I think it’s about time you and I had a conversation about the price of gas. You may not have noticed, but it’s pretty high these days. What’s that? You have noticed? That’s all anyone talks about anymore, you say? Allow me, then, to jump right in on the conversation, albeit from a (surprise) different perspective.Solutions to lower fuel costs are a dime a dozen. Well, not real solutions…opinions, I should say. I too have some, and similarly to mine, most of these opinions are meant for the ears of Uncle Sam. That is all fine and dandy. However, the reality of the situation is that, yap all we want, you and I individually don’t have much control over the price of a gallon of gas; furthermore, the government doesn’t even have as much influence in the matter as we may think. Don’t get me wrong, there are many things that could be done by our government, or more importantly should have been done years ago, to keep prices reasonable. That being said, it isn’t like George Bush is just sitting around pulling levers to enact what he thinks is a fair price to pay at the pump…but I digress. Anyway, before I get too far off track here, the point of this blog is actually not too debate the myriad of ideas thrown about to help the government address the issue. No, this blog is designed to help you tackle the problem in your own life. Just call me Dr. Aaron, though you may want to call me Preacher after I’m done with this sermon.

The reason that gas prices are a mainstay of the everyday conversation for most Americans is obvious; we all buy gas often, and the higher the price the less money we have for other things. Simple. So everybody (including yours truly) is unanimous in the support for lower prices. Unfortunately though, mirroring nearly the same level of unanimity, when prices are elevated most folks resort to only one method of dealing with the financial crunch. They complain. Ready for the harsh truth? Complaining never lowers prices, and it never puts any more money back in your pocket.

The average commute time in America is around 25 minutes, say roughly 12-13 miles, each way. That’s approximately 25 miles a day, 5 days a week, for a total of 125 commuting miles a week. Add to that say 75 miles (which may be overstating) a week of other driving for personal interests and you have an average of 200 miles driven each week. Multiple that by 4 and we’re talking 800 miles a month. Now, that’s a rough guess, and it may be much higher or much lower than what you do, but bear with me here. Let’s also say that your car gets 20 miles to the gallon. So, 800 divided by 20 = 40 gallons a gas a month. Multiply 40 by $3.50 a gallon and you have a monthly gas bill of $140. Now, a few years ago gas was only $1.50 a gallon. Assuming then you were driving the same distance with the same car, your gas bill would have been only $60 a month. $140 minus $60 = $80. So, over the past few years the record spikes in gas prices have increased your monthly outgo by $80 (forgoing for example sake the effect of rising fuel prices on the economy as a whole).

Now, I don’t want to make light of $80. Really, I don’t. I understand the significance of it. Here’s my statement, though: if an $80 a month increase in gas prices over a several year period is destroying your finances, you need to go make more money. Period. You can work one day a month waiting tables to earn $80. Deliver pizza two nights a month. Start a small business. Mow someone’s lawn. Sell some junk on Ebay. Do odd jobs in your neighborhood. Do something. Do something other than complain. Please (and keep in mind, I’m not talking to YOU. I’m talking to the guy that’s always whining at the office. Yeah…that guy). If the problem has been identified, and the solution is workable, the rest should be history. Continuing to complain when you should be acting is nothing more than laziness in my book. In fact, I’ve always heard that you can make money or you can make excuses, but you can’t make both. Therefore, if gas prices really are crushing you financially, while your friends are busy commiserating with each other, going deeper into debt, and starting Facebook groups chronicling their woes, why don’t you just quietly go out earn the problem…and as for you folks who can easily absorb the high prices without having to do something extra, well…instead of complaining, you should be thanking God that you don’t.

There you have it. There’s my two cents. Feel free to use it to buy yourself .009524 of a gallon of gas. Quick, before the price goes up! Sorry, I’m not complaining. Now, if you don’t mind, the Doctor/Preacher needs to cut this short…I’m late for my other job(s).