My original intention for ShopMineola.com was

1) to post the fuel prices at the seven gas stations in Mineola so that consumers could easily find the cheapest gas and

2) to give consumers a guide to compare the cost of shopping locally versus traveling to another town.

In the months prior to developing this website, I have made several observations. One that caused me to add a third purpose and the most recent of these observations caused me to change the first purpose of the site. Instead of helping you find cheap gas, I will argue that gas is so competitively priced that it is actually better to purchase it at the nearest station.

3) I will also talk about the effect of speed on fuel economy.

Before I start I need to make several statements:

• These are my personal observations based on my experiences driving in East Texas. I did not conduct a formal or scientific study. I purchased gas at the same location and used the cruise control on my 1999 Honda Accord to make my data as consistent as reasonably possible.
• I am not able to account for potential differences in fuel economy caused by the fluctuating ethanol content of gasoline.
• I could be wrong. I'll share my data and let you decide.

1) If gas is $2.00 per gallon, and your car gets 30 miles per gallon (MPG), it costs almost 7 cents per mile to fuel your car. That does not account for payments or wear and tear. It also does not account for perishables like tires or oil and oil filters. For the sake of this argument, I am only considering fuel cost. So it's not worth traveling more than one mile for every seven cents you'll save. If your truck gets 15 MPG, it's not worth traveling more than one mile for every 14 cents you'll save.

Conclusion: Unless you know you will be driving by cheaper gas anyway, it's probably better to just stop at the nearest station.

2) To find out how much money you spend on fuel to travel to another town, use the menu at the top of the page to find the option that is closest to current fuel prices. Next consider what you intend to purchase in the other town and how much money you will potentially save. Does the saving offset the cost of fuel to travel to the other town?

Consider also that the federal government allows a 50.5 cent per mile tax deduction for business travel. According to the IRS, that is the average cost of operating a motor vehicle. How does that effect the potential savings?

Conclusion: It's wise to consider the purpose of your trip before you make it.

3) For several months, I traveled daily between Hawkins and Mineola (to pick someone up). Making the drive daily, I thought it would be a good opportunity to see first hand the effect of speed on fuel economy. So for one tank of gas, I traveled at 70 miles per hour (MPH), which is the maximum speed allowed by law. When I calculated my fuel economy, it was 24.7 MPG. For the next tank, I traveled at 60 MPH and my fuel economy was 27.2 MPG. So, the 2.5 MPG is an increase in fuel economy of over 10%. The interesting thing about fuel cost is that a decrease in consumption is translated directly into savings.

Conclusion: In my 1999 Honda Accord, a 10 MPH decrease in speed translated into a fuel savings of 10% or in real dollars (for me), almost $20 per month.