This Jersey Girl pumped her own gas today!!

[mjkacmom]

I reserve pride for much bigger accomplishments..working and paying my way through college, running a marathon, stuff that requires years of work or above average effort.

And I'm proud whenever I clean the bathrooms here! Two toilets, 7 people, 2 boys. I think the reason it might seem confusing for those of us here in NJ is that there are different set-ups at different stations, and if pumping gas is something you've only done a couple of times in your life, it's not second nature.

Some people scan and bag their own groceries on a regular basis, and probably don't even need to think about it. I'm telling you right now, there is NO way my 70 year old Princeton educated dad could scan his own groceries - he has yet to figure out email!

 

[ckay87]

I reserve pride for much bigger accomplishments..working and paying my way through college, running a marathon, stuff that requires years of work or above average effort.

More than anything, I get the vibe that the OP is expressing a kind of self-deprecating kind of humor, you know? Most of us have done it... expressed pride over a little thing that we KNOW we have no right to be proud over. When OP said "don't laugh..." that's where I got the spirit of the post. I truly don't think anyone is comparing it to the almighty marathon-level pride. .

 

[lovemygoofy]

It's like the southerners complaining or being proud of shoveling snow. Any moron can do that, should we mock them?

That would be me.

 

[ckay87]

That would be me.

Awww, and see, I wouldn't make fun of you anymore than I'd make fun of a young Jersey girl pumping gas. You should be PROUD of surviving one of your first big winters.

 

[lovemygoofy]

Awww, and see, I wouldn't make fun of you anymore than I'd make fun of a young Jersey girl pumping gas. You should be PROUD of surviving one of your first big winters.

I think I'm going to have a sweatshirt made that says "G.R.I.T.S.(girls raised in the south) can survive the snow" and on the back blizzards 2010

I understand what the OP meant. When you are out of your element something as simple as pumping gas is a big thing. It maybe trivial to some absoultely.

I just don't like to hear that people don't do this or that because it's not their thing. At some point it very well could be your thing and you damn well will learn or sink. Trust me I've learned quickly the hard way.

 

[kacaju]

Did you consider that the OP may be a very young person? I went to college in my home state, so it was quite a while that I was driving out of state regularly.

I can't believe how people are being such jerks about this.

It's like the southerners complaining or being proud of shoveling snow. Any moron can do that, should we mock them?

LOL!! OP here, I am actually an almost 43 year old!!

 

[ols386]

I just thought that every state in the U.S. has self-service gas pumps now. Would not have entered my mind that NJ, or any other state, didn't have that. Course I've never been to NJ.

 

[kacaju]

I just thought that every state in the U.S. has self-service gas pumps now. Would not have entered my mind that NJ, or any other state, didn't have that. Course I've never been to NJ.

Funny thing...because of the DISBOARDS I know all other States (except OR) do not have full service. I would have been sitting there waiting for the guy to come out to pump my gas...then I would have looked like a fool!!

 

[MiniGirl]

I know many of you have said your gas in cheaper in New Jersey than surrounding states, so out of curiosity I looked up the taxes.

New Jersey has the 3rd lowest gas tax in the nation. Only Alaska and Wyoming has a lower gas tax.

http://www.taxfoundation.org/taxdata/show/245.html

 

[bumbershoot]

I reserve pride for much bigger accomplishments..working and paying my way through college, running a marathon, stuff that requires years of work or above average effort.

Fire, if there was some little thing that you had personally never done, and finally you did it, you might feel a little swelling of pride. It was like when I first changed a tire (I had a long number of years there where I was "flat tire girl"; if there was a big nail, the working end of a screwdriver, or just about anything pointy on the road, I would manage to run it over and get a puncture), it was COOL that now I knew I could do it! That feeling would be strange to DH, because he grew up working on cars. You and DH could hook computers up to a wireless router with ease, but if I ever do it on my own, I'll feel pride.

Have you ever used a sewing machine? Made a cake from scratch? Installed flooring? Built a table? Just something that other people do, but you personally have never done? When you finally do it, I bet you'll smile to yourself.

Not everyone posts everything they do online. Not everyone creates a post to talk about it. I rarely create a post to talk about that stuff, though I'll own up to things in replies. But I bet most people, upon doing something they've never done before, smile a bit to themselves, and that's what the OP is doing, just "in public".

