A few months ago, I was running errands with a friend. He had to run to Dicks Sporting Goods to exchange a jacket he had gotten for Christmas. On our way home, he needed to stop for gas, so we pulled into Wawa on our way back into town. He opened his door and hopped out of the car. I sat in the passenger seat freezing my butt off for the ten or so minutes it took to fill up his car while he stood outside watching the numbers go up and up and up. When we were done, I looked at the gas pump which read $64.82.
Now, you're probably wondering where I’m going with this. As a teenager, getting your license and putting gas in your tank is a right of passage. The type of car you drive and the gas mileage it gets determines how much of your time and money you spend outside of a gas station, but all teenagers have to do it at some point. I drive a Toyota 4runner and every week, sometimes twice a week depending on where I'm going, I spend around $50 on gas and 10-15 mins outside pumping it. Well, that's a lie… Normally I lock the pump and sit in my car. So when his gas bill came out to be around $65 in his truck, I wasn't that surprised.
That is until I started riding around with my friend who drives a Toyota Corolla. She didn't have a credit card, so she’d go up to the little booth or inside the store and ask for $25 or $20 worth of gas. And the entire time, I thought she was only filling up her tank half way because it was however much money she had on her at the time. I didn't realize that not all cars cost outrageous amounts of money when it comes to filling up the gas tank. I also didn't realize that some cars get up to 50 miles to the gallon on the highway and only need to be refueled every two weeks. I knew it was higher than my measly 19, but still, 50? How is that fair??? It was a little bit of a shock, a blonde moment if you will, when I finally put all the pieces together.
Now, you're probably wondering where I’m going with this. As a teenager, getting your license and putting gas in your tank is a right of passage. The type of car you drive and the gas mileage it gets determines how much of your time and money you spend outside of a gas station, but all teenagers have to do it at some point. I drive a Toyota 4runner and every week, sometimes twice a week depending on where I'm going, I spend around $50 on gas and 10-15 mins outside pumping it. Well, that's a lie… Normally I lock the pump and sit in my car. So when his gas bill came out to be around $65 in his truck, I wasn't that surprised.
That is until I started riding around with my friend who drives a Toyota Corolla. She didn't have a credit card, so she’d go up to the little booth or inside the store and ask for $25 or $20 worth of gas. And the entire time, I thought she was only filling up her tank half way because it was however much money she had on her at the time. I didn't realize that not all cars cost outrageous amounts of money when it comes to filling up the gas tank. I also didn't realize that some cars get up to 50 miles to the gallon on the highway and only need to be refueled every two weeks. I knew it was higher than my measly 19, but still, 50? How is that fair??? It was a little bit of a shock, a blonde moment if you will, when I finally put all the pieces together.
Definitely getting a smaller car. My 17th birthday is in May, so by then I should have enough saved for a car, and since no one else will do it, I'll treat myself. My mom has a Dodge Durango which feels really nice to drive, but the gas prices compared to my step dad's car are ridiculous, that I've decided to look for a smaller car. Hopefully everyone I know is lying and they all surprise me with a car, but my mom taught us early on that lying is a lot of work and she doesn't have the energy to go along with it, so I believe that I will have to pay for my own car, gas, and insurance. Small, used, old car it is.
ReplyDeleteThat's one of the reasons I love having a small car. My brothers and I have a small Mazda 3 and have to pay $25 for gas most of the time. It's nice because we alternate who pays for the gas each time and we only have to get gas every two weeks. When compared to our parents' cars, it seems absurd how we can pay $70 for about a month and a half worth of gas, while it costs 10 dollars short of that for them to fill their car up once. The price difference just amazes me, but in the end, I'm just glad I don't have to pay that much.
ReplyDeleteOne of my biggest worries about driving (still a long way off) is how I will afford gas. I want a car big enough that I have room, but gas is really expensive.
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