prices.  Well I don’t.  I have room in the cab for 6 and can pull pretty much anything I want or need too.  It holds 30 gallons of gas, so at $3.83 a gallon, which it was here on Sunday in Ohio, you can do the math when it’s time to fill up. 

There are also many things you can do to help reduce the pain at the pump.  It all can start by simply deciding where to live.  I know a lot of people who drive 30 – 40 miles one way to work.  Personally, I choose to live close and ended up with a 14 mile round trip.  Make sure your tires are properly inflated and change your oil on a regular maintenance interval.  Pump gas in the morning when the air is cooler.  By afternoon when the gas heats up, you will lose some when pumping as it vaporizes.  The most important fuel saving tip is, drive slower.  Sure driving 75 mph gets you there a little sooner than doing 65 mph, but you also are basically adding .20¢ a gallon to the price of gas by doing this. 

Now were on to what erks me.  People who complain about $4 gas, but spend $4 on a latte at St@rbu(ks.  Now since I am pretty decent in math, here is a little equation for you. 

One 16 oz latte = $4

There are 128 ounces in a gallon.

 128 / 16 = 8 

8 lattes x $4 = $32

Yep, that’s right, you are paying $32 a gallon for your favorite beverage.  Now I am not telling you to stop drinking your favorite coffee or latte, but stop telling me how I am wasting money on gas.  Apply this math to many of the things that we buy and you will see how it compares.  A 32 oz fountain coke is .99¢, 128 / 32 = 4.  So 4 coke’s turn out to be $3.96 a gallon.  Why not buy 2, 2 liters for $2. 

See math is fun. 

But then I hear, “Well, I don’t buy 15 gallons of coke at once.”

I then say, “you don’t need 15 gallons of coke to drive to work, you need 15 gallons of gas.” 

                                     Now we know what these prices mean.

We all decide on how much we affect our own bottom line.  Choose wisely, drive slowly and stop complaining. 

Let’s just hope gas doesn’t get to $5 a gallon this summer.  Please let me be wrong.

Steve ✈