Should we really be worried about $4.00 a gallon?

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 12:53 pm

It seems like we all complain about fuel prices nearing or exceeding $4.00 per gallon but...

We pay over $8.00 a gallon for Coca Cola from a Stop n' Go...

We pay over $8.00 a gallon for easy to carry bottled water...

ect., ect., ect.

What do think the cost of making a gallon of Coca Cola is vs the cost of refining a gallon of Fuel? I know we rely on fuel and it affects other things we buy, but we need to take a look at what else we are spending our money on that we could save money on.

You can find 2 Liter bottle of Coca Cola for under $1.29 at most stores...

You can buy generic bottled water in gallon jugs for under $.75 per gallon...

ect., ect., ect.

My point is you can save some money in other areas to put toward fuel costs...

DryBones · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 2:14 pm

worried? no. prepared? yes. $4 by Memorial Day and $5 by Labor Day and probably $6 by Thanksgiving or Christmas is my bet. Weird how the prices seem to peak during the heavily traveled holidays isn't it? And don't give me that higher demand drives the cost up bunk, it's all about maximizing profits when you have the consumer by the wallet.

InCommando · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 2:27 pm

No, I was not really prepared for this. But I do understand free trade & capitalism to some degree. As posted before, most of us on here are also profiting at some level from gas prices. Gas companies: They are we and we are they. I am not crying about my stock value jumping.

The biggest joke is that many crying about gas are also paying a convenience store $1.29 for 20 ounces of bottled tap water from a major city. That just cracks me up.

I don't like high gas prices, but unless we nuke China & India to get rid of the competition, this is how it is going to be.

tan's2002kjlimited · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 2:39 pm

InCommando wrote:

No, I don't like high gas prices, but unless we nuke China & India to get rid of the competition, this is how it is going to be.

Well, sad to say, China just got a geological nuke of its own, as did Myanmar, and the good ol USA is off to save the world , as usual.

blake1827 · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 4:59 pm

Quote:

InCommando wrote:
No, I don't like high gas prices, but unless we nuke China & India to get rid of the competition, this is how it is going to be.

To quote the US President from Austin Powers in The Spy Who Shagged Me: "Would you miss it?"

chefdab · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 5:23 pm

I understand what you're saying Darby but I've always just bought store brands or generics unless the brand name stuff is on special. So I've already saved as much as I can and the gas prices are still making me sick. I can hardly afford to buy a bag of potato chips or any other snack foods because of fuel prices. And as fuel prices continue to rise, so will the price of everything else. They will raise the price on a loaf of bread because it costs them more for the fuel for the truck to bring it to the store. I have already seen the price of eggs skyrocket in the last few months. About six months ago I could buy the eighteen pack for about $1.89 at my regular store, now they are $2.69 at the same store. And when I was near another store a few weeks ago, I figured I'd just pop in there and get the eggs I needed. I turned around and walked back out when the same 18 pack was over 4 dollars! Where does it stop? I don't take as many un-neccesary trips in the Jeep as I used to. I pretty much only drive back and forth to work in it. For everything else we take my wife's car which gets one and a half time s the mileage as the Jeep. And it even hurts to fill up her tank to the tune of $40. A few years back, that same fill up would have only been about $25. There has to be a way to make the prices of fuel stabilize. I just don't have the answers.

InCommando · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 6:17 pm

Not trying to be harsh, but your sig alone indicates that you should not be having trouble buying chips or food or whatever. I can't believe that fuel alone is having that kind of effect. If it is, you need to bite the bullet and sell the rig in your sig line. 4x4's will still be here when things are going better for you, if that is the case. Or maybe you could get an econo-DD & an older beater trail rig? Modified jeeps, or jeeps in general, should not be a priority if you are in the predicament in your post.

I really know no one personally who has altered their life due to fuel costs. I haven't. Whine & complain? Yep: I and my friends have done plenty of that. But I still have not altered my lifestyle despite my whining.

Fuel prices will not stabilize as long as demand is this high. No magical "they" is going to ride in on a white horse and "do" something. This is the beginning, there is no end in sight, so prepare now as it is only going to get harder. Do not wait until a clapped out '90 Festiva is $3K because it gets 40 MPG

As to would I really miss them? Hmmmmm :shock:

Maybe I better not answer that :twisted:

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 7:32 pm

He's in Bel Air Maryland, not California...unless that town is just as rich.

Let's see....demand for products goes up, prices drop. Demand for fuel goes up, prices go up. Seems screwed up to me. We must force the government to empower and promote more for alternative energy. Huge discounts for homes that use it. Put a hurt on the oil companies and OPEC!!! Of course, all of our elected officials no doubt own stock in the oil companies and the lobbyists are extremely powerful.

Death to lobbyists!!!!!

DryBones · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 8:12 pm

hey, even if we used les gas the big oil companies will just keep increasing the cost to make up the difference. Afterall they HAVE to get their profits somehow! And don't even think of letting them have control of alternative energy supplies because we will be stuck paying the same or higher prices for that. Look at deisel costs, use to be cheaper than gas but now that everybody is trying to use deisel it is $.80/gallon higher than gas in my area. Same will happen with ethanol or hydrogen or whatever we let them distribute. Only real alternative is electric but then more electricity will have to be generated somehow and what do they use mostly for that?

