I just about wanted to cry today when I realized that the $50 worth of gasoline I put into my car today only gave me 13.873 gallons of gas. There has never been a time in my life that a fifty dollar bill would not fill up my 18 gallon gas tank. And I'd usually get back at least $5 in change this last year. Until now.
I don't drink fancy (or any) coffee, at $3 to $7 a cup, so I guess I still get to complain about the price of gas. $3.59 per gallon. This has to stop. It is wreaking havoc on the budget. I have no idea at all how the minimum wagers are surviving right now. I hope they all live close to their jobs, because I don't think they could afford to drive to them anymore.
I absolutely hate doing this, but I have decided to double my gas budget. That means it will be $200 for each four week period. And with $50 not even filling the tank, that means I have 13 gallons to work with. Thank the good Lord that last week is the last of t-ball. That takes a gallon round trip to drive to each time.
If this keeps up, if it gets worse, I think it'll mean no soccer in the fall. Rose can still play basketball because it is only one mile from the house and we can ride our bikes in good weather even. But I don't see how we can just blithely drive 12 to 15 miles one way to 3 or 4 practices a week if both kids play and 25 miles on game days. It's just too much.
I had thought about letting them go back to the dance studio next year instead of sports and if I could get them in afterschool classes on the same day, I could combine it with a weekly trip to the chiropractor. One trip a week is still manageable for extra-curricular activities. But not much more.
Maybe I'm being a pessimist. Maybe gas prices will go back down. Hey! It wasn't that funny...Stop laughing at me.
It Didn't Fill it Up
May 18th, 2007 at 05:20 am
May 18th, 2007 at 05:24 am 1179462271
The ever so popular "they" were predicting $4.00 per gal this summer!
May 18th, 2007 at 07:08 am 1179468529
Anyone done anything really different in their daily lives to change their consumption?? I don't drive much, so it will be hard to cut down.......but I'm still making a conscious effort to combine errands & commitments so trips out are at a minimum. Too far away from anything to bike or walk.
May 18th, 2007 at 12:19 pm 1179487167
May 18th, 2007 at 12:20 pm 1179487251
May 18th, 2007 at 12:55 pm 1179489343
and yes, my driving habits have definitely changed. in 1995-1999 i typically drove 18000-25000 miles per year (what with attending school, driving home, working, etc). now i average about 4k per year.
May 19th, 2007 at 02:24 am 1179537847
May 19th, 2007 at 04:49 am 1179546569