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The Price of Gas

PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
edited February 2008 in All Encompassing Trip
The price of Gas is really starting to have an effect on how I plan things out for things I may want to do on the weekend or places I may want to go.
Gas has become so expensive I really have to Budget out the mileage for a full tank of gas. I really can't afford to fill up more than 1 and a half times for week. That will usually get me to work and back for the week with a little to spare. If I wanna go somewhere with the gas that is left in my tank, if it's too far milewise and I have to purchase more gas.........I'm not going.



I'm seriously going to start looking into alternative transportation.
I wish there was a better system in So Cal for alternative transportation.
The best use of Life is Love.
The best expression of Love is Time.
The best time to Love is Now.


I'm never as good as when you're there.........
Post edited by Unknown User on

Comments

  • josevolutionjosevolution Posts: 29,567
    i hear ya not to many options though it does suck to have to really plan around how much gas you will be needing to do things we used to just do automatically ...
    jesus greets me looks just like me ....
  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    PJPixie wrote:
    The price of Gas is really starting to have an effect on how I plan things out for things I may want to do on the weekend or places I may want to go.
    Gas has become so expensive I really have to Budget out the mileage for a full tank of gas. I really can't afford to fill up more than 1 and a half times for week. That will usually get me to work and back for the week with a little to spare. If I wanna go somewhere with the gas that is left in my tank, if it's too far milewise and I have to purchase more gas.........I'm not going.



    I'm seriously going to start looking into alternative transportation.
    I wish there was a better system in So Cal for alternative transportation.

    this is a good thing. a major problem with fossil fuels are that they are priced much too low to reflect their scarcity and their social costs. On top of that, studies have shown the demand for gasoline is highly price inelastic. The fact that you are starting to take it into account and are planning alternative methods could signify the beginnings of this changing.
  • EvilMerlinEvilMerlin Posts: 1,865
    I feel you, SoCal alternative transportation is so horrible. Especially in Orange County. It's such a horrible layout here with how they just spread housing and businesses wherever they wanted and most of the people are nowhere near work, and there's no transportaion alternatives for them. If there is one, then you're looking at three or four times the length of the commute than if you were just to drive it yourself.

    I ended up moving closer to where I work now, and now they'll be transferring me in the next couple months. You can just never settle. Pfft. Plus I ended paying the difference that I saved in gas, in rent anyway with the price difference down in south orange county. But I'd rather pay a little more rent for a nice place, and more free time, than buying up more gas and sitting on the freeways. I feel better about that decision.
  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    PJPixie wrote:

    I'm seriously going to start looking into alternative transportation.
    I wish there was a better system in So Cal for alternative transportation.

    what about bikes and feet? Are they possible options where you live? to get to work?
  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    Yeah, unfortunately for a lot of us, there isn't much we can do.

    I lived in Pittsburgh for 8 years, and put very few miles on my car. If I did drive, everything was close, and there was decent public transportation and enough stores/restaurants in walking/biking distance.

    But now I live in upstate NY, and we have to drive for everything. We have really learned to consolidate trips. At least now, my wife is on maternity leave, so we are using a lot less gas because she isn't driving to work everyday.
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    No, no options. Lots of factors.
    I live in Orange County and work in COMPTON!! (yeah, that's right, COMPTON)
    Just as EvilMerlin said, the plan here in SO CAL, getting from one place to the other is not very easy. It would probably take me 4 hours to get to work using the public systems.
    Plus I have 2 kids that I have to get to school everyday before work.
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    blackredyellow wrote:
    Yeah, unfortunately for a lot of us, there isn't much we can do.

    I lived in Pittsburgh for 8 years, and put very few miles on my car. If I did drive, everything was close, and there was decent public transportation and enough stores/restaurants in walking/biking distance.

    But now I live in upstate NY, and we have to drive for everything. We have really learned to consolidate trips. At least now, my wife is on maternity leave, so we are using a lot less gas because she isn't driving to work everyday.

    I hope I never have to live somewhere where I have to rely on a car (every thing else aside, it makes me feel trapped on top of it and cuts me off from the community). When I lived in Raleigh-Durham I needed a car for a lot of things, but at least I could get back and forth to school and whole foods without one, and could go several places on my bike. It was a still a pain to need to use my car for everything else though!
  • Get_RightGet_Right Posts: 13,143
    I am appalled each an every time I fill the tank

    but hey, we still have it better than most

    check the petrol prices in Europe lately, I think they are much much higher
  • Stone Is GodStone Is God Posts: 1,331
    PJPixie wrote:
    No, no options. Lots of factors.
    I live in Orange County and work in COMPTON!! (yeah, that's right, COMPTON)
    Just as EvilMerlin said, the plan here in SO CAL, getting from one place to the other is not very easy. It would probably take me 4 hours to get to work using the public systems.
    Plus I have 2 kids that I have to get to school everyday before work.

