I remember back when we had the gas crisis during the Carter Administration. I remember sitting in the line at the gas station with my Dad hoping they still had gas when it was our turn. I remember my parents talking to their friends about having gas stolen out of their gas tanks. Lastly, I remember my father reciting off to my Mom the number of gallons and price per gallon and milegage used since the last fillup so they could calculate the gas mileage.
Then, my Dad drove home the "Orange" one day. It was a 1978 Honda Civic Hatchback in bright orange with black vinyl seats. He traded in his beautiful, blue Chevelle convertible to drive the ugly orange Civic and save gas money!
As I got older, I observed my Dad making a conscious effort to drive to work on a certain route to hit the least expensive gas station when it was time for a fillup. My thoughts were usually that of bewilderment, "Why is saving a few cents so important to him that he actually notices gas prices and goes out of his way to get the best price?"
So, being the rebellious soul that I am, I pretty much never paid attention to how much I was paying for gas. I didn't really care what the gas mileage sticker at the dealership stated. I drove a gas guzzler and was proud of it.
That all started to change the day I paid $75 to fill the tank. I've since researched how to get more mpg out of my car. I even found a cool button on my dash that tells me the current mpg and I'm learning how different driving habits make it skyrocket and fall to almost nothing. Lastly, I am actually paying attention to how much I pay for gas and I cringe each and every time.
In my research, I heard about a great tool for finding the best gas prices. Here is a link to a current map of the prices in Virginia Beach. I hope you find it helpful and save a few bucks. It would make my father happy!
http://maps.google.com/maps/mm?ie=UTF8&hl=en&ll=36.859296,-76.074486&spn=0.125262,0.31929&z=12&om=0
Tina in Virginia
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