Did you know that Subway is discontinuing their Sub Club customer loyalty program? That’s the one where you buy eight six-inch subs (or equivalent) and get one six-inch sub free (with purchase of medium beverage). If you play it right, by perhaps buying eight veggie subs and then cashing in for a top-of-the-line Alaskan Salmon sub, it works out to about an 18% discount.

Although the change caught me off-guard, I shouldn’t be too surprised. Compared to its competitors, Subway seems to already have the value price point. Where else can you get a sub sandwich for under three bucks? (That’s a rhetorical question; I don’t actually want examples of how I’m wrong. If you’re thinking, “But, Bob’s Subs over on Main has them for $1.23,” then, well, that’s great, go patronize Bob. Around here, in the burgeoning Twin Cities metropolis, Cousin’s and Quizzno’s are the only competition, and they can’t match Subway’s price. Plus, I can walk to a Subway from my office. But I digress…)

Aaaaanyway, a decent sub costs about $2.99 in this market, plus tax, bringing the total to a reasonable $3.18. That’s not bad. In fact, it costs me more in gas money to commute every day than it does to buy a sub sandwich (33 miles round trip / 22.5 mpg average * $2.51/gal = $3.68).

I tend not to think too much about the cost of driving. At some level I know that I’m burning $0.11 per mile in gas, not to mention the depreciation of my car and the consumption of things like tires. I suppose I’m lucky in that I don’t have to worry about such things. If I feel like driving 30 miles on a whim, then I’m going to do it! Driving hedonism, I suppose.

Like I mentioned, tires are insatiably consumed by the winding roads. This past weekend, I switched out my winter tires/wheels and replaced them with my summer tires/wheels. Just one problem: my summer tires were on their last legs. Nearly bald, and severely cupped, they cried out for replacement. Today I heeded their call and replaced them with a new set of Goodyear Eagle F1 GS-D3s. They look sweet and perform even better. They’re smooth, quiet, and grip like hell (ask me how I know :-). They’re not even all that expensive: if they last 25,000 miles, the cost is only $0.03 per mile. Unfortunately, they probably won’t last 25,000 miles, in part because of my planned activity for this weekend: a driving school.

The local BMW club is holding a driving school this weekend in which I am taking part. It’s being held at a track just south of the Twin Cities, and includes everything from slalom to a skidpad. It’s not really a road course school; I’ll do that next. Instead, it’s an opportunity to become intimately familiar with the (relatively) low-speed (<55mph) handling limits of one’s car. Should be a great time!