Lies, Damn Lies, and Statistics

I live in Minnesota, and I’m thinking about two statistics where I’m not normal.

First Interesting Statistic:

The Minneapolis Star Tribune posted an interesting statistic on Sunday.

It was:

For every $1.00 that a Minnesota family spends on housing, it spends $1.11 on transportation.

I assume that housing dollars include: rent or mortgage, insurance, utilities and maintenance.

I assume that transportation dollars include auto payments or leases, insurance, fuel, bus or train passes, maintenance and (maybe) parking.

Applying this standard, here’s how the ratio plays out at the Duf household:

In 2007, for every $1.00 we spend on housing, we will spend .58 on transportation.

And that counts the car payment I just took on*.

For most of 2006, for every $1.00 we spent on housing, we spent .21 on transportation.

And we live in a humble home.

But my wife’s commute is 1.1 miles. Mine is 12.7 miles.

She has no car payment and is content to drive her 1999 Toyota Corolla into perpetuity (she drives fewer than 7.000 miles per year).

Second Interesting Statistic:

Right now, in my wallet, I have $10 in the form of one ten dollar bill.

That’s way above average for me. Way.

I usually have $1.00 to $2.00, or no cash at all.

When I travel, I try to remember to get cash for tips and tolls.


This summer, Esquire magazine published an article on “the State of the American Male.” It was a breakdown of how men in different age groups answered the same interesting questions**.

One was: how much money do you have in your wallet?

I don’t remember the precise number, but it was something like $134.90.

And I’m all like – in 2006, who carries that much cash around? And, goodness - gracious, why?




*That’s right, I traded in the 1999 Subaru Outback (Anniversary Edition) for a used Saab. I won’t lie, I did it to stave off a gathering mid-life crisis of sorts. The 1999 Subaru Outback was one of my favorite characters in ILIM, and I’m sorry you had to learn of our disassociation this way.

**One of them was which would you rather have, a three way with Angelina Jolie and Scarlett Johannsen, or $50,000.” An overwhelming majority of men took the $50,000. You’ll have to guess which of the two Duf would select.