# $368 a month on gas = 3 gallons a day! **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [May 6, 2011, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965 "2011-05-06T14:47:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Sinaptics](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/278dde/32.png) [@Sinaptics](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sinaptics)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/41 "2011-05-06T17:42:06Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Ride motorcycles. 😃 So you can be a carbon smearprint due to all the assholish driving by people in cars? No thanks. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/42 "2011-05-06T17:43:08Z")
Oh look, another pro to living in Bumfuck, Nowhere! No endless commutes. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/43 "2011-05-06T17:43:56Z")
> [@bup](#): > > You’re all very special. None of you can use public transportation, or use a vehicle that gets better mileage, or do anything to reduce your consumption below 3 gallons a day, including weekends. I could use public transportation to get to work. The thing is, if I walked to work it would take me about 70 minutes; if I took the bus, it would take me about 2 hours. And, as I said earlier, it’s partly about collective choice: outside a few cities like New York and San Francisco, Americans have collectively decided to have very poor public transportation. My bottom on the seat of a bus for 4 hours each day isn’t going to change that collective choice. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/44 "2011-05-06T17:44:00Z")
> [@bup](#): > > You’re all very special. None of you can use public transportation, or use a vehicle that gets better mileage, or do anything to reduce your consumption below 3 gallons a day, including weekends. Yep, at least that’s where I’m at. Glad to see you figured it out. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/45 "2011-05-06T17:45:26Z")
My computer has its own dedicated generator, so I’m burning gas _right now!_ I don’t worry about the fumes, though - I pump them all into the ventilation system of the Green Party regional headquarters next door. ---
**Author:** ![Machine\_Elf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/82dd89/32.png) [@Machine\_Elf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Machine_Elf)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/46 "2011-05-06T17:46:09Z")
> [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](#): > > Ride motorcycles. 😃 There are very few people in the US for whom this can work. If you own a bike AND a car (to carry what the bike can’t), now you’re paying for registration, insurance, storage and depreciation on two vehicles instead of one, which decimates the cost advantage of bike ownership. And if you live in a place where it reliably snows in the winter, you will need a car in addition to the bike. ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/47 "2011-05-06T17:50:38Z")
> [@saoirse](#): > > I’m sure she’s doing God’s work and all, but are you saying she honestly can’t get any closer than 25 miles? How big is this neighborhood? > > [or is that fact irrelevant to your sister in law’s situation?] It’s a huge school district which spans many miles (well, all of Cleveland). You can’t really choose which school you teach at and in fact can’t be guaranteed the same school (or even grade) from year to year. She could be sent to a school that’s closer to her suburb next year, or not. So there’s no point in moving your residence to be closer to your school. ---
**Author:** ![Caffeine.addict](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f475e1/32.png) [@Caffeine.addict](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Caffeine.addict)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/48 "2011-05-06T17:54:40Z")
> [@bup](#): > > You’re all very special. None of you can use public transportation, or use a vehicle that gets better mileage, or do anything to reduce your consumption below 3 gallons a day, including weekends. With gas prices at what they are now, we spend $200.00 a month on gas, but I would only spend $100.00 a month if I were being efficient. I do a lot of wasteful driving just to piss you off. We use half of our fuel on the weekends to do stuff like drive to Baltimore for lunch or somewhere out in the suburbs to see friends or go different places. Hell, I’ll drive around different areas just to look around. ETA- My car only gets maybe 20mpg, but I like having a bigger car. ---
**Author:** ![MacGyverInSeattle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/958977/32.png) [@MacGyverInSeattle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MacGyverInSeattle)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 5:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/49 "2011-05-06T17:57:20Z")
> [@bup](#): > > You’re all very special. None of you can use public transportation, or use a vehicle that gets better mileage, or do anything to reduce your consumption below 3 gallons a day, including weekends. I agree with Bright, I already own the smallest vehicle I can get short of a motorcycle, the public transportation here is and can only be used by welfare people because you can’t actually get to a job that starts before 11am or so. **The bus drivers here are not allowed to take the bus to work because they are not reliable transportation!!** This is just REALLY is too much to stand!!! The City and County say we should bike but provide no possible routes to get anywhere useful. I do ride on trails but I have to load the bikes in the van to get to them. ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/50 "2011-05-06T18:03:29Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > I have seriously thought about this and I have a couple friends who did start riding about 2-3 years ago because of gas prices but I am too much of a chicken. Seriously - I haven’t ridden my scooter since **Santo Rugger** had his accident. ---
**Author:** ![Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Kimmy\_Gibbler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimmy_Gibbler)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/51 "2011-05-06T18:10:03Z")
> [@Tahssa](#): > > Gas around our house is $4.20 or so and I fill up twice a month and last time I filled up it cost me $90. So that’s $180 a month just on gas. Even if the gas price was doubled it would still be cheaper for me to stay where I am than to pay the rent I’d pay by moving downtown to live within walking/biking distance of my job. Fine, so long as you recognize that you don’t have a right to government intervention to lower gas prices artificially in order to accommodate your housing preferences. And that if gas hits $6 or $8 a gallon (and while the price of gas might taper off soon, it sure ain’t getting much cheaper anymore), you realize that that alters the housing-preferences/gas-prices tradeoff calculus—and not the role of the government with respect to imposing price controls. If you can fly first class, then fly first class. Just don’t ask me to chip in for your ticket. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/52 "2011-05-06T18:15:51Z")
