I was told there'd be no math

I fully appreciate that we're all collectively suffering from higher gas prices, and that for some, it's uncomfortably eating into our disposable income. But I recently heard a commercial on the radio that caused me to do a little thinking (and god forbid, a little math) about these new prices. I went to a national drug store Web site (plus a couple of others) and did a little cost comparison of other products we might buy, relative to their price per gallon:

20oz bottle of Aquafina WATER ($1.00) = $6.40/gallon
24oz Clorox Toilet Bowl Cleaner ($2.79) = $14.88/gallon
12oz Caramel Mocha Espresso from Starbucks ($3.99) = $32.00/gallon
6oz jar of Smuckers Sugar-free Strawberry Jelly: ($2.49) = $53.12/gallon
8oz bottle of Tylenol Cold & Flu Formula ($5.99) = $95.84/gallon
1oz bottle of Fresh Look foundation by Cover Girl ($7.49) = $532.62/gallon
3.4oz bottle of Black by Kenneth Cole cologne ($50.94) = $1,917.74/gallon
.3oz bottle of OptiFree Express Rewetting Drops ($6.49) = $2,769.07/gallon

So then if fluid ounces isn't a true comparison, let's use a different approach. Let's say that the average person earns $30,000/year. With 8,640 hours in a year, his time is basically worth $3.49/hour. If the average commute was 15 miles by car, (assuming 30 mpg and $3.00/gallon) you'd would consume approximately $1.50 worth of gas and $1.75 of time (assume the 15 miles took 30 minutes of your time). Total expense: $3.25. If that same person were to WALK the 15 miles to work (assuming average footspeed of 2.5 mi per hour), it would take the average person 6 hours to walk to work, equating to approximately $20.94 of time (but no cost of gas). Even if you make $80,000/year and drive an SUV that requires premium gasoline, you're still off the chart.

[Note: I'm well aware that any economist worth his/her weight in greenbacks could poke holes in these examples. I'm just applying some basic armchair economics like everyone else that has a dumb-ass opinion about a topic they know very little about. It is MY blog, after all.]

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm ALL for cheaper gas prices. Last night I paid $3.06 for MEDIUM grade (how embarassing--hehe). However, after thinking about the price per gallon relative to pumping this stuff out of the ground, shipping it to a refinery, refining it, then shipping it (without it blowing up) to thousands of gas stations around the country, three bucks ain't so bad. So I'm going to stop bitching about the price of gas. Instead, I'm going to quit using cologne, start to make my own strawberry jam and lubricate my contacts with the garden hose. This way, I'll be able to justify buying premium.

Update: Finally heard from my friend in New Orleans. He's safe and sound about 2 hours away from NOLA--but still isn't sure whether his house and belongings are safe. I hope everything works out OK for him. If not--like any good friend--I'm standing ready to FedEx him some porn underwear and cigarettes toiletries if he needs it. Meanwhile, I'll be talking to my tax guy and start organizing the biggest donation I can afford to help our Southern friends (as we ALL should).