I was just having this conversation at work. My friend used to live in Japan about seven years ago or less??? anyways.. gas was $5.00 a gallon at that time. Crazy.

I had a similar conversation with a friend a while back who called me a whiner for complaining about the rising cost of petrol. Granted, driving a fossil fuel-burning, pollution-creating vehicle, even one as economical as my Focus, is still a luxury I am grateful to have. Ideally, I would love to bike or walk to work. I would even consider public transportation if the lines ran out by my employer more frequently.

Still, when I can measure the number of days in a month I work that are devoted only toward the purchase of gas I am staggered. It's become an animal that feeds on itself. Stephen and I estimate that we spend roughly $240/month on gas- and that is with average driving- no long trips, no Sunday cruises around town.

When you figure how many days a year you have to work before you get paid (after your taxes are paid) and now for gasoline, we should all just sit and cry.  Seriously.