Have you guys seen gas prices lately? Have they gone up as much in your town as they have here? They're something like $2.73.
Sidebar: Liberal Ideology Alert! Please skip down the the un-italic section if you do not wish to think me a "dirty liberal." I dare say there also may be Conservative Ideology Alerts in the future of this blog. I can't be expected to fit into one neat label. I think our (the US's) gas is too cheap. Artificially so--it doesn't take into account the "real cost" of this very useful, very limited, not-very-clean, non-renewable resource. Just because it's there, doesn't mean we have to suck every reserve dry. That's the smug, washed hippie in me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to be a sanctimonious hypocrite, I drive a lot more than I should or than I want to. My commute is 45 miles one way. I cringe every time I think about it. I even tried to figure out how to take public transportation. But that involved either driving 26 miles in worse traffic to catch the right bus, or spending a minimum of 3 hours and 48 minutes on public transportation, one way, every day. That is unpossible. It would take less time for me to bike to work. I actually did the math on that, too.
I used to try to predict when gas would go up. I tried to fill up when I thought it was cheapest, only to see it for less the next time I drove by the gas station. It is, as Whatever and Ever Amen has been know to say, like pulling the lever on a slot machine in Vegas--you can hope for the best but never know what you're going to get.
This summer, I talked to my boss about working four long days a week instead of five. I had a feeling gas was going no where but up and wanted to have a back-up plan in case it did. Then the Deepwater Horizon exploded. I'm no conspiracy theorist, but I truly believe big oil decided to keep gas prices low to distract the American public from thinking long and hard about our gas-guzzling culture. I mean, an ecological disaster (and an economic disaster for the Gulf region) on top of sky-rocketing gas prices on top of the already existing detractors of big oil could have created big problems for oil, not just BP. So, I continued, like the rest of America, to drive.
I'm glad, though, I designed a escape plan for driving 5 days a week and had floated it past my non-committal, though receptive, boss. The first thing I did Monday morning after the husband was made redundant, was to re-institute Project 4-Day-Week. (After checking on the devilish health insurance, that is.) The deal is, I'll work 4 long days and be available from home on the other. There isn't one day that is set in stone as my "day off." I'm flexible.
I hope this current rise in prices recedes or at least levels off. I know I still may have some options left to economize. I mean, I'm not planning on picking up an unwashed hippie sitting at the entrance to the turnpike and trying to get some gas money out of him any time soon. But I could try to find a fellow commuter. I used to say confidently, "My next car will be a hybrid," just because I so dislike the act of putting gas into my car. And maybe if I keep this car for 75 years, I'll be able to afford a hybrid! In the mean time, we try to keep my tires properly inflated and not drag around too much recycling in my trunk. I try to drive the speed limit or a little under. But usually I'm guilty of hitting the accelerate button on my cruise control a few too many times. I wonder how slow I could drive on the Interstate before I would piss off the other drivers and trick them into thinking I'm a really young looking 97-year-old woman.
As far as trying to get cheaper gas, I know there are places online like gasbuddy.com that are supposed to compare prices of gas in your area. But gasbuddy.com relies on users to report gas prices and there don't seem to be many users in my area. My grocery store uses some confusing algorithm for giving you a discount on your gas if you bought groceries that day. So I usually try to buy gas on the days I buy groceries. I never know how much I should get back, so I just pull that lever and hope for a win.
Sidebar: I wish gas pumps were more like slot machines. It would make getting gas a lot more fun.
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Breakfast: egg on English Muffin 27 cents
Snack: granola bar 47 cents
Lunch: taco soup 86 cents
Snacks: celery 7 cents
Fake Dinner: Free McD's French Fries
Dinner: sausage sandwich and sweet potato patties 89 cents
Total: $2.56
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