I use a
Wilson-Jones 12-Column Account Book. About $7
Going across the top of the two open pages I mark the columns thusly:
1 - Fill #
2- Date
3- Location
4- Fuel Amount/Price per Gl/$Total
5- Odometer: Trip and Total
6 - Elapsed Time: E/T & Average MPH [use 100-min clock]
7 - MPG: Readout from overhead and True MPG
8 - Relevant Notes
Takes about 3-minutes with solar calc and pen to enter data. Fuel receipt goes in back under large rubber band that holds page open. Calendar year reconciliation by adding columns going down through the year. (Any missed receipts/entries show up quickly).
O - F - L and other regular maintenance is a separate entry set with engine hours recorded, parts #'s, etc. In other words, I can look through the few pages of any year and see where money has been spent.
Cents-per-Mile is run from this starting point (add in other costs). The Account Journal is where I have some control over the op-costs of my vehicle on a daily basis. It's about prediction, impossible without user-generated numbers.
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