Fuel doesn’t only burn in the engine, it also burns a hole right through my wallet. According to the AAA website, gas prices are cheaper now than they were last month. You might see this as a good thing, but it is not. The AAA website also states that gas prices are generally 27 cents more than they were at this time during the previous year. You might say that’s silly, that’s only slightly over a quarter. Well it adds up with each gallon, especially if you’re driving a larger vehicle.
With all the costs commuter students have, gas is the most pressing. The fluctuating prices don’t help either. Due to marketing costs, crude oil costs, refining costs and if the local government so much as looks at it funny, gas prices change. With all these factors in play, it’s not looking good for my wallet. There are alternative fuel vehicles, but they’re generally more expensive. Some of these alternative fuel vehicles include but are not limited to hybrids, electric and hydrogen. Thus, in order to save a lot you have to spend a lot and as a student, funds aren’t easily accessible.
There’s this feeling of freshly fueling up and then driving two miles down the road, only to find another gas station that is 20 cents cheaper. Google does post gas prices if you search gas stations, but they are usually behind. One gas station may be cheap one day but the next it’s not. So it’s pretty much a scavenger hunt every time you get gas. I could download Gas Buddy, but who has space for yet another app? I keep my space open for important apps, like Pokemon Go. On a serious note, I would advise downloading Gas Buddy, it has helped on occasion. Any money saved is always good.
Usually gas prices also affect the prices of pretty much every product. What do those big trucks that transport produce to stores run on? If you answered gas, you’re correct. So if gas prices decided to suddenly do a backflip sky high, then the price of my Oreo Pop-Tarts go up. If food prices are going up then i would need to make some sacrifices.
It’s not only food costs but it could virtually be anything. It could be factories that run on generators or construction equipment that uses fuel or even landscaping companies. Nothing is safe from the power gas prices have. Now you know why that landscaping company keeps raising the price on you. It may not be because they want to but because they have to, in order to continue turning a profit. This just goes to show that the economy is a very fragile game of Jenga and gas is usually always the piece that topples everything.
