As gas prices inch closer to $4/gallon, I hear lots of people complaining about the cost of filling up a tank. But scroll down through this infographic to the bottom, and look at the cost to fill a tank in the UK:
50 liters for £68.45. Fifty liters is 13.2 gallons, so about the size of the average small/medium car tank. And £68.45 is $110. A hundred and ten US dollars to fill a 13 gallon tank. Perhaps we shouldn’t complain?
Of course, maybe it would be a good thing if we had to pay that much for gas. Maybe then we’d get better access to mass transportation, and maybe people would be more willing to walk or bike if they only had to go a few miles.
Andy Hough says
I agree but I’m sure you will have plenty who disagree in the comments. Unfortunately, the U.S. infrastructure has been built based on the availability of cheap gas. It is going to take a lot of time and a lot of hardships to change that. The sooner the better though because it is going to happen some day and it would make sense to not wait until the last minute.
Ada says
I recently read a book by Christopher Steiner titled $20 per Gallon: how the inevitable rise in the price of gasoline will change our lives for the better. It repeated a lot that I already new, but the chapters are organized by price per gallon and show the possible impacts at those price points.
I regularly recommend it when friends complain about gas prices.
FrugalBabe says
Andy, you’re right about our infrastructure here. And of course the country is much more spread out than the UK. And our mass transit is really only good in the big cities. But perhaps much higher gas prices could change that. Of course, we’d also have to get used to the idea of actually using the mass transit options rather than driving everywhere.
In addition, we can’t blame all of our gas consumption on sprawl and infrastructure issues. We live in a town of 5000 people, and it takes about 15 minutes to ride a bike from one end to the other (at an easy pace). But most people here drive everywhere, even if they’re just going somewhere else within the town. Nothing is more than a couple miles away – very few of those trips need to be made in a car, but that’s what almost everyone does. We need a dramatic attitude shift, and perhaps $8/gallon gas would help with that.
Ada says
Whoa! sorry for all the bold. : (
Money Beagle says
My complaint on gas prices isn’t with the price. I understand that we have it relatively cheap. Where I get frustrated is when the price increases 5-20% at a time. If we had those day to day fluctuations in real estate, groceries, home improvement goods or pretty much anything else, our economy would be in shambles. As someone who lives and dies by a budget, these types of fluctuations drive me crazy.
bogart says
I absolutely agree and would love to see higher gas prices together with better public transportation and infrastructure. At the same time, I recognize that for those living paycheck-to-paycheck and dealing with serious commutes, it’s difficult to respond to/address the problems gas prices increases cause, in the short term.
Diedra B says
I get that gas is extremely cheap in the US compared to elsewhere. But the creeping to $4 happened months ago for me. It’s now once again fallen below $4.
Karen (Scotland) says
Yep, I just filled the tank two days ago – £73.98. We’re lucky – we don’t commute so that will last me about a month if I’m canny. I THINK that gives me about 400 miles but not 100% sure if I get that much.
We have a 7-seater Citroen Grande C4 Picasso. Not sure if that’s available in the states but it’s a large family car with two extra seats in the boot if needed. We have four kids and needed one that would take four car seats, as well as a pram/buggy. It’s about as fuel-efficient as we can get for that size.
Petrol prices have crept up from 80p/litre to £1.39/litre over the last maybe three or four years. A lot of it is tax which bugs a lot of people. I’m trying to think of it as the cost of the government trying to combat carbon emissions and not take it personally. (Easy for me to say as I don’t fill the tank every week just to get to work.)
Petrol prices, along with a growing “green awareness” have definitely affected my car behaviour. If I have to go to our neighbouring town (10 miles there and 10 miles back), I try to save up a list of things I need to get before I go there so I don’t have to return within the month.
I try to limit “big” journeys (a trip to my sister – 120 mile round trip, a shopping spree to the city – 62 mile round trip, trip to “big blue and yellow shop” – 100 mile round trip) to ONE per tank of petrol, if that makes sense. If I do more than one big trip, the tank won’t last me the aimed-for five weeks.
I’ve got out the old bike which I now use to get to the “wee shops” along the road, to get to the nursery, for going to the library etc. Part of my reason for doing that is to show the kids we don’t always have to take the car.
It’s just under a mile to the nursery and everyone else from my street takes the car. BUT they are mostly heading straight to work and I think the car is a time factor. STRAIGHT to work, rather than 20 minute walk home and arrive at work at 9.30am. I sort of get it when it means they can finish in time to be home for the kids at 3pm…
Anyway, too long a comment as usual but just thought I’d give it from the perspective in a country where petrol is often the biggest part of the monthly bills for some.
Karen (Scotland)
KSE says
Now compare gas cost per gallon in Middle East and especially in Venezuela! Last time I checked, Venezuela price was far below $1.00 / gallon.
Saying gasoline in America is cheap is nothing but a misstatement, especially since it does not have to be. USA has more oil the friggin wackos keep trying to prevent us from drilling for, both on land and at sea. Our untapped reserves have more oil than all of SA.
