Talking about budget buster! Gasoline...

[marie1203]

This morning I paid our Credit cards and added up how much be have spent in gas so far this month it was $217 we usually spend $240 the whole month we still have half of the month to go. We haven't gone any trip or anything out of the usual.

 

[RadioFanatic]

yeah, we bought a minivan last summer - are we regretting that decision now! dh and i actually switched cars bc I drive less miles round trip to work so am now taking the van - but at $4 a gallon, it costs $65-70 to fill it!

 

[Marionnette]

Hold onto your hats, because the price at the pumps is based on oil that was bought a month ago when it was under $100/barrel. We'll be seeing the current oil prices reflected at the pump some time around Memorial Day.

The higher oil prices will also affect the farmers plowing their fields and harvesting their crops (except the Amish farmers in Lancaster). Which affects the cost of produce.

That in turn means higher costs for animal feed...higher egg, dairy, poultry and meat costs.

And it will cost more to pay for the energy to process those commodities and deliver them to the consumer.

And any synthetic materials made from oil by-products will go up in price. That means packaging and textiles.

Yeah, it's not just pain at the pump that we're going to be feeling. But as our president told a questioner at a Pennsylvania townhall meeting last week - just trade in your gas guzzler for an eco-friendly hybrid. Problem solved.

 

[JB2K]

But as our president told a questioner at a Pennsylvania townhall meeting last week - just trade in your gas guzzler for an eco-friendly hybrid. Problem solved.

Two things:

• "Eco-friendly" hybrids are not widely-available across the U.S., nor are they affordable for many Americans.
  
• When I see the presidential limo become a "hybrid", I may be more inclined to heed the advice -- you know, a lead by example kind of thing...

 

[marie1203]

Lately everything turns out political on the Dis.

 

[usnuzuloose]

I hear that. Be grateful thats all you spend, my DH drives a big van for our business plu.s we have to use propane as well. We spend arond 600 or more

 

[FINFAN]

trade ya...ours was $380 last month. I just filled up 3 cars, to the tune of $62, $64 and $65...and they get filled 2x's a month...so looking at about the same again

 

[MsHershey]

Two things:

• "Eco-friendly" hybrids are not widely-available across the U.S., nor are they affordable for many Americans.
  
• When I see the presidential limo become a "hybrid", I may be more inclined to heed the advice -- you know, a lead by example kind of thing...

Love it! My thoughts exactly. The last time gas prices skyrocketed like this a lot of people were blaming Bush. Whose fault is it now?

 

[kellia]

Dh and I each have to fill up at least twice a week. I work 60 miles from home, he works 50 miles away. It is killing us! Gas is now as much or more than our mortgage.

 

[marmalade]

Remember back in the late 90's when gas was around $1.00/gallon? I remember filling up my 93 saturn for around $12.00, those were the good ole days. Now I can get a tank to last 2 weeks, so $110 a month but my DH has an older truck and drives further and fills up probably 6 times a month for a total of $360. That's $470/month just for gas.

 

[momof1princess]

Hold onto your hats, because the price at the pumps is based on oil that was bought a month ago when it was under $100/barrel. We'll be seeing the current oil prices reflected at the pump some time around Memorial Day.

The higher oil prices will also affect the farmers plowing their fields and harvesting their crops (except the Amish farmers in Lancaster). Which affects the cost of produce.

That in turn means higher costs for animal feed...higher egg, dairy, poultry and meat costs.

And it will cost more to pay for the energy to process those commodities and deliver them to the consumer.

And any synthetic materials made from oil by-products will go up in price. That means packaging and textiles.

Yeah, it's not just pain at the pump that we're going to be feeling. But as our president told a questioner at a Pennsylvania townhall meeting last week - just trade in your gas guzzler for an eco-friendly hybrid. Problem solved.

gee, mr. president, what a BRILLIANT suggestion! do you have any suggestions as to how i'm supposed to PAY for that "eco-friendly" shoebox on wheels, since i've been looking for a job for 8 months now, and haven't gotten one yet? take your bright idea and stick it, obama. SOME of us can't afford to buy new cars, and have to make do with what we have. must be nice not to have to live in the real world.

 

[pixiewings71]

gee, mr. president, what a BRILLIANT suggestion! do you have any suggestions as to how i'm supposed to PAY for that "eco-friendly" shoebox on wheels, since i've been looking for a job for 8 months now, and haven't gotten one yet? take your bright idea and stick it, obama. SOME of us can't afford to buy new cars, and have to make do with what we have. must be nice not to have to live in the real world.

Amen!!!! I JUST got a job offer and I've been looking for 10 months!! There's no way we can afford to buy me something new, besides we need the minivan! I'm hoping that a few months down the road here I'll be able to fix up the little Dodge Neon we have (it's got compression problems and won't pass smog so we can't register it) so I can drive it to and from work to save gas money. Luckily the job I was offered is only a 10 minute commute, that's much better than what I had before (30-60) and much better than DBF's commute (45-90). Depending on how the gas prices are he might be driving the Neon again while I drive the Kia he drives now......gas is just ridiculous!! And we have 2 long distance trips to drive this summer...one to So Cal and one to Idaho for DD23s wedding.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

Remember back in the late 90's when gas was around $1.00/gallon? I remember filling up my 93 saturn for around $12.00, those were the good ole days. Now I can get a tank to last 2 weeks, so $110 a month but my DH has an older truck and drives further and fills up probably 6 times a month for a total of $360. That's $470/month just for gas.

