Supply and Demand

When I filled the truck with diesel Saturday I could not help but wonder how much is enough?  No, not how much was enough diesel to fill the truck but how much is enough money for each each barrel of oil.  It's hard to imagine the hardship fuel prices are for low income families who commute to work.  Wow.  Expensive.  It's likely they're wondering how much is enough, too.

Here you see Cowtown's least expensive price per gallon as of Saturday morning.  Betcha diesel will top 4.75 a gallon before this is over.

As it is now the truck gets pretty good mileage given its size, weight and its engine.  In town it will consume just under 19 miles to the gallon if I keep my foot out of it and don't race someone stoplight to stoplight (sorry, old habits never die). 

Freeway mileage runs about plus or minus 22 miles to the gallon if I'm not towing anything, there's no headwind,  if it's all flatland traveling and the speed is kept to 60-65 miles an hour.

She holds 35 gallons of diesel.  In today's terms it would take a little over $151 bucks to fill the truck with diesel.  Roughly speaking that would be nearly all consumed in 475-550 miles of travel.   

I grew up in an era of cheap gas.  Thirty-one cents a gallon or less for regular.  The VW I drove in high school would go all day on a bucks worth of gas.  A bucks worth today would not even get you out of Cowtown.

I'm not complaining.  I'm just concerned for the little people with not a lot of extra cash to pay these "extra" prices for gasoline. 

But I will complain about whoever it is making big bucks off of each barrel of oil.  Someone is.  It's a matter of supply and demand.  Lots of stuff equals low prices.  Not a lot means big bucks for the consumer.

Gas for our fossil burning cars is like buying toilet paper.  Gotta have it.  Can't live without it.  Gotta pay the price.  Unless you want to walk and use corncobs or grass (and chant - -- wax on, wax off).