Unless you’re from Europe, you should never compare America to anything in Europe..
To me your blog is not balanced at all.
FrugalBabe says
KSE – I don’t think I’ve ever claimed to have a “balanced” blog. The very nature of blogs being a forum for a person to express their own views, opinions and experiences means that almost all blogs are biased. If you’re looking for “balanced” you might want to try a journalistic news source instead.
In addition, comparing the cost of gasoline here and in Venezuela isn’t really fair. Nearly a third of the population of Venezuela lives on less than 2 US dollars a day. The average per capita income here is three and a half times what it is in Venezuela. I have a feeling our dollars would go a lot further on all goods in Venezuela, not just gasoline.
cee says
Hi a well written article as an expat now living in Australia I can say that today I put in Gas at $1.51 per litre x that by 3.78 and thats the price per Gallon freakie isnt it and you blog rocks if I may say so. it balanced and that it is your perspective on things as is my take on living stateside and now in Aus
Take care
Cee
square root of three says
Yes gas is relatively cheap when comparing based on exchange rates. And I agree with the previous comments that the US is physically a large country. As for high gas prices: in cities it could and should generate more mass transit but out in the country I’m sure it’s a bear to pay those prices.
Of course we all know that price of gas in the US is totally unrelated to the cost of producing it. Supply and demand has minimal affect on the price of gas. It’s all based on people screaming and yelling in some futures exchanges, basically speculators.
What is not so easily done when comparing the price of gas in one country vs. another is to take into account the entire national infrastructure, cost of living, tax burden, and government services. I wouldnt mind paying more for gas if there was national health care available to all, for example.
But for all of us to be forced to pay more because some Wall Street tycoon can buy and bid up the price of gasoline contact futures on the New York Mercantile Exchange just make my blood boil.
Kaytee says
Unfortunately, the US infrastructure isn’t really set up for more options. Have you ever looked at the ASCE (american society of civil engineers) report card on American’s infrastructure? (http://apps.asce.org/reportcard/2009/grades.cfm) Transit rates a D.
Workers with mobile jobs are particularly affected by gas prices. In talking with some of the heavy construction workers, a 60 – 90 mile commute (one-way) is not that unusual for them. That’s just in our tiny rural state of VT, it must be worse in the larger rural states. Construction job sites are all over the place.
Lesley says
So, you like authoritarianism, do you?
What about people who live in rural areas? Or small business owners, who travel to client offices that aren’t near public transportation? Or people who enjoy exposing their children to a wide range of experiences that are off the beaten path?
Inexpensive personal transportation is a central theme and hallmark of American life. Why? Because use of a vehicle at a reasonable price is tantamount to personal freedom. I live in Texas. Things are pretty spread out here. I like to visit rural areas. So you want to punish me for that by enacting policies that make gasoline more expensive? (As evidenced by your comment: “Of course, maybe it would be a good thing if we had to pay that much for gas.”)
You have all the freedom in the world to use less gasoline for yourself and your family. You are free to choose a home in an area where you can walk to work and school. But not all of us prefer that lifestyle. We should not be punished through usurious taxation, nor via the high gasoline prices that result from the current administration’s no-drill policies. It’s 105 degrees at my house now. So should my elderly neighbor really be forced to ride a bike or walk to the grocery store that’s 2 miles away because do-gooders who think they know what’s best for all of us force the price of gasoline up?
Freedom. It’s a good thing. Restricting it for others? Well, read a little George Orwell.
Christine says
I agree with Lesley. I lived in Italy for 2 years and know first hand how Europeans have high gas prices. But I also saw how close cities and towns were. I used mass transit systems a lot from express trains to subways to buses. In America, our cities are laid out differently. We are more spread out. I’ve lived in Texas which is VERY spread out and now in the Detroit area. Sorry, but in Detroit, to get ANYWHERE takes a minimum of 30 minutes. It takes 1-2 hours just to get out of downtown Detroit.
And for some of us, where we live is not a choice. Personally for my family of 6, we already hardly go anywhere. I stay at home and all errands are run by my husband on his way home from work. I rarely go out myself. We rarely take vacations. My husband must travel 45 minutes one way to get to work. If gas prices increased more, what then? You want to raise gas prices to force people to use less gas, improve mass transit systems, and such. Yet forcing gas prices will only hit those struggling from paycheck to paycheck the hardest. Forcibly raising the price of gas will effect more than the use of less gas. It will increase food costs, truck drivers, and many other industries. It will also increase poverty tenfold.
What’s the best solution? Getting the corrupt politicians out of office and using our own national resources. Getting big gov completely out of the auto industry so they can thrive and become innovative again. I’m sure there are other viable solutions. But forcing prices up? I don’t think so.
