$$: Gas, Food, & more Gas

Today was nuts.

I started the day by making, one by one, my special scrambled egg & cheese on toast sandwiches for each of the kids -- including The Son's classmate who spent the night.  Then, after making sure that the boys were on track for being ready when I got home, The Daughter and I were off.  She had made plans to make the ridiculously long drive to today's basketball game with a friend but I needed to get her to their house.  On the way, we stopped for my prescription (plus paper plates on which to eat birthday cake, forks with which to eat, and a drink for her during the game).  On my way home, I stopped to fill up the tank.

Kroger -- $23.23

• T3 Thyroid meds -- $18.55
• Glaceau Water -- $1.39
• plastic forks -- $1.69
• paper plates -- $1.73

... and just was we were leaving I remembered that I'd taken my last Claritin pill this morning, so....

Kroger -- $21.33

• 30 Claritin tablets  -- $19.82

Safeway -- $27.70

I pumped 12.208 gallon @ 2.269 per gallon.  The odometer read 24,363 miles.

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As soon as I got home, the boys and I loaded the cake, all of the basketball gear, and a few snacks into the car and took off for for parts unknown.  It was a long drive.  A very long drive.  This poor town wasn't even a town.  And the school was down about 10 miles of dirt road.  Seriously.  In the middle of absolutely-freaking-nowhere.

Cash -- $5.00

Naturally, I got to fork over an admission fee for the privilege of watching the kids I'd just driven 2.5 hours play a little basketball.

I will tell you now, this game was the worst sporting event I have ever attended.  The home-town folk in the stands were the rudest, crudest, least-hospitable people I've ever had the displeasure of sharing space with.  I kid you not.  After the girls' game, we parents moved en masse to the other side of the gym where we crowded in behind our team.  Just how much violent angry screaming, name-calling, and cursing could we be expected to have to put up with?  They were screaming and cursing at the officials, at our coach, and at us.  Standing on their feet, waving their fists, oh, and did I mention cursing?

The superintendent of the host school later apologized to us; he and a few others were mortified at the behavior of the parents in his stands -- as well he should have been.  It was truly unbelievable.  I would guess that good sportsmanship is maybe not a part of the community's overall culture.

We were all a little relieved that our girls lost the game; we were afraid we'd get to the parking lot to discover slashed tires and vandalized cars if our team had won.

But enough of that.  The boys' game was a little quieter (in the stands) at least.  The boys won their game, everybody sang Happy Birthday to the birthday boy, and the cake was a huge hit (even though it had to be consumed in the dark, cold parking lot because the host school wouldn't let us take it into the cafeteria).

On the way home, once we hit civilization again (pun intended), we stopped for food.  Of course, the three kids (The Daughter had joined us for the drive home) couldn't agree on one place to eat.

Subway -- $5.37

• sandwich, drink, and chips for The Daughter

Wendy's -- $10.96

• hamburger and rootbeer float for The Son
• hamburger and Frosty for The Classmate

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After dropping off the classmate at his house, the kids and I rounded out the evening by making one last stop just before reaching home:  to tank up.

Safeway -- $23.31

I pumped 10.140 gallons @ $2.299 per gallon.  The odometer read 24,630.  Since this trip gave me the perfect opportunity, I calculated our gas mileage.  We drove 267 miles and used 10.140 gallons for a MPG of 26.3.  Not bad.  It's not the 40mpg I got back in the mid '80's with my Toyota Corolla but nor is it the ~15mpg I was getting just over a year ago with the Toyota Sequoia.

And now, dear readers, it's time for bed.  G'night.

Related posts:

1. Day 105: A Busy, Budget-Busting Day in the ‘Burbs
2. Day 147: Food, Food, and More Food
3. $$: Gas, Juice, & Small Loan
4. Day 290: Stock Market, Gas, Shampoo, & Late Night Wendy’s
5. Gas, Groceries, & Errata