Talking about budget buster! Gasoline...

[Missy1961]

The price of gas is why I'm taking Amtrak to Washington DC rather than driving. I got a great deal -- $49 each way from Penn Station NY to Union Station DC.

 

[ilovemk76]

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.

Do you really think that Washington is good at math?!!!

 

[momof1princess]

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.

congratulations! posts like yours give me hope!

Do you really think that Washington is good at math?!!!

exactly! these are the people who pay $300.00 for a hammer, when you can get a good one at sears for $20.00 or less!

 

[ZehnJahren]

Hate to say it - but I spend about $40 on gas a month. I have a 2 mile round-trip commute, and the distance to EVERYTHING is less than 5 miles - roundtrip. Even our major airport is less than 20 miles away.

I came from a 40-minute, 30 mile commute, so this has been heaven. A few years ago when fuel costs spiked, I was paying over 1/3rd of my paycheck to gas on my 60 mile rt work route. Now, it's a tiny fraction of what I make, and I barely notice it. Thank God for the city!

 

[Colleen27]

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...

Well, the first is a valid point. The second not so much. Because of all the additional security features, the presidential limo is ridiculously heavy, well beyond what a hybrid can power. It can't even accommodate the stock 6-cyl - it has to be an 8-cyl to meet performance/acceleration standards (also related to security - being able to get the heck out of Dodge in a hurry).

The gas prices right now are killing us because while I drive very little DH has to drive a lot for work and there's no downsizing to something that gets good mileage when you're a home improvement contractor. It used to be annoying to waste a day on an estimate that doesn't pan out. Now it is expensive as well.

 

[pixiewings71]

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.

Exactly!! We considered a Prius when we bought the Kia but it just didn't make sense so we went with the Kia for less than half the price. Even with gas prices as they are the Kia is still cheaper.....

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.

Holy cow!!!!! I'd have been really upset with that! Stories like this make me glad it's only self service at most stations here. A few do have full service but most are 100% self. Altho when we go to Oregon and get gas (my family lives in Idaho next to the Oregon border so we visit regularly) it's a neat thing to have someone else pump it for you.

congratulations! posts like yours give me hope!



exactly! these are the people who pay $300.00 for a hammer, when you can get a good one at sears for $20.00 or less!

Thanks! I was beginning to think something was wrong with me, but not anymore. I just had to find the right job. Keep at it, you'll find the right job too!!

 

[chris31997]

Do you really think that Washington is good at math?!!!

I wished I lived in their world and could do math like them and get away with it

 

[chris31997]

Well, the first is a valid point. The second not so much. Because of all the additional security features, the presidential limo is ridiculously heavy, well beyond what a hybrid can power. It can't even accommodate the stock 6-cyl - it has to be an 8-cyl to meet performance/acceleration standards (also related to security - being able to get the heck out of Dodge in a hurry).

If they can build a hybrid that can handle the needs of the president, than that hybrid can handle what I need it to do. Otherwise, I need a real engine and a real truck to tow hubby's toy

 

[DawnM]

We budget $200/mo for gas. I think I will be upping that to $300. DH also takes the train to work for $54/mo but he has to drive 13 miles just to get to the train station.

Dawn

 

[Purseval]

Steven Chu, Secretary of Energy, is a firm believer in eco-friendly energy sources. In 2008 he said that we should find a way to boost gasoline prices up to European levels in order to stimulate Americans to try to find ways to use less fossil fuels and move closer to where they work (in an eco-perfect world almost everyone lives in cities):

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122904040307499791.html

When he became Energy Secretary he backed off of that statement and now has the position that rising gas prices will hurt the economy. But you can change what you say and not what you think, I doubt he's very upset over the rise in prices. The President is also a champion of alternative energy sources and his advice to the gentleman with 10 kids who was worried about rising gas prices to "get a hybrid" indicates that when it comes to coping with the high price of gas we're on our own.

 

[Free4Life11]

exactly. this statement shows that our president is SO out of touch with the average American, that he doesn't see and doesn't care that rising gas prices are forcing average Americans to choose between food/medications and getting back & forth to work. my husband's work hours were just cut in half, and i honestly don't know what we're going to do.

