Cost of Car Ownership & Use

With gas prices high, summer vacations looming, and cars being a big topic in my family right now, I was interested in this post about the true cost of car ownership. Among the most helpful points was to calculate the cost of driving your car to your "favorite cheap taco place" five miles away.

We attended a couple graduation parties recently for friends who live about an hour away each. The cost of driving to the parties was definitely more than we spent on gifts. I believe presence is more important than gifts or cards, but let me say I'm going to appreciate more seeing those friends at a distance - and complain less about the cost of postage stamps.

Let me say that if you don't know the numbers for your car, you might want to consider paying more attention. People get paid to work, and a penny saved is a penny earned. Working to make cost-effective choices on transportation is, then, like a second job. I'm saying it's worth it!

That Millionaire Next Door book is looking more interesting. There are always a couple copies at the used book section of my favorite thrift store, so it wouldn't be hard (or expensive) to pick one up. I don't count on being a millionaire, but if all the information the authors Thomas Stanley and William Danko write is as interesting as the statistic that "used car people" have a higher net worth relative to their income; then I'm in. The book promises to be a practical economics text (and isn't it frustrating that economics courses are usually so philosophical, abstract, and general - the economics of a country rather than my economics, my checking account?). Who doesn't want to make smart financial decisions?

Also see Get Rich Slowly's common sense tips for saving money on gas.

To God be all glory.