Everybody needs to go electric and put up a windmill in their yards! :lol:

InCommando · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 8:35 pm

Tokyojoe, I think a wire might be crossed:
Supply goes up, prices drop. Demand goes up, prices go up. We have not had an increase in supply vs. consumption that would have led to gas prices dropping.

jason thompson · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 8:55 pm

The way I see it you basically have 2 choices
1 shut up and pay for gas and be fat and happy
2 ride a bike be fit and witch about the cost of gas

driving a Jeep and bitching about the price of gas is like driving a moped and bitching that it is slow
Jeeps get poor MPG's
mopeds are slow
both are facts of life

Guest · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 8:59 pm

jason thompson wrote:

driving a Jeep and bitching about the price of gas is like driving a moped and bitching that it is slow

Beer is burning my nose now :lol:

Good one, I needed that!

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 9:54 pm

I forgot about this post...was just a fleeting thought. My angle was that if I (or anyone) just cut out 7 Sodas a week...you could get 2 1/4 gallons of fuel at $4.00/gallon. The same for cutting out 7 Bottled Waters and you would not even have to give up water!

The 2 1/4 gallons would pay for 2 days worth of driving the CRD to work or 47 1/4 miles of driving. Since I have a 72+mpg scooter the same savings would pay for all 5 days of work driving and leave me 47 miles of weekend driving to boot.

I know it is getting tuff for some, more some than others, and I do not mean to minimize the real world situations of anyone here. The thing is there are some things we can do to deflect some of the hardships we are all facing.

1) Drive for better fuel economy...air up tires, slow down (leave early if you have to), no jack-rabbit starts, ect.

2) Carpool OR Combine trips...Takes some planning but make a game out of it

3) Google the Shortest Route...double check to see if you are taking the shortest most fuel efficient route on trips that you duplicate often

4) Auxillary forms of transportation...Biking, Scooters, Check Bus Schedules (even if you only use Public Transpotation a couple of times a week it might make a big difference)

5) Watch other places where you can save monies...little stuff really adds up-remember $4.00 of savings buys you 16-21 miles of driving or better

I hope nobody HAS to get rid of thier Jeep to survive, but if you do have to make that hard decision...anything can be replaced at a later date and a car/truck/Jeep is just a thing and nothing more when you really take a long hard look at it.

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Sat May 17, 2008 10:55 pm

cmon now, I know someone had economics at some point.

chefdab · **Posted:** Sun May 18, 2008 12:02 am

InCommando wrote:

Not trying to be harsh, but your sig alone indicates that you should not be having trouble buying chips or food or whatever. I can't believe that fuel alone is having that kind of effect. If it is, you need to bite the bullet and sell the rig in your sig line. 4x4's will still be here when things are going better for you, if that is the case. Or maybe you could get an econo-DD & an older beater trail rig? Modified jeeps, or jeeps in general, should not be a priority if you are in the predicament in your post.

I'm still making payments on my Wrangler. If I sell my rig for a fuel sipper, I'll be upside down on the loan and end up paying more for my car payment than I do now. So that doesn't really make financial sense either. I'm stuck between a rock and a hard place. I bought and modified the Jeep when conditions were better. Am I willing to give it up now? Not yet, I have too much invested in it. I was mainly trying to make a point. The other point of my post was that fuel isn't the only thing getting more expensive everyday. And my income has not increased either. We are getting to the point where some hard choices will be coming soon if the economy doesn't turn around. I'm sure I'm not the only one who sees where the economy is heading. (Anyone remember the gas lines of the seventies?)

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sun May 18, 2008 12:43 am

Chefdab, you are correct. Even the price of fruit is getting ridic...

I just hope everyone not only takes notice but acts now and plans ahead....and you must continually be vigilant and change/save/economize constantly.

My scooter purchase was a decision I made after much consideration. I could have put money in the stock market, my business or buy a scooter. The positive return on fuel savings made the decision for me. I still re-evaluate my finances on a weekly basis or so...got to keep up.

Stampey · **Posted:** Sun May 18, 2008 1:27 am

I can go the same 200 miles to a tank as my jeep but for 3-4 times less money

Tokyojoe · **Posted:** Sun May 18, 2008 2:24 am

jason thompson wrote:

The way I see it you basically have 2 choices
1 shut up and pay for gas and be fat and happy
2 ride a bike be fit and &^%$( about the cost of gas

driving a Jeep and bitching about the price of gas is like driving a moped and bitching that it is slow
Jeeps get poor MPG's
mopeds are slow
both are facts of life

Don't forget......riding a moped is like riding a ______, it's fun until your friends see you.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Sun May 18, 2008 8:24 am

A moped is 50cc or less...a scooter is bigger (150cc) in my case...funny, my friends all want one now!!!

riptricket · **Posted:** Sun May 18, 2008 8:32 am

Honestly, if they would take out nascar, truck racing, and Indy car racing, I think we would really save a whole lot on fuel. Now don't get me wrong, I love watching them, but come on you all know how much gas they use!!!

Also, if everyone would slow down, and not speed (excessive speeding) I know it would help out a ton!

Should we really be worried about $4.00 a gallon?

Who is online