Tuesday, June 03, 2008

Petrol in the UK

I filled my car with petrol over the weekend -- £1.15 per litre. That's $10.18 per gallon, people! I nearly fell over at the pump, and I'm quite sure I wouldn't be alone in doing so.

I am going to ask for one of these for my birthday:

On days I don't have to haul things to and from the warehouse, it would make a great alternative to taking my car.

13 comments:

feto soap said...

I just picked up my bicycle this weekend from my friend's house and will start using it for short trips. Gas prices (even for my tiny honda civic) are outrageous here too!

gracefruit said...

My little Yaris has something close to an 11 gallon capacity. Still, filling it up makes my eyes water.

I am not much of a bike rider, so I'm reminding myself how fit I'll be once I get into it.

Joanna Schmidt said...

Ten bucks, woah. Prices have reached to a record breaking $4.05 and I can't believe how fast my money goes from the bak into the pump. Travel will be at a minimum this Summer.......

Michelle said...

A bike is great for exercise! :) It's lovely to go cycling on a warm sunny day. It's only when it rains when it becomes a bit of a problem.

egassner said...

Yikes! (clutching chest)
Unfortunately for me, a bicycle isn't an option since we like 10minles from the nearest *store* which is actually a ma-n-pa store where the few groceries they have are marked up 50%!

gracefruit said...

Joanna, gas has always been expensive here. I think the least I've paid since moving to the UK is probably $6 per gallon. After awhile, you have to learn not to think about it. I don't know what prompted me to do mental math at the pump the other day. I wish I hadn't!

Michelle, perhaps I'll be fit and gorgeous by the end of the summer. Winter weather here is pretty horrid. I don't imagine I'd be able to ride after September.

Elizabeth, we're pretty rural here, too, but not quite that rural. I don't know how people in the Highlands are managing. Some of them have to go a long way to get to a proper grocery store.

dcyrill said...

Here in Georgia the gas prices are $4.00 for regular. But that is a drop in the bucket for what you have to pay gracefruit. We can only hope that this will all change someday.

gracefruit said...

Diana, expensive is expensive! Once it hits a certain level, it just becomes ridiculous. Close to 75% of what we pay for gas in this country is tax, so it would be quite easy for the government to offer some relief.

There are fuel protests all around Europe at the moment. Strange times.

Michelle said...

I know your pain. I spend $100 per week on gas. I love my bike but can't ride in the freeway - I wish I could. I've heard gas is going to get even higher over the winter months... cannot imagine it.

Good luck with the biking venture. Biking is great exercise plus I find it really relaxing :)

gracefruit said...

Hi Michelle,
I hope I find biking relaxing, too. Biking has made me grumpy in the past! :)

Ex

Anonymous said...

Everytime someone I know complains about the price of gas here in the U.S., I remind them how people in most other countries been paying much higher prices for years. I think I'll save the link to this post to give them proof. :}

Automakers (or other inventors) should be trying much harder to make more fuel efficient cars. Fossil fuel is a finite resources; even if the prices weren't inflated by fattening petro CEO's wallets or channeled into taxes, it will still run out eventually, and the cost will continue to rise as supply dwindles.

gracefruit said...

Hi Teresa,

Filling up the car is a horror these days. I can remember back to when petrol was about 79p here, and the exchange rate was a bit better then, too. Still I think the least I've ever paid for gas in the UK was somewhere around $5.50 a gallon.

I think it might be time to buy a golf cart!

E x

Anonymous said...

Funny you should mention golf cart; dh has been wanting one for years. ;)