When gas hit $5, what will you do?

[luvwinnie]

Considering all our vacationing is done in a motorhome, it will be a very expensive summer for us.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I drive the Saturn Relay--I have resorted to not filling up the tank. Encourages me to not drive as much if not necessary. Nothing is really walking distance save the GAS station, the car wash and a couple of restaurants and a walgreens. Publix is running distance from us--but I'm not about to "run" literally to go get my groceries.

However--my girls are busy earning enough allowance to buy themselves a bike and I will be getting enough as well. We may be able to peddle over to the produce store to get our fruits and veggies and save grocery runs for when we are ordinarily out and about. But they must earn their allowance first. It will be a long while before we peddle to the grocery store or library.

But it isn't gas prices that are driving me in that direction. But rather fitness.

Our van is classified as an SUV, though I have no idea why. I can do a tank in a little over two weeks---2 tanks carries me over a month--unless we have a driving trip.

For a comparison---I can get up to DC from central Florida on two tanks--with enough left over to not require a fill up right away once I get there. That's ~750 miles.

 

[PenskeSth1]

Think I will invest in a horse and buggy.

I was thinking the same thing.. As a kid it was not uncommon to see my horse tied to the tree at our local small town market.. I guess it is time to go back to the good reliable horse!!

I am trading my gas guzzling Expedition in for something more gas friendly. It has to be able to haul our camping gear though. This will take alot of research I imagine. We are keeping DH's F-350 diesel though, we need it to pull our 5th wheel RV.

 

[luvwinnie]

I take the bus to work...hoping those prices don't go up again.

 

[kydisneyfans]

I've spent over $85.00 in gas over the past 36 hours for my 40mpg tiny Saturn SL. My job requires driving-thank god I am reimbursed and then some. The tax credit at year end is good, too.

We have a Saturn Vue-small SUV-that is the way to go for families of 3 or 4-decent gas mileage, room for luggage, etc.

Since I am reimbursed by the company I work for, if gas hits $5.00 a gallon, their cost will increase substantially, then to meet the bottom line, they will have to raise the product price to cover the cost-so consumers are hit both way--higher prices at the pump, and higher cost of goods due to transport costs.

Can anyone else see a recession soon?

 

[Marseeya]

I've spent over $85.00 in gas over the past 36 hours for my 40mpg tiny Saturn SL. My job requires driving-thank god I am reimbursed and then some. The tax credit at year end is good, too.

We have a Saturn Vue-small SUV-that is the way to go for families of 3 or 4-decent gas mileage, room for luggage, etc.

Since I am reimbursed by the company I work for, if gas hits $5.00 a gallon, their cost will increase substantially, then to meet the bottom line, they will have to raise the product price to cover the cost-so consumers are hit both way--higher prices at the pump, and higher cost of goods due to transport costs.

Can anyone else see a recession soon?

Hey, who knows! Maybe our beloved president will pull a $500 tax credit out of his butt by the end of summer to get the economy going.

 

[jeffn5631]

We never really get the picture.....it is the law of supply and demand. Until we change our ways and use a lot less of gas for a long period of time, the price will never adjust down or until an alternative product to gas magically appears that would be competitive that is the only way things will change. So you better get use to these prices staying higher and higher. The rich people of this country who can afford gas at any price are probably wishing it goes so high that it will drive low and middle class people off the roads and make it easier for them to drive their big cars anywhere they like without traffic jams. I am lucky, I have the option to park my car and ride around in my electric scooter to do the things I need for every day life.

J & J

 

[Andrea]

well most of our cars stay parked, we have always rode our motorcycles everwhere even before gas prices were go crazy. so gas prices are not really bothering us to much right now

 

[Chris2597]

Other countries have had high gas prices for years....but I seem to recall reading that a large % of the cost is tax that is added to the price....something about the tax paying for social services, medical care, and gov provided services to all....As I said, I remember reading something about this....If this is the case....our gas in the US is really gouging us as I am not aware of any services we are receiving from gas cost other than driving our cars.
I think the gas companies are hiking the prices to see what Americans will tolerate before reining in driving...and then that will be the new price. I have not seen anyone curtail their driving around here, with gas at nearly 2.80 a gal.

 

[Crankyshank]

gas here has increased $.22 in a week's time. Because of the jump overnight, people were lining up at the gulf station because they hadn't yet changed their prices.
A guy actually rammed into a car that cut in front of the line and effectively "stole" an open pump.
With road rage fatalities increasing at alarming rates, is this the next step - pump rage?

 

[Charade]

The rich people of this country who can afford gas at any price are probably wishing it goes so high that it will drive low and middle class people off the roads and make it easier for them to drive their big cars anywhere they like without traffic jams.

Do you really think they (rich people) are that crass?

 

[minnieandmickeymouse]

Not much more I can do.

We already made the decision never to buy another minivan and there are six of us. What's the point of getting a new minivan, only to avoid driving it. We have a car now, and use it as much as possible, and only use the paid off minivan that we have now when it's the 6 of us going somewhere (very rare).

We put back in our wood stove and will be using it full time this upcoming winter.