Funny thing...because of the DISBOARDS I know all other States (except OR) do not have full service. I would have been sitting there waiting for the guy to come out to pump my gas...then I would have looked like a fool!!

There are full service places here in WA, I know exactly where one is. It's just not *required* like it is in OR and NJ, and the people filling your tank DO expect a tip. It's also much higher in price, and with our big and varied taxes on gas, even the Arco is about 2.69 right now for the lowest grade, selfservice...so adding more onto it just so you can stay in your car is adding a lot!

By the way, in OR the attendants have taken a tip without a weird look, so it's possible NJ and OR are a bit different in respect to tips.

 

[ncmickeyluvr]

just a question, what is intimidation about pumping gas? theres no one there watching you to give you a score? what freaks you out about it? just curious...

It imtimidated me AT THE TIME because I was 23 or 24 and had never pumped gas in my life. I wasn't even sure how the machine worked. I mean, when the time came , I just did it and felt silly for having been intimidated......but it was still kind of a scary moment. Sorry if you can't understand that.....some people are just timid about new things. I'm proud to say that I have now pumped my own gas for 15 years Not scary at all anymore.

 

[ckay87]

LOL!! OP here, I am actually an almost 43 year old!!

Sorry, I meant well.

 

[minijeanie]

driving 30 years and never have pumped my own gas...tooo afraid...when I visit my son in college in PA...I make sure tank is full and on the return trip my tank is so low ....gets me to 1st exit in NJ...

and thank god I don't have to pump

I am petrified of it.....


YIKES

 

[Disneycrazy!!]

Is this for real??? I never heard of anyone not pumping their own gas.

 

[Diznotyzed]

By the way, in OR the attendants have taken a tip without a weird look, so it's possible NJ and OR are a bit different in respect to tips.

Lifelong Oregonian and I've never heard of anyone tipping the person who pumped their gas.

 

[kacaju]

Is this for real??? I never heard of anyone not pumping their own gas.

yes this is real. If you do a search you will see this topic has been brought up here many times.

 

[KramBerries]

What I find so odd is that people would be content to have their state government tell them that they cannot pump their own gas even with they and the service station are OK with it. How odd. I prefer the freedom to choose. Here in Texas, we have the choice, although so few people choose to pay the extra cost that it really is hard to find full service stations these days.

I have seen other odd regional differences. Someone told me that where they are from, they don't sack your groceries for you at the grocery store.

 

[ckay87]

Is this for real??? I never heard of anyone not pumping their own gas.

And what I find so odd is how many people have never "heard" of not pumping your own gas. Maybe this is just one of those "feeling old" moments. But I'm not THAT old (40 ) and I remember as a kid, gas was always pumped for you (and windshields cleaned and oil checked upon request). I also remember when pump-your-own was new and how people were intimidated to do it at first. Then for a while, when I first started driving, you still had the choice.

 

[DisneyAndRedSox]

My family was born and raised in So NJ and my Dad's job moved to Central Mass in 1989. In protest of the move my Mom refuses to pump gas.

Twenty one years and one month have passed, and she is still holding her ground and has never pumped gas.... The only thing she has caved in on is she will root for the Red Sox.

 

[LoraJ]

And what I find so odd is how many people have never "heard" of not pumping your own gas. Maybe this is just one of those "feeling old" moments. But I'm not THAT old (40 ) and I remember as a kid, gas was always pumped for you (and windshields cleaned and oil checked upon request). I also remember when pump-your-own was new and how people were intimidated to do it at first. Then for a while, when I first started driving, you still had the choice.

I'm your age and I remember all that as well when I grew up in OH.

What I find so odd is that people would be content to have their state government tell them that they cannot pump their own gas even with they and the service station are OK with it. How odd. I prefer the freedom to choose. Here in Texas, we have the choice, although so few people choose to pay the extra cost that it really is hard to find full service stations these days.

I find it an odd thing to get outraged over. I can stay in my car in the extreme hot and extreme cold. It gives people jobs. Like we really need more unemployed right now just so I can pump my own gas? If our gas prices were much higher, then yes we would be complaining, but they are cheaper than the surrounding states, so who cares?