Crude oil

It now costs me $6.75/day in gas to drive to work, close to $150/month. But because I chose intelligently in 2000 and got myself a Ford Focus, this is only about $2/day more than I was paying.

If I drove a SUV that gets 10mpg - I'd be paying double that a day! In other words, just with the money I save, I can pretty much purchase another new car every six years while the poor Hummer driver is stuck making $500 car payments in and around visits to traffic school.