Gas and Starbucks
Americans are either stupid or hypocrites or both. Every spring I hear the same complaints about gas prices and see the same TV news stories, blah, blah, blah. Every year I do the same rant for my wife. The rant goes something like this:
1. Let's say gas costs $3.00 per gallon.
2. A 20 oz. cup of Starbucks costs about $3.00 too.
3. So, Starbucks coffee is about $20 a gallon, since a gallon has 128 ounces in it.
4. Where are the news stories about the high cost of coffee?
5. Consider: if you drink a 20 oz. cup of Starbucks a day for a year, you'll spend about $1000 on coffee.
6. Consider: if you drive a car that gets about 20 miles to the gallon and drive about 600 miles a month, you'll spend about the same on gas as you spend on coffee.
7. How many other goods or services do you spend an equivalent amount on as gasoline without the caterwauling that occurs whenever gas prices go up and down?
8. Consider: gas prices today are a little more than double what they were twenty-five years ago. Has the average price of a four bedroom home in a moderately nice suburb only doubled in 25 years, or has it gone up more than that? We all know the answer. Yet, we aren't clamoring for a Congressional investigation of mortgage companies, real estate brokers, builders, etc. And all that, even though Americans spend much more on their homes than they spend on gasoline.
9. There are lots of other examples too of good and services where, if the price goes up or down by 20% -- about what gasoline has done recently by going up around 50 cents -- we wouldn't even notice. In fact... do the test right now. A gallon of milk costs.... what? Would you even know? A six pack of beer -- 9/16ths of a gallon, by the way -- costs.... what? Would you even know? Would you get all bent out of shape if you had to pay an extra 50 cents for a gallon of milk or a six pack of beer?
10. I have three little kids. They drink about 5-6 gallons of milk a week... about how much gasoline I buy (my commute is only about 8 miles to and from work). And I don't have a clue how much we spend on milk, not even close.
As my Grandmother's sampler said, Kwitchyerbellyachin'! Sheeesh!
1. Let's say gas costs $3.00 per gallon.
2. A 20 oz. cup of Starbucks costs about $3.00 too.
3. So, Starbucks coffee is about $20 a gallon, since a gallon has 128 ounces in it.
4. Where are the news stories about the high cost of coffee?
5. Consider: if you drink a 20 oz. cup of Starbucks a day for a year, you'll spend about $1000 on coffee.
6. Consider: if you drive a car that gets about 20 miles to the gallon and drive about 600 miles a month, you'll spend about the same on gas as you spend on coffee.
7. How many other goods or services do you spend an equivalent amount on as gasoline without the caterwauling that occurs whenever gas prices go up and down?
8. Consider: gas prices today are a little more than double what they were twenty-five years ago. Has the average price of a four bedroom home in a moderately nice suburb only doubled in 25 years, or has it gone up more than that? We all know the answer. Yet, we aren't clamoring for a Congressional investigation of mortgage companies, real estate brokers, builders, etc. And all that, even though Americans spend much more on their homes than they spend on gasoline.
9. There are lots of other examples too of good and services where, if the price goes up or down by 20% -- about what gasoline has done recently by going up around 50 cents -- we wouldn't even notice. In fact... do the test right now. A gallon of milk costs.... what? Would you even know? A six pack of beer -- 9/16ths of a gallon, by the way -- costs.... what? Would you even know? Would you get all bent out of shape if you had to pay an extra 50 cents for a gallon of milk or a six pack of beer?
10. I have three little kids. They drink about 5-6 gallons of milk a week... about how much gasoline I buy (my commute is only about 8 miles to and from work). And I don't have a clue how much we spend on milk, not even close.
As my Grandmother's sampler said, Kwitchyerbellyachin'! Sheeesh!
posted by PDB at 7:08 PM
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