It's more than just a car.

As I pull out of my driveway in my shiny, new, silver Toyota Prius V, my neighbor is roaring down the street (at 25 mph) in his shiny, new monster truck complete with neon orange shock absorbers and custom detailing.

When I bought my Prius, I was making a conscientious decision to be a better global citizen.  Me, myself, and I.  No judgements.  My neighbors are great people despite their taste in automobiles, and they are far from the only people here in NASCAR country that jack their vehicles ten feet off the ground.

Since buying my environmentally friendly vehicle in May, I have watched with pure delight as my miles per gallon have climbed to it's current reading of 43.5 MPG.  With each new tenth of a mile, I clap and cheer with downright giddiness.  Estimating a savings of $200/month, "This car is paying for itself!" I exclaim to whoever will listen.

If I'm being totally honest, I never gave much thought to the cost of gas BP (Before Prius), but then my neighbor's monster truck rambled down the road and I began to think about it.  It's Economics 101:  supply and demand.  While I'm getting over 40 MPG, my neighbor is probably getting south of 10 MPG.

I know, I know.  It's his money, right?  But is it?

The more gas his monster truck guzzles, the less gas there is to go around.  The more gas one person uses, the more we ALL pay at the pump.  Supply and demand.  So while I'm saving myself money by using less gas to go from Point A to Point B, I'm saving you money too.

YOU'RE WELCOME.

My Prius is not glamorous.  It's not sexy.  People don't do a double-take with envy.  But it is the smartest designed car I've ever owned, with storage, cargo space, and leg room that can rival sexy any day.

And if saving money while saving the planet isn't sexy, I don't know what is!