Dual Benefits of High Gas Prices
OK, I'm no adherent to the global warming fanaticism. And the high oil prices, which affect everything from the price of gas to the cost of groceries, are putting a damper on my discretionary spending. However, when it comes to the astronomical figure to fill up my gas-guzzling SUV, I will admit to certain benefits, completely unrelated to the environment.
First, I am driving less. Halleluia! Driving from point A to point B to points C thru X has not contributed to my quality of life. Admittedly, it can be hard to avoid all that driving when you have multiple offspring with multiple school/athletic/extracurricular commitments occuring simulaneously.
But I can control (somewhat) how many times I drive the four miles to the grocery store every week. Or Wal-Mart or Target or Home Depot or Costco. What a pleasure to go once a week instead of every freaking day!
Second, and this may be saving me only a tiny amount of cash vis-a-vis petrol expenditures, but I am (occasionally, not as much as I should) riding my bike to the gym, which is 1-1/2 miles away from my house, all on little roads with few if any cars. So in addition to saving a few pennies, I am exercising my muscles and getting a little cardio workout (there are hills, some of which I successfully climb, some of which I push my bike up).
Plus I feel so damn good when I get home! A little sweaty but good!
On the subject of gas prices, I calculated the approximate toll this expenditure is taking on my wallet. I drive about 12,000 miles/year. My politically incorrect mode of transport gets around 16 mpg in city driving, maybe 18 on the highway. Let's assume it's all city driving (it's not, but mostly). At $4.00/gallon, it runs me about $100 to fill the 25 gallon tank. My math sucks, but I believe that means I need around 30 tanks per year, for a whopping gas bill of about $3000 annually.
Sounds ridiculous. But if gas prices were still at $2.00 (which would thrill most people, I think), that means I'd spend $1500 less over the course of a year. It's not pennies, but it's certainly not breaking the bank either. It wouldn't go very far toward paying my son's $48,000 college tuition bill this coming year. Heck, I spend far more on tennis lessons for my kids. (Oooh! Aren't my kids the privileged ones!)
I did think about selling my beloved planet polluting behemoth in favor of something more friendly to my bank account, but the fact is I wouldn't be saving that much. Plus, I'm waiting for someone to point me to a vehicle that seats six, or even five, with any level of comfort, that has better mileage. Remember that I have a husband (6'2") and four boys, three of whom are teenagers, two of whom are six feet tall. They can't even fold their legs in the back seats of most vehicles.
And don't say minivan. I drove one for 8 years, when the boys were little sprouts. Its mileage wasn't a whole lot better.
I wonder if the planet loving politically correct (and I think gullible) people will say "Well you shouldn't have had so many freakin' kids!" I'm thinking that's the agenda anyway, to control everything we do, not just what we drive. Paranoid, you say? Maybe. But then again, maybe not.
First, I am driving less. Halleluia! Driving from point A to point B to points C thru X has not contributed to my quality of life. Admittedly, it can be hard to avoid all that driving when you have multiple offspring with multiple school/athletic/extracurricular commitments occuring simulaneously.
But I can control (somewhat) how many times I drive the four miles to the grocery store every week. Or Wal-Mart or Target or Home Depot or Costco. What a pleasure to go once a week instead of every freaking day!
Second, and this may be saving me only a tiny amount of cash vis-a-vis petrol expenditures, but I am (occasionally, not as much as I should) riding my bike to the gym, which is 1-1/2 miles away from my house, all on little roads with few if any cars. So in addition to saving a few pennies, I am exercising my muscles and getting a little cardio workout (there are hills, some of which I successfully climb, some of which I push my bike up).
Plus I feel so damn good when I get home! A little sweaty but good!
On the subject of gas prices, I calculated the approximate toll this expenditure is taking on my wallet. I drive about 12,000 miles/year. My politically incorrect mode of transport gets around 16 mpg in city driving, maybe 18 on the highway. Let's assume it's all city driving (it's not, but mostly). At $4.00/gallon, it runs me about $100 to fill the 25 gallon tank. My math sucks, but I believe that means I need around 30 tanks per year, for a whopping gas bill of about $3000 annually.
Sounds ridiculous. But if gas prices were still at $2.00 (which would thrill most people, I think), that means I'd spend $1500 less over the course of a year. It's not pennies, but it's certainly not breaking the bank either. It wouldn't go very far toward paying my son's $48,000 college tuition bill this coming year. Heck, I spend far more on tennis lessons for my kids. (Oooh! Aren't my kids the privileged ones!)
I did think about selling my beloved planet polluting behemoth in favor of something more friendly to my bank account, but the fact is I wouldn't be saving that much. Plus, I'm waiting for someone to point me to a vehicle that seats six, or even five, with any level of comfort, that has better mileage. Remember that I have a husband (6'2") and four boys, three of whom are teenagers, two of whom are six feet tall. They can't even fold their legs in the back seats of most vehicles.
And don't say minivan. I drove one for 8 years, when the boys were little sprouts. Its mileage wasn't a whole lot better.
I wonder if the planet loving politically correct (and I think gullible) people will say "Well you shouldn't have had so many freakin' kids!" I'm thinking that's the agenda anyway, to control everything we do, not just what we drive. Paranoid, you say? Maybe. But then again, maybe not.
posted by calabresewoman | 11:24 AM
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