Gas Prices

Let me start off by mentioning how much I detest pumping gas. This is not because of the gas prices (not that I like paying out the ear for gas -- more on that below), but because of how it makes my hands smell. I'm always in heaven when we drive through Oregon, because there it is against the law to pump your own gas. I love it! I've tried to combat my smelly-hands problem with hand sanitizer, but the smell of hand sanitizer plus gas is even worse than the smell of plain ol' gas. Anyway, on with my blog about gas prices ...

I have a little beef with gas prices, and it's not the beef you'd think. In fact, I couldn't even tell you what gas prices are right now. I think they're somewhere around $3/gallon, but I couldn't tell you an exact number to save my life. How can I not know? Well, first let me warn Hilary and Julie to cover their eyes while I explain ...

I don't try to find the best gas prices. In fact, I think people get all silly trying to find the place with the lowest gas prices. I tend to notice if one place is always above the rest so I can avoid it, but I don't mind if I'm paying a few cents more per gallon. How can this be? The rest of the nation is addicted to finding the lowest priced gas in the county, even searching Web sites that help you find the cheapest gas in town.

Well, I've done the math, and it's not worth it for me to have extra effort when filling up. I already detest pumping gas (because of the smelly hands), so I don't need something so minor to add to my annoyance. Here's the math: If I go to a place that is 5 cents more than a neighboring gas station (which really isn't that common -- they're usually a few cents or less different), and I put a full 14 gallons into my tank, then I've spent 70 cents more than I would have trying to get into the cheapest place. That's less than a buck. And that's only if the cheapest place is on my route, which it usually isn't. If I actually DRIVE to the place with the cheapest gas just to get the cheapest gas, then I've used part of that 70 cents I supposedly saved. Over the course of a year of filling up (I fill up once every two weeks), then I've spent less than $20 difference than if I went to the place that was 5 cents cheaper.

So, now what I want to know is why people get so wacky about a $2 monthly difference? (I guess if you fill up every week and have a big tank it could be $4 per month.) People plop down money daily for soda, lunch, DVDs, clothes, electronics, etc. and yet they're concerned about $1 for gas? It makes no sense to me. Very few people really watch every dime they spend (which are why Hilary and Julie are great examples to me!), so why is gas different? They'll shop at a more expensive grocery store (spending hundreds more per year), but they'll research and drive out of their way to get the cheapest gas. What am I missing here?

Unless someone convinces me otherwise, I'll continue to ignore gas prices. I fill up at Costco when I'm there since I know it's always cheaper, but I make it there once a month or less. So, on those other fill-ups I'll get my stinky hands pumping whatever gas is most convenient ...