I have a 17-year-old son who drives. That means my car goes through more gas than it used to.
Most of the time, I pay for the gas my son uses. Usually he’s only going on short trips around town, and I figure it’s a fair trade for having him run errands or shuttle his not-yet-driving sister around.
Then he acquired a girlfriend who lived about 20 minutes away. And then it got a little more challenging.
One night I got a phone call at my office, which is about 5 miles from our home. It was the boy, saying he was so very, very low on gas, and could he stop by and pick up $5 so he could put in a couple of gallons at the nearby gas station and be sure of making it home? Mind you, he also was going to have to pick me up later. Sure, I muttered, and he stopped by for the $6 I had on me.
The breaking point was the night he called asking to meet me in the neighboring town, about 10 minutes away. He could make it to the gas station there, he said, but probably not much farther. So sorry to have miscalculated. I had my husband’s truck, so could I please leave work and drive to the gas station to put gas in my car? Please?
Grrrr.
So this was the solution: $5 stays in the glove compartment at all times now. Where we are, that’s enough to get someone from pretty much any point A to point B. If it gets used, I have to be notified right away so it can be replaced.
So far, it’s working for us. What works for you?