Beloved and I have two SUVs.  It wasn't on purpose.  I used to drive a 1994 Geo Prizm, blue, stick shift, and I LOVED THAT CAR.  I drove it until 2006, when I got t-boned on Ward Parkway by a much larger car. It bent the axle and totaled the Geo, which turned out to be worth a whopping $800.

I'm still bitter about it, if you can't tell.  Because to me, that car was worth so much more.  It was paid off, it got great gas mileage, and it as the last of the cars I named (Priscilla).  It was Pa's car before it was my car, and I bought it from Pa when I moved to Kansas City in 1998 for $3,000, which I paid for myself.  It's the last car I bought with cash.

So anyway, the "family car" at the time was my husband's 1998 Ford Explorer.  We were certain this Explorer would die a quick death, as we'd already replaced the rear axle to the tune of $1200 and the truck at the time had more than 100k miles on it.  We thought we'd get a new family car, then as soon as Beloved's truck died, we'd get another little Geo-like thing.

Except Beloved's car never died.  It's still kicking at 140k miles a full three years later.

Now trust me, I'm happy about that part.  And shocked that a Ford Explorer could really go that long with no more work since the rear axle, other than the battery my husband changed last weekend. (God, forgive my hubris and do not strike us down with a dead car tomorrow.)  But what to do?  Now we have two functioning Ford Explorers, one car payment, and two years left on a five-year loan that's put us pretty much upside down on the Explorer that I drive.

For a while, we contemplated trading the one I drive for something smaller and more economical.  However, we quickly realized that because of gas prices, nobody wants a used Explorer, and nobody is even going to give us what we owe on it to take it off our hands.

So,drat. I guess we'll have to pay it off, hope the second one lasts, and then make the switch at that point.

Which has me trying to eek out every drop of gasoline.  I used to think only old people griped about gas prices, but when it suddenly costs $120 a week to drive two urban assault vehicles, you start rethinking things.

I work from home as much as I can. I'm fortunate to be an editor, and that's a job that can be done from home.  Usually I work from home two days a week, and I thank my company greatly for it. So that helps a lot, just not having to drive forty miles round trip every day.  But I've also started driving SLOWER, which has Beloved fit to be tied.

Him: "Speed up. People are passing you on the right."

Me: "I'm in the middle lane.  This is the lane for people who need to get over soon but are driving slow."

Him: "Why are you driving so slow?  You're making me crazy."

Me: "I saw on the elevator slide show it saves you 3-5 miles per gallon to drive 65."

Him: "NOT YOU, TOO!  ARRRRGGGGGHHHHHHH!!!!!!"

So, you can see how well Beloved takes my conservation measures.  I'm not sure how well it's working, honestly, because we drive my truck on the weekends, which makes calculations difficult. I've also started trying to drive at least to work without the air conditioner on.  I know I'm nuts, but I don't really mind the Midwestern heat as much as a lot of people do. I'm not saying I love it or anything, but I've always found driving with all the windows down to be kind of exciting.  It's like being on a boat or something. This doesn't work out when I have to look good at the end of the trip, but if I'm just going home, whatever.  I'll sweat.  (Check in with me again once we go over 100 degrees more than two days in a row.  I think last summer we had 10 days in a row over 100 degrees, and 100 degrees with 80% humidity = steaming like broccoli.)

Will it work?  Will we survive?  I'm sure we will. But dang, I wish a nice Corolla would just drop out of the sky and free me from 17 mpg and an 18-gallon tank.  Turns out we miscalculated on that purchase.  Live and learn.