Where is the outrage over gas prices? And how commuting saves us money.

About a year ago, gas prices in Los Angeles surpassed $3.25, and at some stations premium gas was closer to $4.00.  Of course, that was in Beverly Hills and other nutty places like that.  Nationally, prices had risen to about $2.90 per gallon.  The news media, the PF blogosphere, couldn't get enough of it.  For a while, it seemed like that was all anyone wanted to talk about.  Those outrageous gas prices.  Of course, nationally, prices didn't peak until July, when peak driving season combined with spiking oil prices drove gasoline prices over $3.00.

Back then, and still today, my Fiancee and I began carpooling to work a couple of days per week.  We both have a fairly lengthy commute.  By L.A. standards, it's not anything impressive.  But for the rest of you, it's probably unthinkable.  Her drive is about 22 miles from door to door, and mine is about 26 miles.  And it's not just the mileage.  This is L.A. traffic we're talking about here.  Without benefit of the carpool lane we're looking at about an hour getting to the office, and as much as an hour and a half getting home.

As you can imagine, sitting in traffic is not the most fuel efficient driving.  We are lucky to get over 20 miles per gallon in these conditions.  And we both drive fairly fuel efficient cars.  So, our commute runs us about a gallon of gas each way.  Probably more.  Two gallons a day.  At three bucks a gallon, we're talking about six bucks a day each.

Carpooling not only cuts out the fuel use and the addition of miles on one of the cars, but makes the drive itself more fuel efficient.  We carpool about three days per week.  Running some rough math, this is a savings of $18 per week.  $936 per year!  Holy crap!  I'm rather proud of us now.  And that's just the gas savings.  If I drive every time, she is saving 22 miles each way.  That's 44 miles per day, 132 miles per week, and 6,864 miles per year.  That saves her two oil changes per year.  Probably saves her other maintenance costs that arise out of driving high miles.  Also, when it comes time to sell the car, the resale will be higher.  Or, she can drive it longer for the same resale.  Frankly, I like the latter option.

Added bonus:  time.  By cutting our drive home in half, we have time to cook dinner, take a nap, write blog posts, whatever!  We also have time together.  Both in the car and at home.

Here's a chart of Los Angeles and National gas prices according to GasBuddy.com:

Comments

[Nikolas Nies]

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[donna jean]

last time I filled up with gas, i was wondering whats up with the increase and that I hadn't heard anything about it. Seems that our prices are stealthily rising and no one seems to care. Maybe they're too worried about the not-so-silent "collapse" of the housing market -- oh the media and their flavor-of-the-(six)month bandwagon.

[Justin]

Demand for fuel increases in the summer. That doesn't account for all of the increase, but turmoil in the Middle East certainly causes speculators to drive up the price of oil, as well.

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