Gasoline Bondage

Some people might call me anal about the way that I keep up with gasoline expenditures for my automobile. But the truth is that by keeping track of gasoline purchases, I can learn a lot.

For instance, watching my vehicle's gasoline consumption can alert me to whether my vehicle is operating efficiently. Furthermore, poor gas mileage can suggest other problems, such as tire inflation anomalies, a clogged fuel filter, or worse, an aging engine.

But aside from issues with my vehicle, gasoline expenditures speak volumes about the state of our national economy. In fact, this became painfully clear during my recent perusal of an old check register.

According to the check register, on September 18, 2006 I paid $2.28 a gallon for regular unleaded gasoline in Lillington, North Carolina. I live in Fayetteville, North Carolina, but since I commute to Campbell Divinity School twice weekly in Buies Creek, near Lillington, I purchased gas there. On September 26, I purchased gas at my regular vendor in Fayetteville for $2.26 per gallon.

On October 2, 2006 I paid $2.07 a gallon in Lillington. On October 30, I paid $2.12 in Lillington. On December 7, I paid $2.21 in Lillington, and on December 21, I paid $2.30 in Fayetteville. On January 11, 2007, I paid $2.17 in Lillington and on January 28, I paid $1.97 in Fayetteville.

Since then, gasoline has continued to climb steadily until today, when I paid $3.02 in Fayetteville. This means that less than a year ago gasoline was $1.05 cheaper than it is today. By implication, this means that today it costs 33% more to fill up the tank of an automobile than it did less than a year ago. If it costs about $36.00 to fill up an eighteen gallon gas tank less than a year ago, today it costs $54.00.

Now I admitted that some folks call me anal about the way I keep up with gasoline expenditures; but the truth is that the hyper-inflationary pressure of gasoline can have a devastating affect on family budgets, especially families on fixed incomes, such as the elderly. Granted the elderly may use their automobiles less than others, but still the costs of gasoline absorbs much needed funds that could be better spent on food, medicine, etc.

The exorbitant costs of gasoline has a direct and even more invasive trickle-down effect on all commodities. This results in less discretionary income at all levels, which is not good news for retailers who thrive on the spending habits of the public, especially at this time of year.

Thus, it is painfully clear that we live in a society suffering from gasoline bondage. As I said, one can learn a lot by keeping up with one's gasoline expenditures. But unfortunately, the result may be nothing more than a sorry headache, brought on by the recognition that rather than living in freedom, we live in a world suffering from economic bondage. If only it were a dream!