When gas hits $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,110
Likes: 0
nothing. after living in the UK for a couple of years, the impact of high prices won't be so much to me mentality wise.
back reality.....it is sure a long way to drive to college, its almost an hour away, that will suck doing it everyday. would move closer but rent skyrockets in price plau my job is only 10 minutes away.
i would buy a cheaper car but then i look, it just does not make financial sense to do so, my explorer gets a steady 18-20 on the highway now which would be most of my driving.
just going to have to suck it up and strive to make more money to lower the impact of higher fuel prices.
back reality.....it is sure a long way to drive to college, its almost an hour away, that will suck doing it everyday. would move closer but rent skyrockets in price plau my job is only 10 minutes away.
i would buy a cheaper car but then i look, it just does not make financial sense to do so, my explorer gets a steady 18-20 on the highway now which would be most of my driving.
just going to have to suck it up and strive to make more money to lower the impact of higher fuel prices.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,037
Likes: 9
From: Kasson, Minnesota
I drive to work (30 miles roundtrip) about 3 times per week and my wife drives about the same. we don't have the same schedules, so driving together doesn't work. She drives an 03 explorer with E85 which helps some. I drive a 97 Dakota that gets 18-20 MPG. So, we are limiting our driving a lot more in the past couple years. Eventually, my wife will cut down on her work in order to stay home when we have kids. I figured, why pay for her to drive to work with high fuel costs and then pay for day care so she can work full time. Just as well try to save the cost for those things, because either way it makes it for a smaller pay check.
But it definately makes things a bit tougher on the budget any way you look at it. We like to camp during the spring/summer. We can still do that, but have to stick to local campgrounds and not camping trips. We have a pop-up, so that doesn't hurt too much there. I'll have a gas-guzzler old truck, but I won't and don't plan on driving it much. Other than that, not much else to give up except retirement.
Realistically, when will gas prices just ruin the economy. I mean there has to be a line to be drawn when fuel just isn't affordable for the average person. It's going to be sad when we are spending $100 for a 20 gallon fillup.
But it definately makes things a bit tougher on the budget any way you look at it. We like to camp during the spring/summer. We can still do that, but have to stick to local campgrounds and not camping trips. We have a pop-up, so that doesn't hurt too much there. I'll have a gas-guzzler old truck, but I won't and don't plan on driving it much. Other than that, not much else to give up except retirement.
Realistically, when will gas prices just ruin the economy. I mean there has to be a line to be drawn when fuel just isn't affordable for the average person. It's going to be sad when we are spending $100 for a 20 gallon fillup.
Posting Guru
Joined: Jul 2005
Posts: 1,958
Likes: 0
From: Southeastern Indiana
So far wife and I don't really notice the high prices. We saw this comming and moved closer to our jobs, and it has worked out great. I fillup every 3 weeks now when before it was every 4 to 5 days and wife fills up once a month when before it was every 7 to 8 days.
Laughing Gas
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,245
Likes: 0
I will start pursuing work closer to home and/or act a little more intently on some things I have been doing for side money more as a career and work for myself, thus cutting the amount of time I spend on the roads. My daily driver already does pretty well on gas (mid 30s) and anything that does better right now has its price inflated or the ROI is too long to make sense. I might have to look at getting a $2000-3000 car to be able to park the wife's Wrangler if it looks like its going to get up above $3.50 a gallon and stay there simply because I don't want to throw that much money away on gas for transportation to/from work. She's already about as close to home as she can get for what she does unless she gets a good deal of freelance work.
If I could more closely align my schedule with that of my wife's we'd probably be carpooling at least 2-3 days a week.
Eventually the investors who keep driving up the price of a barrel of oil might take some time to realize that the ONLY place they are making any money and reverse course somewhat. Our weak dollar, spurred on by these constant interest rate cuts and our excessive debt spending, isn't helping things either.
If I could more closely align my schedule with that of my wife's we'd probably be carpooling at least 2-3 days a week.
Eventually the investors who keep driving up the price of a barrel of oil might take some time to realize that the ONLY place they are making any money and reverse course somewhat. Our weak dollar, spurred on by these constant interest rate cuts and our excessive debt spending, isn't helping things either.
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2006
Posts: 5,037
Likes: 9
From: Kasson, Minnesota
I know it's causing me to have a lot of second thoughts on even looking at getting into a bigger house or trying to have more than a couple kids. Of course not just fuel prices are making me think, but many other things as well. Fuel Prices don't help the matters though. And it stinks that I have had to cut down on visiting family that are out of state.
Junior User
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 82
Likes: 0
From: Linn County, Oregon
Am I the only one in America that really isn't bothered by high fuel prices?
I read a story not too long ago that said as a percentage of their income, Americans are still paying less for fuel than at any point in history.
Besides that, there is an upper limit to how high oil prices can go. I can't remember what the price is, but we're nearing the point at which it becomes profitable to refine the oil sand in Canada. Once that happens, the world's supply of oil will more than double, and the excessive supply will keep prices low (but not too low).
I'm willing to bet that my income over the course of my lifetime will increase faster than gas prices.
I read a story not too long ago that said as a percentage of their income, Americans are still paying less for fuel than at any point in history.
