The Effects of $5 a Gallon Gas?

[Michigan Badger]

Personally it won't have much affect on me. I'm not a traveler by nature and so when I retire I'll stay pretty close to home. Today I have a generous gas allowance so I don't really notice the price much.

But for the majority of Americans the coming increases will have a very serious affect on their lifestyles and futures.

What we're going to see is a return to city life (actually that's already happening). The thing now is to get as close to work and shopping (and mass transit) as possible, whereas a decade or two ago the rural life was all the rage.

As mentioned above, many businesses are going down in the near future. Doing business today is extremely competitive due to online buying. In fact, we buy very little locally. And when we do buy locally it's mostly from the large corporate entities.

Back a couple years ago we needed a Halogen bulb replaced in our building. The bulb was purchased at our local Ace Hardware store for $9.98 plus tax. It was decided to order a supply of bulbs for all light fixtures so we'd be able to quickly service any light. Bulbs of higher quality than the Ace Hardware bulbs (last much longer) were located online for about $1.30 each in small quantity (postage included). We now do this with 80% of our maintenance needs. The savings all together are great. What we're doing is what everybody in any type of business is doing in order to stay in business. This trend eliminates local businesses and middlemen (jobs).

What needs to happen.
1. Laws must be enacted to limit imports. We need to return to productiveness.
2. We need to be less dependent on foreign oil by using our own. This will be the most difficult to achieve due to powerful people in this country who have grown fat via crooked oil deals. They will sabotage off shore rigs or whatever it takes to turn public opinion away from this extremely important move.

 

[spartacus53]

I'm polishing up my bicycle as I type this

 

[Jason in Enid]

I'm just going to steal Spartacus53's bicycle when he get's it running!

 

[Bum Luck]

Boycott as much as possible. Gas is a market, like anything else, and I think it's being manipulated.

Manipulate back.

 

[spartacus53]

Jason in Enid, that won't be hard to do.. I've even posted a picture for you

This is one sweet ride

 

[Jason in Enid]

Boycott as much as possible. Gas is a market, like anything else, and I think it's being manipulated.

Manipulate back.

Boycott what exactly? I HAVE to have gas to drive for work. I HAVE to buy grogeries to cook meals. Everything is shipped by ground at some point, so higher fuel costs go into everything. So are we to boycott living? Yeah, that'll teach those fat-cats! LOL

 

[bigscoop]

Forget all the politics, speculated reasons and causes, not what this thread is about.....the question is, "How will $5 a gallon gas effect you pesonally?"

 

[FarmerChick]

I will survive but it will suck having to give up a few things.

most people are feeling it NOW....gas is $3.69 here. Another $1.31 won't mean that much more truly. but when you add it all together, crappola it hurts.

 

[SeaninNH]

I work 80 miles from my house. It already costs me $30 a day in gas. It's already KILLING me.

If it hits $5 it's REALLY going to effect me.

And I'm sure it will effect a lot of people. This in turn it will effect the economy because people won't have money to spend.

While the oil companies make huge profits the public will sit at home not spending the money they would spend because it goes to the gas pump.

 

[paratrooper]

Just remove the gas pedal, shift the brake over, install foot pedals and take turns pedaling.

Reminds me of a guy that loved a loooonnnnggg time ago. Yabba Dabba Dooo

 

[paratrooper]

As for ME personally. We go to town once a week. (About a 50 mile round trip). We could easily make that every 2 weeks. I also have a mountain bike with a 48cc two cycle motor for little trips here in the country. I will however admit that the high price is only a "concern". My real fear is a limited supply like in the 70's. Sitting in line and then being only allowed a small amount.

 

[West Jersey Detecting]

As for ME personally. We go to town once a week. (About a 50 mile round trip). We could easily make that every 2 weeks. I also have a mountain bike with a 48cc two cycle motor for little trips here in the country. I will however admit that the high price is only a "concern". My real fear is a limited supply like in the 70's. Sitting in line and then being only allowed a small amount.

Great answer Paratrooper!

The reason gas keeps rising is because we are wasteful. I see people drive down the street to visit a neighbor, and drive their kids to school when it is just a short walk. I dropped my kid off at music lessons, shut my engine and read, but the guy next to me keeps his car idling for 40 minutes. (I actually said to him that he is the reason I am paying nearly $4 per gallon, not Iran, but he just gave me a blank stare.)

I watch my neighbors go to the supermarket and then later in the day they go to the pharmacy and then they take their kids to the mall after dinner. They are all within a mile of each other and that 12 mile round trip becomes 50 miles of driving per day for them. Times that by the number of wasteful people in the world and it is a lot of waste.

I also see people making the trip to the state capital for government jobs. There is RARELY a car with more than one occupant. It should be mandatory for government 9-5 employees to carpool, or at least have an incentive for employees who carpool or take public transportation. How about a 10 hour workday- a 4 day workweek?, that would reduce 20% of gas consumption for commuters

I recently read that if each person cuts their driving by 10% gas prices would fall below $3 per gallon.