In the late 90's I would just jump into my car and drive 6 hours to NJ to visit my family. Now I won't even take a road trip to Target unless I have a lot I really need. I had a Honda with a 17 gallon tank, I was typically under $20 to fill it.

Well, this is just going to be like summer of 2008 where I did absolutely nothing to stimulate the economy. No road trips to NJ or Maine, no day trips to Boston. I will pay $150 for a town pool membership and take DD there everyday, we can pack a lunch and ice cream treats are less than $2.

 

[drewmer]

Watching the unrest in much of the world and our inability touse our own energy supplies I don't see gas prices dropping anytime soon. The only thing I see out there that could drop prices much in the near future is people realizing how bad many of the economies of the world actually are. If we quit hiding behind questionable numbers the truth may come out.

We all have some hard times ahead if we want to leave our country in better shape than our parents left it to us.

 

[scrapquitler]

This morning I paid our Credit cards and added up how much be have spent in gas so far this month it was $217 we usually spend $240 the whole month we still have half of the month to go. We haven't gone any trip or anything out of the usual.

I think you probably are driving more now because it is spring. A few extra trips around town here and there can really add up. Because if you think about it, based on what you said, you have spent almost the same this month in two weeks as you usually spend in a whole month. For your driving to remain the same and the price to increase that much, the price would have to double. Gas prices are way up, but they haven't doubled. Maybe 25% increase over the last two or three months, but not doubling.

 

[loveysbydesign]

I feel your pain. My dh drives 60 miles roundtrip to work and he has a 2004 Ford Exploreer that we are still paying the car loan on(we bought it used 3 years ago) It's costing us $80 a week just for him. I drive a smaller size base model 2005 T&C minivan but I need it for carpooling and such so he can't use it to drive to his work.

 

[CowboyCO]

Hold onto your hats, because the price at the pumps is based on oil that was bought a month ago when it was under $100/barrel. We'll be seeing the current oil prices reflected at the pump some time around Memorial Day.

The higher oil prices will also affect the farmers plowing their fields and harvesting their crops (except the Amish farmers in Lancaster). Which affects the cost of produce.

That in turn means higher costs for animal feed...higher egg, dairy, poultry and meat costs.

And it will cost more to pay for the energy to process those commodities and deliver them to the consumer.

And any synthetic materials made from oil by-products will go up in price. That means packaging and textiles.

Yeah, it's not just pain at the pump that we're going to be feeling. But as our president told a questioner at a Pennsylvania townhall meeting last week - just trade in your gas guzzler for an eco-friendly hybrid. Problem solved.

If you trade a van that gets 20mpg for a hybrid that gets 40 mpg, it will take an average of 3.5 years to make up the difference in gas cost versus the increased cost of the vehicle over a non-hybrid version. Spending $30,000 (prius) or $40,000 (Volt)to save $2,400-$3,000 a year in gas doesn't compute. That's what they don't understand in Washington.

 

[wtccheermom]

gee, mr. president, what a BRILLIANT suggestion! do you have any suggestions as to how i'm supposed to PAY for that "eco-friendly" shoebox on wheels, since i've been looking for a job for 8 months now, and haven't gotten one yet? take your bright idea and stick it, obama. SOME of us can't afford to buy new cars, and have to make do with what we have. must be nice not to have to live in the real world.

Funny !!!

 

[Nissi]

This morning, I was low on gas on the way to work and I stopped at a Full Serve station..gas was $4.29. I said to the guy, "$40 premium, please." After he filled it, (I couldn't see the pump), I started my car and noticed the needle was pinned to the Full mark. I was thinking, uh oh, that wasn't $40 worth. I looked at my reciept after I got to work and it said $71!

Lesson learned, I will either make him repeat it back to me, or just do it myself.

 

[Marionnette]

If you trade a van that gets 20mpg for a hybrid that gets 40 mpg, it will take an average of 3.5 years to make up the difference in gas cost versus the increased cost of the vehicle over a non-hybrid version. Spending $30,000 (prius) or $40,000 (Volt)to save $2,400-$3,000 a year in gas doesn't compute. That's what they don't understand in Washington.

This is true. But there's so much more to it than just the cost of a vehicle vs. the cost of fuel for it.

Petrolium products are used in fertilizers, pesticides and plastics. Not only will it cost more to plant and harvest a crop, it will cost more to make it grow, minimize loss due to insects and package it. The cup that your yogurt is in. The styrofoam tray that Perdue puts its chicken cutlets in.

Every electronic item that I own is made of plastic or at least has a plastic shell.

Even those eco-friendly electric cars have upholstery and parts that are composed of petrochemical products.

Unless you live in a cave and make your own sackcloth, the rising cost of oil is going to affect you and buying a hybrid car ain't going to change any of that!