Hope everyone is saving a ton of money during the 2012 Version of Black Friday. For me? well, plan to stop off at Sis's house for "TG II" and leftovers to fortify myself for a journey to the masses. I am not buying anything. Just along for moral support I guess (mostly likely "package hauler") but does give me time with relatives I normally dont see much. My sister lives a few miles away but there will be a crowd of us. I think when facing crowds like the Black Friday Throng, its best to have your own crowd.
SO was lucky enough to work today and took the Prius to Centrailia. It will be on "blinking bar" (time to get gas) when she returns tonight and it will not be needed again until Tuesday so it will be my unenviable task to refuel it between now and then.
Its funny. I have been the very proud owner of one Prius or another (two at once most of the time) for more than 8½ years. I have always refueled both vehicles and used to look forward to getting gas so I could go online and brag about how cheap it was for me to get around. Nowadays just the task of scheduling a time to get gas has become a major hassle that I avoid with more vigor than scheduling a teeth cleaning and why is that??
Well that question is a pretty easy one. Its because the money I pay to drive the Prius is an embarrassment! I am averaging more than 8 cents a mile. That is three times more than what the LEAF costs to travel the same distance. A single trip to the gas station costs me more than a whole month of driving in the LEAF!
Added to the mix is the unavoidable consequence of driving the Prius. The more miles I put on it, the closer I get to things like Oil Changes, Engine Air Filter purchases and, and, ahhh, hold on. I feel sick. I need a minute...
Ok, Whew!! Had to think about the money I will save by NOT buying anything today to recover from that dizzy spell.
But I realize what seemed like a great idea 8½ years ago is no longer. Time has come to move on but can I do that. Hold on!!
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Yep! I am good. Checked the LEAF. Its charged to 10 bars and 80 miles on the GOM (I know it to actually be about 60...)
Really enjoying your blog, I read it daily. I got a good chuckle out of today's episode. :)
ReplyDeletewell thank you very much! I am happy to report I have survived another Black Friday!
ReplyDeleteAnother good one Dave! =)
ReplyDeleteTY TY!! Now to get the auto manufacturers to do the same. Hybrids are great and will be around for years to come, but they are yesterday's news!
ReplyDeleteBoy this hits close to home! We bought a Leaf this summer and have been happily driving it around Maine. There has been only one time that our 100 mile range has caused a problem so far. I had to rent a Prius to get to the Common Ground Country Fair in Unity. It's a big environmental event, but in the middle of nowhere with no charging stations available. Years ago the Prius would be a step up environmentally, but this year it felt sluggish, loud and dirty. When you're not doing it every day, starting up an internal combustion engine just feels wrong. But the worst part was having to stop at a gas station to fill up the tank before returning the car. What a waste of time and money! At least I didn't have to change the oil...
ReplyDeleteFred, I know how u feel and the next entry to come is full of good news for my transportation needs as our year long quest has been accomplished. Not the way we had planned but stay tuned!
ReplyDeleteFred, I know how u feel and the next entry to come is full of good news for my transportation needs as our year long quest has been accomplished. Not the way we had planned but stay tuned!
ReplyDelete