We will have to suck it up, whatever happens from now on. I hate it at the price it is now. It sucks.

 

[C.Ann]

I saw unleaded for $3.14 yesterday - it's easily going to hit $4 by Memorial Day weekend.. So what does that mean for the 4th of July? $5 a gallon by then?

While I was home I got gas for $2.99 just before I left to come back up here.. Basically got a quarter of a tank or a hair more for that.. (Was trying to top off the tank to full and thought the $20 would do that - WRONG..)

So - I need to do a big shopping trip sometime this weekend (couldn't buy perishable groceries on my way here yesterday) and once that is accomplished, I'll be sitting tight until I'm needed at home - or the first weekend in May when there's the village-wide garage sale 7 miles from here..

If the gas hits $5 a gallon, I think you're going to see some serious economical problems in this country, so we all better brace ourselves for the worst..

 

[tuckerkeys]

i am seriously concerned......we own a mid size business and the gas prices effect our bottom line! we end up paying more from our deliveries and then i have to pass it on to our customers...it SUCKS! we bought a honda last summer before the gas prices went up up up, so we'll just park the durango and use the honda more...35mps vs 15 sure makes a difference! and when we do sign installs that require a drive out of town, our install price will be maybe 10-20$ more to make up for the gas.....

it stinks we have to pass it along to our customers.....all of our suppliers pass the cost onto us, which hits our bottom line...what is interesting is that there is always a line item "Fuel surcharge" from our suppliers...and it seems to always hang onto our bills a few weeks after the prices have dropped.... if gas hits 5$ a gallon we will stop eating out. period. that stinks for my local economy...

 

[Disneyrsh]

In 2004 when the gas prices started going up again, we sold our Mercedes E320 for a Toyota Corolla, standard transmission.

Yeah, it hurt, but it got to the point where we felt like we should ritually stand in front of that beautiful car and burn dollar bills in obesiance to it every night.

Although we're a little cramped (husband is 6'4" and really misses the big german car that fit his big german-descent frame), we're feeling pretty smart about buying it right now...

I remember back in 1990 living in Milan where the gas prices were about 5 dollars a gallon (I think they measured in liters, though) and I thought, wow, it stinks being a european, they all have to drive tiny little cars and scooters because of the gas prices.

D'oh!

 

[C.Ann]

what is interesting is that there is always a line item "Fuel surcharge" from our suppliers...and it seems to always hang onto our bills a few weeks after the prices have dropped.... if gas hits 5$ a gallon we will stop eating out. period. that stinks for my local economy...

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I have recently been getting estimates to have a well drilled and all of the drillers have a $1.50 fuel surcharge PER FOOT for drilling and when you're talking about drilling 200 feet or more, that's quite an additional expense.. But - they can't really be expected to eat those costs themselves..

This situation is bad - and is only going to get worse..

 

[Jabber_Jaws]

We never really get the picture.....it is the law of supply and demand. Until we change our ways and use a lot less of gas for a long period of time, the price will never adjust down or until an alternative product to gas magically appears that would be competitive that is the only way things will change. So you better get use to these prices staying higher and higher. The rich people of this country who can afford gas at any price are probably wishing it goes so high that it will drive low and middle class people off the roads and make it easier for them to drive their big cars anywhere they like without traffic jams. I am lucky, I have the option to park my car and ride around in my electric scooter to do the things I need for every day life.

J & J

It scares me when people with this mind set goes to the polls to vote.

 

[Disneyrsh]

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I have recently been getting estimates to have a well drilled and all of the drillers have a $1.50 fuel surcharge PER FOOT for drilling and when you're talking about drilling 200 feet or more, that's quite an additional expense.. But - they can't really be expected to eat those costs themselves..

This situation is bad - and is only going to get worse..

C. Ann, are you drilling for oil? That can't be the most efficient way of cutting your fuel costs!

 

[C.Ann]

C. Ann, are you drilling for oil? That can't be the most efficient way of cutting your fuel costs!

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Actually I'm not drilling at all this year - unless the well goes dry..

The neighbors around me have had to drill anywhere from 200 to 400 feet before they hit water and right now the per foot cost to drill (NOT counting the surcharge) is $12.. Then there's the casing per foot, etc., etc..

PLEASE pray the well doesn't go dry because I really don't want to shell out all that money this year..

 

[mickeyfan2]

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Actually I'm not drilling at all this year - unless the well goes dry..

The neighbors around me have had to drill anywhere from 200 to 400 feet before they hit water and right now the per foot cost to drill (NOT counting the surcharge) is $12.. Then there's the casing per foot, etc., etc..

PLEASE pray the well doesn't go dry because I really don't want to shell out all that money this year..

Wow that is expensive. We have a 400 ft well that we drilled years ago. We hit water at 60 ft. The first 60 feet are in casing (pvc pipe and concrete). We paid a flat rate for the well and they guaranteed us a good well, if we let them pick the drilling site. We have a 4 gallon a minute well. If the well was not good, then they would have drilled the second, third, etc. for free. We have never had ours go dry, but do worry about it.

If it went dry now we could have them drill the existing well deeper. They would only do this to a dry well, but not a working well. Is that an option for you?