    COMPTON!!!!!!!

    Does your job supply you with the bullet proof vest or do you have to pick that up on your own dime?
    I'll ride the wave where it takes me.
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    Stone Is God wrote:
    COMPTON!!!!!!!

    Does your job supply you with the bullet proof vest or do you have to pick that up on your own dime?


    No, no bullet proof vest. They do buy lunch a lot of days so we don't meander outside and we always make sure we are all out of the building and on our way home before dark.
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    Get_Right wrote:
    I am appalled each an every time I fill the tank

    you shouldn't be appalled...I mean I know it sucks when you have to rely on a car, but on the grander scheme of things, higher prices for fossil fuels can only be a GOOD thing. And really, gasoline is CHEAP. It really does cost less than milk, and when you consider all the social costs involved with gas- transporting it, emissions, scarcity, conflict...god, even the prices we're paying now don't make a dent.

    The only problem is that it may take a long time for things to change. My greatest hope is that some day the autocentric nature of land use in most of the U.S. someday gets reversed...maybe higher prices will lead to that...if the demand for living in concentrated areas gets high enough...

    sigh, one can only hope.
  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    GreenTeaDisease wrote:
    I hope I never have to live somewhere where I have to rely on a car (every thing else aside, it makes me feel trapped on top of it and cuts me off from the community). When I lived in Raleigh-Durham I needed a car for a lot of things, but at least I could get back and forth to school and whole foods without one, and could go several places on my bike. It was a still a pain to need to use my car for everything else though!


    I'm sort of the opposite... While living in/near the city had it's benefits, I felt trapped being in such a congested area. I like being out away from everything a little bit. I just hate the additional expense of gas these days.
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • EvilMerlinEvilMerlin Posts: 1,865
    PJPixie wrote:
    No, no options. Lots of factors.
    I live in Orange County and work in COMPTON!! (yeah, that's right, COMPTON)
    Just as EvilMerlin said, the plan here in SO CAL, getting from one place to the other is not very easy. It would probably take me 4 hours to get to work using the public systems.
    Plus I have 2 kids that I have to get to school everyday before work.

    Oh geez how I sympathize for you right now. I know how you feel.

    Actually my work, I used to only drive from Garden Grove to Irvine, and I got tired of that so I moved to Lake Forest. Then two weeks after I moved to Lake Forest they sent me to Long Beach(They knew I was moving too, and knew that I'd be transferring before I moved and never decided to give me a heads up). Luckilly I got that to only last two months and now I'm back in Aliso Viejo. So that's not bad considerring I don't have to sit on the 5 or 405 all day anymore. I really love not having to take a freeway to work, and saving the gas.

    Even carpools are hard to find around here with how everything is so spread out. It's such a shame. They're still building like crazy here and nobody's got any ideas of centralizing locations to help out with a public transportation system. It's either that, or they just don't care here.
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    josevolution wrote:
    i hear ya not to many options though it does suck to have to really plan around how much gas you will be needing to do things we used to just do automatically ...

    This is exactly what i'm talking about. I used to just drive to my sister's house without any thought about the gas in my tank. Now, not enough gas? I can't fill up and I'm not going :(
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • normnorm Posts: 31,146
    GreenTeaDisease wrote:
    I hope I never have to live somewhere where I have to rely on a car (every thing else aside, it makes me feel trapped on top of it and cuts me off from the community). When I lived in Raleigh-Durham I needed a car for a lot of things, but at least I could get back and forth to school and whole foods without one, and could go several places on my bike. It was a still a pain to need to use my car for everything else though!

    well then we'll never see ya out here in so cal.....it's almost impossible to live here without driving :)
  • PJGARDENPJGARDEN Posts: 1,484
    I hear ya!! I spend more money a month on gas than my car payment (which is pretty high). I'm looking in to getting a new car that's gets better gas mileage and I have been getting up way before the crack of dawn just to beat traffic. I can't stand sitting in traffic knowing the $70 I just spent on gas is burining itself away:(
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    PJGARDEN wrote:
    I hear ya!! I spend more money a month on gas than my car payment (which is pretty high). I'm looking in to getting a new car that's gets better gas mileage and I have been getting up way before the crack of dawn just to beat traffic. I can't stand sitting in traffic knowing the $70 I just spent on gas is burining itself away:(

    it's Brutal I tell ya!!
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • jbalicki10jbalicki10 Posts: 517
    Have you considered a K&N reusable filter? I have a truck and it saves me 1.5 miles per gallon. I know it sounds small but that 3-4-5 bucks savings everytime you fill up. The filter costs about 50 bucks and lasts 100,000 miles. a paper one costs 15 bucks and only lasts 10,000 at best.

