About Spending Perceptions

I can’t tell you how happy I am that my husband is finally home from the hospital. I went to pick him up yesterday. After four days of driving back and forth to see him, I was not only tired of the drive but also of not having him here.

All the driving took a toll on the wallet too. I pretty much emptied one tank of gas and was shocked! when it took $62 to fill it back up. I don’t even know why I am surprised anymore. The gallon of gas goes for $3.30 around here.

The thing is that it is very rare that I need to put gas in the tank. My husband is usually the one to do that. Our gas budget is one line in our household budget that I am very ignorant about. Since we use my husband’s credit card to get gas (for the discount), he’s the one always filling up the tanks. All I do is ask how much I need to keep in the bank account when the time comes to pay the monthly bill.

When I mentioned to him that I was shocked at how much it took to fill it up, he told me that was the reason he never lets the tank go all the way to empty. So as to feel less pain in the wallet when he fills it up. I was quick to point that ultimately we still spent the same amount of money on gas. He just thinks is better to keep the tank filled and visit the pump more frequently. However, I think that it’s better use of our money to empty the tank before filling it back up. It was a matter of perception we both agreed at the end.

How do you like to spend money on gas? Do you keep your gas tank filled or do you let it get empty before filling it back up again?