Sadly, Not So Gassy Anymore...
Have you heard about gas prices?! I am trying to use my hysterical inside voice here.
I fell asleep on the couch last night with the TV on and awoke to the Today show.
Flickr Photo by cobalt123
For gas. You know. Dead dinosaurs.
I know you thought that price was for well aged wine. Or blood. Or gold juice.
Nope, we are talking about that funny smelling substance (which I secretly love to sniff) which makes the car go vroom, vroom.
Crapsticks!
Have I mentioned I drive a very large Ford SUV? That I average 13.9 miles to the gallon which is mostly highway driving?
Slippery Shitzu!
That tax windfall I mentioned on the last post? Nodding my head. Yep, we all know where that's going.
Just doing some rudimentary math (Do you smell the smoke coming from my ears and see my crossed eyes?), it takes me 4.5 gallons of gas when I take the kids daily to swim practice and go home in between.
That's approx. 60 miles total.
Daily.
$22.50 each swim practice.
At six days a week, we are talking $585 a month on gas next summer just for our swim practices and that doesn't include rec swimming in the morning during summer so double that to $1170...
...or grocery shopping trips, or errands, or swim meets, or dates with CG (ha!) or ever leaving the house again. Since we live no where near those amenities, let's triple that.
And let's not forget CG has an even longer commute for classes in the evenings to get that shiny MBA.
I'm guessing $1500 a month in gas next summer if it hits $5.
We are so screwed.
Sigh.
This means I won't be making that drive home in between-- I will be staying put--to save us $3500 per year--unless we put those taxes toward that?!
Or maybe we'll buy us a Volkswagen bus for commuting with that $5000 bucks. Do they get good gas mileage? Can you see this Republican soccer mom driving a Scooby van?
Sigh.
When you have three kids with huge swim bags, gear bags, backpacks from school and the need to change in the car on the way to practice, you are limited to a larger vehicle. Yet, last I checked, those large vehicles are gas whores.
So screwed.
At least CG works from home, if we had his commute when we lived in California (up to 2 hours driving each way), we'd be bankrupt.
I feel for you people with that type of job commute.
These gas prices are going to eat us all alive.
8 comments:
I drive 64 miles a day round trip to work. It takes me an hour. I drive a Prius. (I won't mention my mileage...54mpg) oops, didn't mean to do that.
Seriously though, something has to be done. It is getting completely ridiculous. How much you want to bet that the Oil Companies post huge bonuses and sales again this year?
I'm relieved we just moved closer to town. There's really nowhere to go anyway, except on weekends. And I can walk to the supermarket and most other places and therefore hopefully not have to pay for a gym membership after I have Bean. I know the prices are scary but at the same time... if it leads to life becoming slightly simpler again I won't be the first to complain.
And bring on alternative fuels... for SO many reasons. Environmental, political, everything.
Feeling the exact same crunch, except with Diesel which has recent;y surpassed our gas prices which if you think about is one that makes you scratch your head. Because diesel? It isn't refined or any of that fancy stuff gas is. You can practically take it straight out of the ground.
Anyway, my husband is getting 11.5 mpg in his brand new Dodge pickup. What are we going to do? The only logical thing, buy a commuter. Because if you do the math, a $1000 commuter car getting somewhere between 25 & 30 mpg will pay for itself in two months. There ya go.
Thankfully I tossed my SUV to the wayside a few years ago and drive a granny Toyota. My husband used to make fun of me - I'm the only one laughing now when he begs to take my car.
Anyway, the only people gaining from all of this is the Oil Companies (and you if you are invested in the S&P500).
With a family of 5 finding something gas friendly may prove to be difficult.
Do I sense that potentially you may be taking the Mini-Whore to swim practice?
And lastly, where is my goddamn raise to compensate for the higher cost of living. I mean my freaking grocery bill is through the roof these days as well.
Sigh.
We are getting broker by the day if that is even possible.
Well, this morning in Chicago, gas was $3.79/gallon (that for REGULAR), $3.99/gallon for super. I drive a 1998 Chevy Cavalier that gets 30 mpg ... still. Quite honestly, until people STOP buying gas guzzling vehicles and STOP buying fuel even when it's $4-$5/gallon, prices will continue to go up. Sorry, but you can't have your cake and eat it too!
We should be a two MINI family!
Now that would be cool and earth friendly, all in one whack!
Feel ya! I drive 25 miles each way to work and since DH takes classes, that means no carpool most days, h has the same commute :(
We talk about moving closer all the time and he is talking about buying a more economical car, but he wants luxuries, blah!
"only" 3.75 for premium out here still. But it hurt when I realized I could have saved $15 on the round trip to Tybee Island last weekend just by keeping it down to the speed limit (of course, that's an extra hour each way too...)
Oh, and just in time, you can get the new stretch Mini now to fit the whole family.
That was a heck of a doucle-take, first time I saw one of those.
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