Sunday, April 27, 2008

What is your time worth?

I was talking to my friend Amy on the phone last night. Amy is a bartender in a restaurant at a public golf club about 45 minutes away from her home. She often calls to chat on the way home to pass the time, and also to help keep awake since she does travel over some empty stretches of road until she gets on the highway. I don't mind late night calls, that's what friends are for. Anyway...once she was on the highway and passing gas stations, she kept telling me the prices as it differed from each one. We all know gas prices are out of control, but for once, something in NJ is usually less expensive than elsewhere in the U.S. Plus, we don't have to even pump it ourselves. We got to talking about an item in the news this week: service stations on the Garden State Parkway and the NJ Turnpike can only change (read: raise) their prices once a week, I think it's Friday that it occurs. So, the word was prices were going to jump up about a quarter, and people were lining up at those stations before the prices raised to get in on the "cheap" gas. Cars were lined up at the pumps, sometimes 20 cars deep or longer. I don't know about you, but unless my tank was near empty and the next station was miles away, I would never wait in that long a line to save a couple bucks. Perhaps it is a nod to my at times rather impatient nature, and wanting immediate gratification, but I'm not doing it. Amy agreed...her time was worth more too. So I ask...what's your time worth? What would you wait in line for, and what would you never wait for?

9 comments:

Dianne said...

I'm not a very patient person, but having a sock-in-progress with me sure helps.

roxie said...

Lessee, I wait in line for movie tickets, a table at my favorite restaurant, banking and groceries . . . Would I wait twenty minutes for gas? If it's going up 25cents a gallon tomorrow, yeah, I would. But I'm pretty good at entertaining myself. that's a good time to clean out the purse, the glovebox, the center console, knit, sing, dance to the radio, and tell myself stories.

km said...

M filled my tank for me when he was driving my car to pick up a patio umbrella this weekend. He almost achieved the $100 fill-up. I'm sure 25 cents would save me tons of $$$ but I couldn't wait 20 minutes with 3 in the car. I do drive so seldom though and for such short distances that I can usually fill up once a month.

vegasangelbrat said...

If those signs are real sigs in your area..I'm coming for gas...lol
Our regular is around 3.55- 3.59

Love the signs and they fit well for out here.

KSee said...

no, I'm like you wait til it needs filling and go to the nearest station by my home. While I drove home from work prices were $3.65, near 95 south it was $3.76, as I got closer to home it was $3.53. Who knows what it will be tomorrow when I need to fill up!

Martina in AK said...

I am a patient person usually, and I always have knitting to do. But I have to agree...I have a hard time understanding folks who will wait in line for 20 minutes to save $2.50-$3.00 only to drive down the block and buy a $4.00 coffee drink! LOL! Gas will cost what it will cost, and my time IS worth a lot to me. I try to conserve and make my trips worthwhile, car pool whenever my husband and I can, and save money wherever possible to make up for the rising costs. I live in Alaska and my gas is costing me about $3.80 a gallon...

rita said...

I drove across town yesterday to save 6 stinking cents. Afterwards I mentally kicked myself--I saved every bit of 60 cents! My time is worth at least 75 cents.

I won't wait 20 minutes at a restaurant. There are enough other places in town.

jopal said...

Gas here is at least $3.80 a gallon. I don't wait in line. Try to gas up at off times. My time isn't worth spending time waiting in lines to save a few pennies. I try to save on things I can control.

Anonymous said...

I guffawed out loud at that picture!

I remember those lines in the late 70's, when people were panicking and standing in line just to top off the 3/4 full tank because, you know, OPEC might shut the whole system down tomorrow. The lines were proof!

Stupidest thing you could imagine. Reporters started recording how much people were actually putting in, and talking to the drivers (and sometimes naming them!) and that helped a little.

Oh, and--it's 3.99 at my corner station, the cheapest around.