Quick Chart Friday - Gas Pump Blues

16 Oct, 2026

Chart made in Excel with data from credit card statements. June 2025 starts when I purchase minivan in middle of the month. October 2026 is current and not completed month yet.

A break from NBA data to look at numbers and vent

Last year, my family grew from 3 to 4 but that also means that my little Mazda 3 hatchback will be cramped. Considering that I also chauffeur my kid's grandparents regularly, a more spacious vehicle was needed and the obvious choice for size and comfort is the minivan. I knew bigger cars would take more gas and was prepared for it, but I didn't expect the gas prices to increase as it did. There were options for hybrid minivans but the sticker and out the door prices for those were very expensive.

So I ultimately ended up with a Honda Odyssey which is an all gas vehicle and through some connections and haggling, was able to get it discounted out the door and at a decent APR for financing. But never did I imagine gas prices to shoot up like it did this year. The big global event affecting gas prices is the Iran War that started in March 2026.

Before March, I was averaging $51.58 every time I get a fill. Since then, I been averaging $67.13 per fill for the minivan. That's a 30% increase per fill! When looking at it on a monthly basis, my gas spending increased by 48% since March! So as gas prices are increasing, I've also been driving more as well. Pre-War, I was pumping on average 5.6 times/month, and it looks like during war, it is now at 6.4 trips to the gas station per month. So even though I'm increasing the amount of times I get gas per month by about 1 more pump, at the current gas prices, it is adding that 48% cost to my monthly totals.

From the graph, my November 2025 gas expenditure was high, but looking at my calendar, there was a lot of things going on, with the major one being my wife's birthday and the trip we took. The other notable callout is how much I spent the last month in September of 2026. My September gas spending pretty much doubled from the previous year. But that wasn't because I doubled the amount of times I pumped. In September 2026, I got gas 9 times compared to September 2025 where I went to the station 6 times. That is 50% more pumps but yet, the cost was close to 100% additional cost. My kid is older and has more extracurricular activities so the extra drives is leading to extra pumps but the amount spent is way too high now.

If the current averages hold, it looks like I will be spending an additional $1,388.50 on gas this year since the war started.

So even though I saved money initially for getting the gas engine minivan, I ended up paying more than expected for the gas.

Here's current gas prices for the gas stations close by to me as well as the 2025 California average. Numbers are from gasbuddy.com and usgasgauge.com. Crazy stuff.

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#personal data #quick-chart