I don’t know why the concept of “choices” is such a swear word to North Americans - you chose to work there, you chose to live there, you chose to drive that (you chose to have those kids, and put them in all those activities and daycares and whatever). We are all making choices all the time; trying to pretend that you were somehow on a rail that made it predetermined that you would end up in your current situation is bullshit; you made choices all along the way that got you here. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/53 "2011-05-06T18:24:47Z")
> [@Kevbo](#): > > It has become rather common in the US for Man and Wife to both work. > > One consequence of this is that often their workplaces will be many miles apart. As a result, it becomes impossible for the family to live near their workplace. > > Further, job security has been on a steady decline for many decades. A worker who moves her household to be nearer her job may well have her good intentions undone at the next down business cycle. While in some cases moving expenses can be deducted from taxation, it still isn’t cheap, and disrupts children’s schooling. > > In the America of today, it makes little sense for people to place a high priority on proximity to work when choosing where to live. People also change jobs independent of layoffs more too. I mean, if I was going to look for a new job, I wouldn’t be expecting to move to be closer to it. If it was too far away (say, Fort Worth), I’d just not take it. I think the public transit advocates must all live in NY, San Francisco, Boston or other dense cities with well-developed public transit. I live about half a mile from a cross-town bus route that drops off directly across the street from my office. Sounds good, right? Not so fast. Since it has 9 miles to traverse, there are a LOT of stops. Enough such that the scheduled time between stops is 44 minutes. It picks up at 6:11, and drops off at 6:55. So I’d have to start walking around 6 am to be there on time. By comparison, I can leave my house at 6:45 and be there by 7 if I drive. It’s about twice as expensive for gas as for taking the bus, but my time’s worth it. ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/54 "2011-05-06T18:25:25Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > I would say most (if not all) of the people I know live further from their jobs than they need to because they wanted bigger houses. My wife and i are the opposite. We live 33 miles from where we work, and pay more rent for a smaller place, because want to live in the city and not a godforsaken tract house suburb where you can’t even walk to buy a gallon of milk. We’re in a two-bedroom condo, but we could get a larger, three-bedroom place for considerably less money if we wanted to live closer to work. With regard to fuel consumption, we’re lucky because we work at the same place, and also because we don’t have to be on location 5 days a week. Depending on the time of year, and our individual schedules, we do our 33-miles-each-way commute anywhere from zero times a week to 4 times a week. We have a Honda Civic that averages, over all of our driving, about 34 mpg (driving in SoCal actually gives good fuel consumption, because most of our driving is on the freeway). We probably go through about 32 gallons a month on average, over the course of a year, and that includes a couple of 1000-mile round trip visits to San Francisco. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/55 "2011-05-06T18:27:07Z")
> [@bup](#): > > You’re all very special. None of you can use public transportation, or use a vehicle that gets better mileage, or do anything to reduce your consumption below 3 gallons a day, including weekends. You’re looking at the high-level-planning problems of an anthill built 15 years ago and trying to blame it on the current ants. None of whom built the original hill, or know anybody who did, but are forced to cope with their ancestors’ lack of foresight. You’re also trolling, you miserable bile-faced choad. Quite poorly, at that. Suck a railroad spike. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/56 "2011-05-06T18:33:50Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > You’re also trolling, you miserable bile-faced choad. Quite poorly, at that. Suck a railroad spike. How on earth is this trolling? You do know it’s possible for a person to legitimately hold a position that makes you mad, right? ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/57 "2011-05-06T18:41:20Z")
Oil dropped to under 100 a barrel yesterday. The pump price stayed the same. If it goes up, the price changes instantly. Weird isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/58 "2011-05-06T18:41:39Z")
> [@Giraffe](#): > > How on earth is this trolling? Because a ton of people have posted legitimate reasons that they can’t lower their gas consumption, which he ignored to post a lame barb. How is that NOT trolling? ---
**Author:** ![perfectparanoia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a5b964/32.png) [@perfectparanoia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/perfectparanoia)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/59 "2011-05-06T18:42:52Z")
My husband and I decided to settle near Toronto. We each have jobs on opposite ends of the city. He commutes 75km each way four times a week. We live very close to my work (so I can walk the kids to school and pick them up at daycare). About 3.6 km. His car is only used for getting to and from work and they pay his gas. Even so, we use about 1.7 gallons a day on MY car (a honda civic, btw). Between trips to visit people and groceries, etc. it adds up. I don’t see 3 being that outrageous. ---
**Author:** ![Giraffe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giraffe/32/129_2.png) [@Giraffe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giraffe)\ **Post date:** [May 6, 2011, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965/60 "2011-05-06T18:45:11Z")
> [@rachelellogram](#): > > Because a ton of people have posted legitimate reasons that they can’t lower their gas consumption, which he ignored to post a lame barb. How is that NOT trolling? If you think it’s trolling to maintain one’s original position in the face of contrary arguments, well, you must run across a lot of trolls. God help you if you ever wander into GD… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/368-a-month-on-gas-3-gallons-a-day/580965.md?page=4)