Update on the New Dodge Journey

Well, the Journey did a fine job getting me and my girls to Indiana. It only took us 11 hours! Anyway, for those of you who might be curious about how the "let's refuel america" deal that Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep has been offering works, I will tell you. Simply put, it has worked just fine for me. I was only one of two people from the dealership I'm leasing from to take the offer, and so far it has been great. The literature they give you when you sign up for it says that it takes 4-6 weeks for you to get your activiated $2.99 per gallon of gasoline card, but for me, it took about a week. I used the card for the first time when we were taking off on our eleven hour roadtrip. The card couldn't be easier to use. I just swipe the card, type in my PIN number and then off I go--Fill 'er up! We get charged only $2.99 per gallon (up to 600 gallons per year) no matter what the price is at the pump. Even if we happen to get rid of the car before the three year deal is up, we keep the card and use it. It is quite simple and will probably be a savings of at least $1200 when it is all said and done, and that means that foregoing the $1000 rebate gives us a bigger savings. If you would like to learn more about the Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge "let's refuel America" campaign, you can go to www.letsrefuelamerica.com Oh, and in case you are wondering, the Journey got an average of 20.8 mpg on our trip, and that was with a rooftop cargo carrier on top, so it did quite a bit better on gas than my old Chevy Suburban would have done.

We're Taking the 'Journey'

Okay, so I have been whining and complaining and worrying about the high cost of fuel for our Chevy Suburban. I have been worrying that the eight year old, 150,000+ car might not last until we can "afford" a new more fuel efficient car. Well, yesterday, we decided to bite the bullet and go ahead and trade in our old faithful Suburban named Silvi (why, I don't know--one of the girls started calling it that), and are leasing the new 2009 Dodge Journey for three years. Our thinking is simple: we will lease this more fuel efficient crossover that we can squeeze all six of us in for three years, then hopefully at the end of the lease, some car company will have figured out a vehicle that runs on hydrogen, or corn oil, or used baby diapers, or something, and we can trade our outdated Journey in for something that is the wave of the future. I'm feeling pretty good about our decision. I think in the long run, we will save money. We decided to go all out, and opted for the $2.99 gasoline price guarantee (www.letsrefuelamerica.com) instead of the meager $1000.00 rebate, since we are expecting the gas pricing to continue rising from now until who knows when. I think we will save more than $1000 using that option. The dealership told us that we were only one of two customers so far who have chosen the gas option because a large portion of their products have huge refunds--but not the Journey--so I'm satisfied with our decision. At any rate, I am sure I will be blogging about the car in the future, so just stay tuned!

Plane, Train, or Automobile-Summer Vacation Trips

I am trying to plan my family's summer activities and I keep hearing that gasoline prices may climb as high as $5.00 per gallon during the summer months. With that in mind, my husband and I decided that instead of driving to Florida in June, we will (all six of us) be flying to Orlando. It seemed cheaper, not to mention faster, so that trip is settled. The other summer activity was for me to go back to Indiana to visit friends and family during the month of July. I would be going there with the four girls, but my husband would stay behind because he has to work, of course. Driving the 600+ miles with four girls seems a little daunting to me, so I decided to check into other modes of transportation options. I don't think flying will work for us again, because the cost is too much to fly into either Fort Wayne International or South Bend. My next option is to take the train. There is an Amtrak station not far from where we live and a station in Elkhart, where my parents live. For all five of us to travel, I think the total cost for regular coach seats is around $413.00 roundtrip. I have only travelled by train a couple of times and then it was only from Elkhart or Fort Wayne to Chicago. I also don't know how the girls would do on the train--it makes me a little nervous. So, for now, I'm just watching the gas prices (rise) and as they do here in Virginia, "biding my time."