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How much do spend on gas?

March 28, 2008

I’m going to go out on a limb and guess that I am not the only person out there who is starting to feel the pinch of rising costs, especially when it comes to gas.

I wince every time I fill up my gas tank. And that’s usually at least twice a week.

I recently came across an article on MSNBC talking about the effect rising gas costs are having on people. Check out the story here. There is a fuel cost calculator included in the article. You can enter in how much you pay for a gallon of gas in your area, how many miles you drive each month and how many miles per gallon your vehicle gets. Then, the calculator tells you how much you are spending each year for gas.

I will warn you that this is not for the faint of heart. I learned that I am currently spending about $2,500 a year on gas for my Subaru, which gets about 25 miles to the gallon. I drive about 1,600 miles a month.

Oh how I long for the days when I drove my little VW convertible and gas was 99 cents a gallon. I figured back then (about a decade ago) gas cost me about $800 a year.

Since I don’t think we’re ever going to see the return of gas for around $1 a gallon, I decided I was going to have to make some changes to my lifestyle and budget so my gas tank doesn’t break my budget.

The first thing I’ve started to try is to have one day a week that I don’t drive my car anywhere. I’m usually on the go seven days a week. Now I try to set aside one weekend day where I keep my car parked. That may mean skipping a trip to visit my family or cramming a few more errands into another day while I’m already out and about.

I’ve reduced some of my luxury spending. I don’t visit the salon as often. I try to cut back on dinners and drinks out with friends. I quit buying the expensive, gourmet cheese that I love.

If you find yourself struggling a little bit with your finances, take a good look at your budget and see where you can cut back. At first it may seem like eliminating little expenditures isn’t that big of a deal, but it can add up to a tank of gas, or more, over the course of the month.

Are you trimming your budget? How? Do you have tips as to how people can scale back on their expenses?

Written by admin · Filed Under Misc. 

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