Gas price tracking followed by a rant about being poor
Gas price log South Metro Atlanta , all with a 10¢ loyalty discount all the same brand, all stations on my travel route running the same price or occasionally higher. One rural station was averaging around 5-8¢ below the region until beginning of March when they price matched.
Prices had been decreasing over the winter, but overall holding steady between $2.50-$2.80 for 2025 at the stations I frequented.
Feb 21, 2026 $2.49/ gallon
March 5, 2026. $3.29/ gallon
March 18, 2026 $3.79/gallon
That's $10-$15-$20 per tank which means that not treating myself to lunch once a week, I'm not visiting friends or going to my barn to see my personal horse to save the gas and make the tank stretch between paychecks. That's that much less I'm able to put onto my CC bill so I'm paying more in interest over time, before I was able to send an extra $50-100 at it above what I'd set as my base payment so I was bringing the total down, but now that's not realistic.
(Emergency vet bills ~$6k, car tires $750 and around $3-4k of unexpected life expenses on top of my prior balance meant I almost maxed out my card and that was as I was pulling heavily from both my emergency savings and regular savings to try and not use my credit card)
I was fired in February of 2024 for taking a horse to the vet for a terrible colic without an approved driver for our truck and trailer. I would absolutely do it again daily but I also won't let any person or animal suffer if I have a way of helping.
I moved back in with my parents who I still live with today because can't afford rent anyway, and worked 2-4 separate part time jobs simultaneously just to try and stay afloat.
Now I'm salaried but have pets and my horse with health conditions that take most of my spare income. They are my fur babies and I'm not giving them up, but damn it sucks some weeks when all you want is to get that $5 (staff discount) coffee or meal and can't afford even that especially on a week where bookings were low so my tips were non-existent and spare money went to buy things I need at work.