    Hope this helps...
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    jbalicki10 wrote:
    Have you considered a K&N reusable filter? I have a truck and it saves me 1.5 miles per gallon. I know it sounds small but that 3-4-5 bucks savings everytime you fill up. The filter costs about 50 bucks and lasts 100,000 miles. a paper one costs 15 bucks and only lasts 10,000 at best.

    Hope this helps...

    I'm going to look into that. Any little bit really helps!!
    Thank you!!
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • mookie9999mookie9999 Posts: 4,677
    I haven't purchased gas in almost a year. Love the public transit system in NYC. Not even sure what a gallon of gas costs right now. I would have thought that SoCal would have had a better transit system!
    "The leads are weak!"

    "The leads are weak? Fuckin' leads are weak? You're Weak! I've Been in this business 15 years"

    "What's your name?"

    "FUCK YOU! THAT"S MY NAME!"
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    mookie9999 wrote:
    I haven't purchased gas in almost a year. Love the public transit system in NYC. Not even sure what a gallon of gas costs right now. I would have thought that SoCal would have had a better transit system!


    I hear that a Gallon of Gas IS cheaper than a Gallon of STARBUCKS COFFEE.
    Glad I drink the sludge at work :D
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    cutback wrote:
    well then we'll never see ya out here in so cal.....it's almost impossible to live here without driving :)

    so I hear. I couldn't handle it seriously. My car hasn't moved from it's spot in weeks. I say I use it about once every 2 weeks on average to do big grocery trips or visit my parents in the suburbs. If I didn't already own this car, I would probably just use zip car.
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    It's 2008 for crying out loud. We should have JET PACKS by now!!
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • GreenTeaDiseaseGreenTeaDisease Posts: 3,359
    PJPixie wrote:
    It's 2008 for crying out loud. We should have JET PACKS by now!!

    you'd need fuel for those jet packs still :)
  • blackredyellowblackredyellow Posts: 5,889
    GreenTeaDisease wrote:
    you'd need fuel for those jet packs still :)

    Plus it's hard to carry groceries and stuff like that :)
    My whole life
    was like a picture
    of a sunny day
    “We can complain because rose bushes have thorns, or rejoice because thorn bushes have roses.”
    ― Abraham Lincoln
  • PJPixiePJPixie Posts: 3,026
    Yeah, I'm sure those jetpacks really aren't practical!!
    The best use of Life is Love.
    The best expression of Love is Time.
    The best time to Love is Now.


    I'm never as good as when you're there.........
  • HartydogHartydog Posts: 2,060
    Right now projections for spring are pointing towards and average cost for regular gas of $3.40. In my opinion gas prices are only going up long term. Some people are really going to have to adjust their thinking when it comes to what kind of car to buy and where to live.
    Boston 9-28-04, 5-24-06, 5-25-06, 5-17-10, 8-5-16, 8-7-16, 9-2-18, 9-4-18
    Hartford 5-13-06, 6-27-08, 10-25-13
    Mansfield, MA 6-30-08, 6-28-08, 7-2-03, 7-3-03, 7-11-03, 8-29-00, 8-30-00, 9-15-98, 9-16-98
    Worcester 10-15-13, 10-16-13
  • SENROCKSENROCK Posts: 10,736
    GreenTeaDisease wrote:
    what about bikes and feet? Are they possible options where you live? to get to work?

    let me just say this; after being in chicago last year again, i was exxxcited to return to l.a and 'walk' everywhere like the cool peeps in chicago do. yeah. um.....it doesnt work out here like over there!!!! :eek: everything is too damn far apart!!!!! and bikes???? thats a big NO!!!! drivers are INSANE.
    ~~~~~~ALWAYS HAVE A GOOD TIME~~~~~~
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  • DinghyDogDinghyDog Posts: 587
    edited November 2012
    -
    Post edited by DinghyDog on
  • boxwine_in_hellboxwine_in_hell Posts: 1,263
    PJPixie wrote:
    The price of Gas is really starting to have an effect on how I plan things out for things I may want to do on the weekend or places I may want to go.
    Gas has become so expensive I really have to Budget out the mileage for a full tank of gas. I really can't afford to fill up more than 1 and a half times for week. That will usually get me to work and back for the week with a little to spare. If I wanna go somewhere with the gas that is left in my tank, if it's too far milewise and I have to purchase more gas.........I'm not going.



    I'm seriously going to start looking into alternative transportation.
    I wish there was a better system in So Cal for alternative transportation.

    I have a flex fuel car. Ethanol is about $2.04 per gallon at the moment. Praise the maize!
    one foot in the door
    the other foot in the gutter
    sweet smell that they adore
    I think I'd rather smother
    -The Replacements-
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