Tuesday, November 24, 2009

My Perspective On Soda and Gas Prices

Is it just me are has anyone else noticed how high fountain soda prices have crept up there? I couldn't believe the other day my wife and I were at Applebee's Restaurant and paid $2.39 for a Diet Coke! That's $4.78 more on your total bill if you and a friend go to lunch or dinner! Soda is an item that the majority will buy when going out for lunch or dinner. Let alone a mixed drink which could cost several dollars more. We all complain about the high prices of soda and beer at the ballpark but no one has seemed to notice how the price keeps creeping up at restaurants. If you think you'll save money by ordering ice tea, think again tea which even cost less than soda to produce will cost you the same $2.39! Lately, I have made a conscious effort to watch soda prices wherever I dine. The majority have now went to the $2.39 price some are slightly higher or lower. I then started thinking most soda glasses are about 12 ounces. If you divide the $2.39 into 12 ounces you are now at about 19.9 cents per ounce. Per gallon your at $12.74 per gallon. Of course you say most restaurant will give free refills! After doing some research of my own I have found the real cost to a restaurant for a glass of soda is about 5 cents per glass. A cola soda product is made up of syrup and carbonated water that is why it is so cheap to produce. They could give you 47 - 12 ounce refills before they would start losing money at 5 cents per glass! So please don't feel bad the next time you ask for a refill, drink up!

In comparison, gas prices which seem to go up and down everyday because the price of crude oil fluctuates by the barrel, has to be refined to create gasoline. A little more process goes into gasoline which runs our cars than adding something as simple as carbonated water. I hear everyone complaining about the high cost of gasoline. Gas prices as of this writing are at $2.45 for regular unleaded or about 3 cents per ounce. Still winning over soda prices which are at 19 cents per ounce! Six times more than the cost of gas! Can you believe this?? What would 12 ounces of gas cost today? About 36 cents is all it would cost for 12 ounces of gas! So the next time your on your way to dinner and stop by the gas station for a fill-up be thankful your not paying the same price as you do for a soft drink at your favorite restaurant. A car with a 14 gallon tank will hold $178.36 of your favorite restaurant soft drink or about $34.30 in gasoline. The facts are staggering when you think about it. Now you know why fast food restaurants have recently been advertising happy hour drink specials on soft drinks! Because they can!

So next time you enjoy a good meal, you may want to choose water and watch the money you will be saving. A family of four sill save almost $10 off their dinner bill by ordering water. Save your money for the things that appear to be costly like gasoline! I guess it's all how you put in perspective...and that's why I'm here with HOGUEMANIA!

1 comment:

  1. Ron,
    Yes, here is to WATER, as the drink of choice at our local restaurants.
    Water is better for you anyway!
    I hope gasoline never gets as expensive as soda. I enjoyed reading this story.

    Your neighbor,
    John

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