The Similkameen News Leader
Editorial
July 1, 2008
FILL 'ER UP WITH SUNNY D!
It started with an e-mail received this week from a friend. The content of the e-mail focused on the high price of fuel over the border and compared the average cost per gallon to what it would cost if we were using everyday foods for fuel.
It got me thinking, so I picked up a flyer from a local business and did some math. I thought it would be far easier to use items priced and sold in liquid form to make the conversions work out.
I was quite amazed, to say the least.
At the time of this writing, local regular fuel costs $1.39.9 per litre.
If you were filling your tank with Bull's Eye BBQ Sauce it would cost you $7.04 per litre!
How about something green and good for the planet? Well, Earth's Best Baby Food comes in at $6.95 per litre! Eden Organic Beans would cost $4.99 per litre!
So then I figured I'd like to see what it would cost if I used items common to our shopping list - just in case I was picking out of the wrong section of the flyer.
The results were still pretty shocking.
Hellman's Mayo came in at $4.48 per litre, Heinz Ketchup cost $3.33 a litre and Downy Fabric Softener was $2.07 per litre.
I had to sit down.
There had to be some deals on alternate fuel sources buried somewhere in the flyer...and there were.
For example, Sunny D would cost me $1.05 per litre. If I filled the tank with Sunny D it would total $31.50 compared to the $41.97 it now costs.
The saving of ten dollars got my attention and when you consider we fill the tank an average of once a week, that's a savings of $544.44 per year - based on today's prices.
But you know what? I've discovered that the 'house brand' is an even better deal. If my car ran on Western Classics pop it would cost me .44¢ per litre providing I used my points card for the special price.
That makes a full tank of pop in the car cost $13.35 per fill up!
Okay, so it's a little far-fetched to imagine automobiles running on such fuels as barbeque sauce, mayo and pop, but the exercise did teach me that I shouldn't get twisted out of shape the next time prices go up at the pumps.
It's going to take a long time before regular gas is going to cost $7.04 a litre like the barbeque sauce currently does, so I think I'll just keep doing what I've been doing all along.
Only now I'll just secretly hope someone creates a vehicle that runs on Sunny D.
