I've developed a bad habit recently: I like to play around on my cell phone when I get bored. Hey, there are worse addictions out there; don't judge. The other night my wife asked me what I was doing and I said I was using the GasBuddy app to check the price of diesel. "Didn't you just fill up the other day?" she asked. She was right, I had just filled up, but I was still checking to see what diesel fuel was going for.in another state.
I know it's odd, but I like to check fuel prices regularly to see not only what the local stations are doing, but curiosity gets the best of me and I start checking places all around the country just for fun.
After I signed the papers and took ownership of the latest project truck I unfortunately had to make a quick stop on the drive home because I needed fuel. On this day, the price of diesel was on the rise and when I went to fill up at $4.18 a gallon it crossed my mind that I should have negotiated for a full tank before I bought it. It's never a good sign when the pump cuts you off at $100 and you still have gallons to go.
But I didn't let it ruin my day, although I admit I stepped a little lighter on the pedal that week. But the crazy thing is the price of diesel fuel began to fall quickly after that. My next fill up was at $3.80, then $3.53 and I was loving life when it hit $3.46; at that point I felt like they were just giving it away.
But what changed here? I'm not complaining and I fully understand that talking about fuel prices makes me sound like an old man, but how can the price fluctuate so much in a short amount of time? How can the price of diesel be nearly 50 cents a gallon less on the same day, just by driving over the state line?
I like Vegas as much as the next guy, but let's keep roulette to the gaming tables. With the price jumping around so much, I have no choice but to be constantly checking GasBuddy.
Unlike a sled, dirt bike or even a boat, most of us use our trucks for work so despite the current price, we're still going to drive. With a boat you can choose to keep it in your driveway next weekend if you feel an arm and a leg is asking too much at the pump. But do the fuel postings at your local station determine your driving habits, or is it just me? When fuel gets over the $4 mark I tend to sheepishly drift a little more into the slow lane. But watch the price drop 50 cents and now I'm revving up at stoplights and looking for trouble.
In reality, I should just be looking for a happy balance and just try and keep my foot out of it. Now if you're not going to get on it every once in a while then what's the point of having a diesel truck in the first place? But depending on how often you fill up, the difference really isn't enough to make you want to park it.
If you put 25 gallons of fuel in at $4.25 a gallon, your total will run you $106.25. This can be discouraging and you might drive like a grandma as you leave the pumps. But then you come back in two weeks and put another 25 gallons in, but this time it's "only" $3.75 gallon. So to celebrate you leave some tread on the payment as you're pulling out. But in reality you only saved just over $12 the second time, which is significant, but really not enough to justify such a huge difference in your driving habits. Simply put, we're never going to see an end to the random spikes in fuel prices that seem to come out of nowhere, but don't let that influence your moods. Find a happy balance between grandma-like driving and leaving tread at the stoplight and you'll be fine. With that said, I'm going to continue checking fuel prices around the country just for fun.