Everyone remembers 9-11, but what people forget is that gas prices in October 2001 were UNDER $1 PER GALLON!!! In some parts of NJ, Full Service Regular was .89! Why? Because everyone in the US was afraid to travel. A simple case of supply and demand.

Cut the demand and you increase the supply. Increase the supply and the prices will fall.

I don't blame Obama, or Algae, or Sunoco or Iran. I blame WASTEFUL AMERICANS!

We don't need more wells. We need to smarten up!

Come people, it is time to stop playing the blame game and DO YOUR PART!

 

[FarmerChick]

I agree with that post. wasteful absolutely. too much use, sure.
blaming doesn't work....that blame won't 'fix' anything.

drive less
I can easily do that and have been


gotta get hubby on board. he is one of those with his head in the sand thinking money grows on trees around our home.

he says, new truck, want to hook up the 9800 lb camper and take it UP to Black Mt. to see if it can handle it. Black Mt. is like 1 hr. away. I gave him the 'here is your idiot sign' look. come on, really. waste all that diesel for a dry run trip? really the moron!
So I had to hit 2 stores anyway so I said take me shopping. So we dragged it to the 2 stores, did shopping, he worked out the new elec. brakes he installed etc. and it pulled fine. ALL good without a monster trip up to the mountains.

ugh, men

 

[Dave44]

REALLY!!!!? The reason is that there is a limited supply is because some abuse the allotment? Oh My, where would I start with the ignorance of this? Wasteful indeed!!! I am fearful of the future! This insanity is actually endorsed by the establishment in this country!

Please think before you express the propaganda you have been fed!

This is definitely the worst kind of political post,, because the lies it propagates are meant to subjugate the uninformed.

Because it is so ignorant it cannot be political? I cannot allow this to stand unanswered!

 

[diggummup]

Personally I believe we are off aubject here. It affects me because even though I can write it off at the end of the year, I still have to spend that much more in the present. My truck took $113 the other day to fill up. It'll need filling up again in a couple days. Were talking close to a grand a month, that's ridiculous. I will add that overconsumption and wastefulness is not the main cause of the price of gasoline being so high. That's a scape goat. The real reason? It's called price manipulation and yes, both big oil and our fair Gov. are involved as well as their turban wearing foreign trade partners. As usual we the people are peons and amount to nothing in the grand scheme of things where billions of dollars are played with like monopoly money on a game board. See, now you got me going too.

 

[bigscoop]

I can honestly say that I don't drive near as much as I use to, maybe just 3000 - 4000 miles total this last year, so until my situation changes I don't see it having a great effect on me. On the other hand, if I was still doing the 70,000 miles a year I use to do and would like to be doing again, well........lets just say "it ain't gonna happen at $5.00 a gallon." I can think of whole lot of better ways to waste $17'000 a year.

 

[Dave44]

Diggummup Made the point how it affects everyone of us. I write off my cost of fuel as well in my business. Since it is part of business costs I pass it on to my customers. If I didn't I could not afford to be in business. All of your costs for all of your goods will "necessarily skyrocket".

But on the personal side, I drive a lot less, eat out a lot less, shop at any store a lot less. I believe that every time fuel has spiked the economy has taken a dive. People need their money to fuel the car to get to work.

The good old days,, waiting in gas station lines,, if your license plate ended on odd or even #. The station running out of gas before you got there. Sigh, Good times.

It is so avoidable, no willpower from leadership to fix it.

 

[FarmerChick]

no, waste is not the total answer obviously. It is a PART of this problem. there are tons of reasons that oil/gas is such a PITA situation. But you can't deny that this part does not exist. we (meaning the world) is mostly a wasteful, disposable, instant gratification society at this point. yes it does have an impact on prices and use and all that mess.



bigscoop...70,000 miles per year. wow what were you doing?

 

[Dave44]

Wasteful is purely a political statement. The fact is there is a LOT of oil left, Just no willpower to get it. A small minority of the population has the loudest voice, and has taken control of the government. And as luck would have it,, They have a great propaganda machine. Good enough, in fact, to make people believe that there is waste in fuel usage.

Fuel consumption by you and your friends is down in the good ole USA. That fact simply flies in the face of the waste angle.

 

[bigscoop]

bigscoop...70,000 miles per year. wow what were you doing?

I use to do what you've been thinking of doing lately. Traveled a lot, camping, kayaking, fly fishing, "metal detecting & treasure hunting", etc. I am/was single and was making good money with a lot of time off, about 14 - 16 days each month. Then the auto industry tanked, then mom and dad got sick (both 84) and I was/am needed there, and well....it just sort of all came to a rather sudden end.