There are several jokes about high gas prices. “My wife wanted me to take her somewhere expensive last night. I took her to the gas station” is a joke that has been printed on many images. The “high gas price” joke has been cited in print since at least 2004 and is of unknown authorship.
 
“I don’t usually brag about going to expensive places, but I just left the gas station” is a similar saying.
   
     
Google Groups: soc.senior.issues
On The Town!!
Daisy
6/30/04
Last night when my husband came home, I demanded he take me somewhere expensive…so he took me to the gas station.
       
8 April 2005, Indianapolis (IN) Star, “Let it out,” pg. E2, col. 6:
My girlfriend wanted me to take her somewhere expensive. So I took her to a gas station.
       
Google Groups: alt.tasteless.jokes
GAS
H-C
5/7/05
My wife told me she wanted to go somewhere expensive.
So i took her to the gas station with me.
 
Google Groups: edm.general
Someplace Expensive
John Fleming
8/25/05
A woman was complaining to her husband that they haven’t gone out for a long time, and her husband asked her where she wanted to go.
 
The wife replied:  “I don’t care, just take me somewhere expensive.”
 
So he took her to the gas station.
 
Houston (TX) Chronicle
Recipes show why the Dutch oven is Texas’ official cooking vessel
PEGGY GRODINSKY, Published 6:30 am CST, Wednesday, November 9, 2005
(...)
Neighbors Harley Mills and Dwayne Hill, from Wichita Falls, were attending their first Big DOG. A sign behind their chuck box read, “When I got home, my wife said, ‘Take me somewhere expensive.’ So I took her to the gas station.’ “
   
Twitter
Russ
@russwittmann
Wife ask me to take her somewhere expensive tonight, so I took her to the gas station!
12:48 AM - 24 Apr 2008
   
Twitter
Coolsmartphone
@coolsmartphone
When I got home last night my wife demanded I take her somewhere expensive. I took her to the petrol station.
12:38 PM - 16 May 2008
   
Google Books
Clean Jokes, Inspirational Stories and More
By Ron Dykstra
Mustang, OK: Tate Publishing and Enterprises, LLC
2009
Pg. 271:
When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I take her somewhere expensive ... So, I took her to a gas station.
   
Google Books
The Best ‘A Man Walks Into A Bar’ Jokes
By Billy Brownless
Crows Nest, New South Wales: Allen & Unwin
2009
Pg. 93:
The girlfriend wants him to take her somewhere expensive, so he takes her to the petrol station.
   
Google Books
The Mammoth Book of One-Liners
Edited by Geoff Tibballs
London, UK: Constable & Robinson Ltd
2012
Pg. ?:
For her birthday, my wife said she wanted me to take her somewhere expensive. So I dropped her off at the gas station.
 
Twitter
John Brookfield
@MeltHell
When I got home last night, my wife demanded that I should take her somewhere expensive. I took her to a petrol station! http://fxmb.info/QZbWc6
4:10 PM - 5 Jul 2018