Besides that, there is an upper limit to how high oil prices can go. I can't remember what the price is, but we're nearing the point at which it becomes profitable to refine the oil sand in Canada. Once that happens, the world's supply of oil will more than double, and the excessive supply will keep prices low (but not too low).
I'm willing to bet that my income over the course of my lifetime will increase faster than gas prices.
Hotshot
Joined: Oct 2002
Posts: 18,488
Likes: 22
From: The Big, Oregon
Originally Posted by MikeSmith
Besides that, there is an upper limit to how high oil prices can go. I can't remember what the price is, but we're nearing the point at which it becomes profitable to refine the oil sand in Canada. Once that happens, the world's supply of oil will more than double, and the excessive supply will keep prices low (but not too low).
Here's some prices adjusted from inflation:
http://inflationdata.com/inflation/i...tion_chart.htm
The chart is from a year ago, but as you can see, we are at record highs no matter how you look at it.
It just enrages me that we are handing US, Canadian, and European corporations money at a price that clears them BILLIONS in profits annually, a price point set by a group that, while they provide a significant portion of our oil, do not provide all our oil and the price should reflect that. It's legal extortion, and government sanctioned to boot.
Postmaster
Joined: Jul 2003
Posts: 2,628
Likes: 0
From: Calgary, Canada
They are working on the oil sands, there are a couple of problems though... Water Usage and Electricity to produce steam, not to mention time and hands to 'build it'. They've been bouncing around the idea of putting in nuclear power plants; not sure how those discussions are going but it will take at least 8 years to build a couple of plants
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Fleet Mechanic
Joined: Jul 2004
Posts: 1,988
Likes: 14
From: Travelers Rest SC
I use about 350 gallons a year, so the price is no big deal. Each time it makes a major jump. I do tend to cut down on extra trips, though. My commute to work is only 5 miles, and here in FL, you can do it on a bicycle year-round, if push comes to shove. I'm more worried about what the big push for ethanol is going to do to food prices. Not much you can do when you can't afford food!
Postmaster
Joined: Nov 2002
Posts: 3,529
Likes: 1
From: The Star-Club, Hamburg
I've already cut out most of my "unnecessary" trips... eating out, just going for a leisurely drive, etc. My commute to my job in town is less than 20 miles round-trip per day, and my truck does pretty well on mileage, given its age and condition. I am looking for something smaller (a Ranger would be nice to have) for a commuter truck, but have no plans to give up my '96 Bronco with the 5.8. It's my "good" truck, so it sees limited use as it is, and with warmer weather coming up, I don't need the 4x4 to get around.
For farm use, well, there's not much I can do to cut back, really. The saving grace there is that most fuel used on the farm is diesel fuel, not gasoline, and has no road use tax attached to it. That does help a bit, but it still does cause a pinch in the wallet.
For farm use, well, there's not much I can do to cut back, really. The saving grace there is that most fuel used on the farm is diesel fuel, not gasoline, and has no road use tax attached to it. That does help a bit, but it still does cause a pinch in the wallet.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2004
Posts: 13,589
Likes: 2
From: NW burbs of chicago
Anyone here buy "boat gas" or bar/snowmobile gas? these prices are usually 50c to a buck higher than on road gas.
People will keep paying it
My communte is 16 miles a day (I'd bike it if I could) but I have 4 diesel local delivery trucks and use about 400 gals a month. Customers are going to see higher fuel surcharges
People will keep paying it
My communte is 16 miles a day (I'd bike it if I could) but I have 4 diesel local delivery trucks and use about 400 gals a month. Customers are going to see higher fuel surcharges
Posting Guru
Joined: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,441
Likes: 0
It will never get to 5 a gallon. Because no one can afford it at that price. If people would stop buying gas and went on strike I gurantee you that the price would drop back down were it used to be. But that will never happen...
Post Fiend
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 6,110
Likes: 0
people can afford $5 gas and they will. people all over the world pay higher prices and their civilizations get along fine.
problme is many have no choice but to buy the gas, at any price i might add. they have to go to work, no work, no money. even if they have to spend $10 a gallon a person will because they have to, no other choice. the only breaking point would be when it costs more to go to work than the job pays, but by the time that would ever happen there would be way more economic problems to deal with.
as of now fuel prices are taking away from other economic areas, the only saving grace so far is credit, which is like jumping from the titanic to the bismark.
my problem is with these ethanol idiots. not only do i now have high fuel prices, but now high food prices to go along with it.
you all should see the price increases many other countries are going through now. there is a combination of fuel price hikes and food price hikes that are occuring. many countries, poor ones at that, are paying way more in food costs then we are, but yet make only the fraction of the money. imagine a liter of veggie oil for $5?
problme is many have no choice but to buy the gas, at any price i might add. they have to go to work, no work, no money. even if they have to spend $10 a gallon a person will because they have to, no other choice. the only breaking point would be when it costs more to go to work than the job pays, but by the time that would ever happen there would be way more economic problems to deal with.
as of now fuel prices are taking away from other economic areas, the only saving grace so far is credit, which is like jumping from the titanic to the bismark.
my problem is with these ethanol idiots. not only do i now have high fuel prices, but now high food prices to go along with it.
you all should see the price increases many other countries are going through now. there is a combination of fuel price hikes and food price hikes that are occuring. many countries, poor ones at that, are paying way more in food costs then we are, but yet make only the fraction of the money. imagine a liter of veggie oil for $5?