Frugal Babe says
Lesley,
The only problem with that line of thinking is that the burning of fossil fuels is destroying our planet, and there’s no escape from that, for any of us – regardless of how we choose to live our lives. I am not innocent in this. I live ten miles outside of the town where we do our grocery shopping, so I do use a car. We put about 6000 miles a year on our two vehicles combined. We bike and walk within our own town, but not down the highway to go grocery shopping (I limit trips to no more than once per week, usually once every other week). That said, I am very willing to do things that are less convenient in order to save energy. We don’t own a dryer, which means that every load of laundry I wash either has to be hung on a drying rack inside (if it’s raining or snowing) or carried outside to hang on the clothesline. We keep our thermostat low in the winter (63) and high in the summer (78). We bike and walk within our own town. We’ve planted lots of trees and grow a lot of our own food. We shun consumerism in most forms. I know that there’s more we could do, but for now, we feel like we’re doing as much as we can.
Freedom is all well and good until someone else’s freedom starts to harm other people. And burning fossil fuels isn’t doing the earth any favors. That impacts all of us, so it’s a “freedom” that might have to be re-evaluated. The cost of oil is more than just what it takes to get it out of the ground and refine it. The use of it is damaging our planet, and perhaps that “usage cost” should be added to the price we pay for it. The result would likely be that people would cut back on their usage, at least somewhat. We’re smart people. We can think of solutions to the environmental problems we all face, but not if we just get angry at each other whenever the subject comes up.
Lesley says
“Freedom … might have to be re-evaluated.” Your statement is just scary.
Sorry, but not everyone believes that the planet is being destroyed by a road trip. There are new technologies being developed for hydrogen cars, as well as natural gas delivery for gas stations, etc. It’s called the free market, and it develops new, better and more efficient products all the time. Until these are readily available, we could actually decrease the costs of using oil by drilling and consuming locally. That is, if the government would get out of the way.
In the meantime, forcing your beliefs on others and restricting their freedoms? That’s downright wrong.
Frugal Babe says
Lesley,
200 years ago, people in the US were legally allowed to own slaves. There were people who believed that “freedom” to own other people as property needed to be re-evaluated. Would you have seen their arguments as “scary”? 60 years ago, public schools had the “freedom” to segregate students. Laws are constantly changing as time goes by. You can believe whatever you like about climate change and the use of fossil fuels (although I have often found that people who disbelieve the science about climate change have not actually studied the science extensively), but the science is hard to dispute. And our laws and regulations might have to keep up with science, whether we like it or not, and whether it’s convenient or not.
Jim says
Until recently, gas was the cheapest liquid that you could buy per gallon. Now milk edges it out barely… Amazing to see prices around the world, maybe we should all calm down a bit, or buy more efficient cars or utilize public transit, like our friends in Europe.
Rachel @ the minimalist mom says
FB,
Great conversation here. I agree, something has to change.
Your decision to use your car less, amalgamate errands and walk and bike more is a choice. I wish more people saw that making these decisions is a choice. There was a great series of posts on Get Rich Slowly on car use and cost, etc. The comments were just littered with people defending their lifestyle of driving. They missed the point. Do what you can. Open your mind a bit. Maybe you can’t go down to be a no car or one car family, but you can make the choice to only have after school activities that you need a car for two days a week.
We sold our car in November of 2010 and haven’t looked back. At the time we were living in Vancouver, Canada and had lots of car sharing and transit options. Even with those options we mostly walked. Great for your health, sanity and wallet. We recently moved to a small island in the UK. We were told a car was a necessity. But.. 6 weeks on here and we think we can still live without a car. We make choices to support that. We live in a smaller home closer to my husband’s work. I take the bus. We walk. A lot. We don’t over schedule ourselves.
Great post and thanks again for the thoughtful conversation in the comments.
Jaime says
Yep I’m glad I don’t live in Europe even though Europe has some of the most beautiful countries in the world. I mostly use my car to go to work, college, and grocery store. I’d rather spend as little as I can on gas.
I’ve started to automate as much of my life as possible. I have online banking, I order movies through Netflix, I also use Hulu and Itunes. I even shop online as long as it’s convenient, I’ve bought most of my household items online, even the tv stand. My bf and I did go into a furniture store to buy the bed, and a vacuum cleaner but most of our stuff was bought online. I rarely go to the mall these days.
I remember when I was growing up my mom and step-dad would visit different stores on the weekends to compare prices on furniture and other items, this was back in the 90s and nowadays it’s easier if you do it online. These days you can even get your groceries delivered at home although I haven’t tried that yet.
My point is that technology especially the internet has made things easier and convenient. So there’s less of a reason for me to go driving all over my city. I appreciate how much the internet has made my life more convenient.
Kaycee says
I hate this type of comment. I don’t live in the UK, so who cares what they pay? It’s apples and oranges. They have universal health care, we don’t. Blah, blah, blah.
Iain says
Gas in Canada is floating about $6 a gallon. It’s not good but we get by. And our economy hasn’t tanked.
Now that is a thought. Is the US actually hurt but having low taxes and cheap gas (super low prices belowe the US price are usually oil producing countries subsidizing fuel). And yet your life is not necessarily better.