What should he have said? Drive more efficiently, combine trips, live closer to where you work, walk/bike more? These are all pretty obvious...the best way to decrease the impact of rising gas prices is to cut down on your consumption and driving a hybrid or more efficient vehicle is probably going to have the greatest impact.

I'm sure he does care, rising gas prices will certainly hurt the economy, but there is not a whole lot HE can do to ease the pain!

 

[Marionnette]

What should he have said? Drive more efficiently, combine trips, live closer to where you work, walk/bike more? These are all pretty obvious...the best way to decrease the impact of rising gas prices is to cut down on your consumption and driving a hybrid or more efficient vehicle is probably going to have the greatest impact.

I'm sure he does care, rising gas prices will certainly hurt the economy, but there is not a whole lot HE can do to ease the pain!

There's a lot he can do but chooses not to. Telling someone to go out and buy a new vehicle when they are already worried about their budget is not only insensitive but it shows an alarming disconnect with the concerns of the working class. Ignoring the impact of rising oil prices on everything beyond the gas pump is delusional. And if we all went out and bought a hybrid tomorrow or took our a bike to work it would do nothing to lower the cost of oil as long as emerging nations continue to increase their demand for it.

 

[momof1princess]

There's a lot he can do but chooses not to. Telling someone to go out and buy a new vehicle when they are already worried about their budget is not only insensitive but it shows an alarming disconnect with the concerns of the working class. Ignoring the impact of rising oil prices on everything beyond the gas pump is delusional. And if we all went out and bought a hybrid tomorrow or took our a bike to work it would do nothing to lower the cost of oil as long as emerging nations continue to increase their demand for it.

thank you, couldn't have said it better myself.

 

[bethk78]

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 feel your pain. I'm refusing to tally our gas receipts because there's no changing it right now. But in 3 months we're trading our van back to a car and moving 35 minutes closer to our jobs. I'm looking forward to the savings!!

 

[kellia]

OMG, I wish I was complaining about $200/month! At $4/gallon, we pay $800- just to get to/from work. So, probably close to $1000/month for extra stuff on weekends. Dh just bought a motorcycle, which scares me to death to drive that far, but I don't see how we can do it otherwise. With combined commutes of 220 miles a day, we don't have many other options. We can't afford a $40k vechicle, and they wouldn't get us to/from work since the max is 50 miles per charge. And since we have 3 kids, we have to keep the minivan, though the HHR gets close to 30 mpg. I just keep thinking that we are lucky to have jobs, because there are still way too many people around us who don't have one.

I just have too long of a commute to think about all this- all I can do is calculate how much we are paying to go to work with gas and daycare each time gas goes up.

 

[Purseval]

My commute to work is 1/2 mile and my wife doesn't work so gas prices have little to no impact on our budget. But, as others have pointed out, everything I eat, drink, wear or watch has to be delivered or grown by devices that use oil so we will feel it.

 

[superme80]

I have started trying to combine as many of my trips as I can and not leaving town. I used to not think anything of driving 30 miles to go visit my friend and her son. Now I have to plan the trip and put money aside for the gas not to mention lunch and shopping. I went to put gas in my car on Wednesday and it was $4.02 a gallon. I about cried.

 

[Muushka]

Just wait until we have to start dealing with carbon credits. We haven't seen anything yet.

 

[bethk78]

Just wait until we have to start dealing with carbon credits. We haven't seen anything yet.

What are carbon credits?

 

[Muushka]

What are carbon credits?

If you google the question, you will find lots of information. Basically, a carbon credit is a permit that allows the holder to emit one ton of carbon dioxide.It has to do with global warming, the stock market, people investing in something that does not exist and redistribution of wealth.

Purchasing carbon credits so that the carbon you produce (industry for example) will offset the carbon footprint you have left. And who do you think will end up paying for these carbon credits that companies will have to buy? Not the owner, that is for sure. They will pass the cost on down to the consumer. It deals with transfer of wealth from richer countries to poorer countries. I believe It will impact every aspect of business and subsequently, the consumer.

Climate change legislation has not passed, but unless we all become aware of the situation, it may.