Gas, oh, gas
March 5, 2008 by wellheeled
I just filled up the Old Faithful this weekend for $3.40/gallon. Regular Unleaded. Two weekends ago it was $3.07 a gallon. Prices are now $3.50+.
WHY?
This gas price is really a pain in the you-know-where… I have $150 for gas/parking, and so now my plan is to minimize ALL parking expenses (which is difficult, given that most of the places near my home require valet parking or paid parking***) and devote the full force of the $150 towards gasoline purchase.
To be honest, I have NOT made any dramatic changes to my driving habits in response to the rapid upswing in gas prices. On the weekdays I commute to work & back (~12 miles round-trip). On the weekends I drive more (~100 to ~200 miles) to see CB, volunteer, etc. Now, one thing I really dislike is feeling like I can’t go somewhere because it’s too expensive to drive. If gas prices keep rising (til $4+), however, I’d have to make some adjustments.
Have you made any changes to your routine because of the gas prices? Would you rather cut back in other areas or would you reduce your driving?
***Does PAYING to park at a mall where you’d be spending $$$ anyway bother you? (At least give me validated parking!) ‘Cause it’s always bugged me a little. Isn’t it enough that I’m buying things from your store? Why do I still have to pay $3?
***I once paid $10 to park for a not-so-good play. Never doing that again.
Truly sad –I read this and thought “3.40 seems like a good deal!” as I’ve been seeing closer to 3.50 on my routes. (But gasbuddy tells me I can also get it for 3.40 not too far)
I have not altered anything yet. I’ve thought about taking the bus to work but it seems like such a hassle. I think i have limited my trips to visit the boy (7 miles each way) but only very slightly… or I’ve at least complained about it more often.
Last summer until late November I biked the 10 miles to work and back, and up till that point I was out of shape and obese. Not only did I get a ton of exercise and feel great, but I looooved only having to pay for gas ~once a month.
Then it got cold and I became a wuss. It’s warming up now, and these rising gas prices are convincing me to get back on two wheels.
I know for some people it’s just not a possibility for reasons of no proper facilities at work, but is biking something you’ve considered?
I totally agree with you WellHeeled, parking to shop or dine at
the mall is crazy. I also live in the LA area and imagine my
surprise yesterday when I bought gas $3.65(premium) I
nearly fainted. I budget $170 per month for gas & carwashes.
I fill my tank up on the weekend and I usually refill my tank
when the needle is on 1/2. This has saved me alot of money. I
usually work a minimum of 3 days a week maybe 4. I have cut
down leisure trips.
Spring can’t get here fast enough. I’ll be riding my motorcycle (rain or shine). Although I have to pay premium, I’ll be getting better gas mileage even though I have a Corolla (36mpg highway). My commute is about 40 miles round trip.
I haven’t really changed my habits, but I am more aware of the price of driving. In other words, I do the same stuff like make a few limited short trips but just feel worse about it
My driving habits haven’t changed. However, I am planning a drastic change as soon as the snow melts. No more driving in town–bike only.
While I haven’t changed my driving habits one bit thus far. I am considering buying a more fuel-efficient car. Currently, I drive a 2002 Mustand GT. This car sucks gas. I barely get 15 miles to the gallon. This is crazy. My only problem is that my current budget does not permit a monthly car note. So, I am forced to buy a car for the trade-in value of mine.
This summer, I’ll be working two jobs–one seven miles from my house (with no safe bike paths) and one fifteen miles from my house (also with no safe bike paths and, even if there were, I wouldn’t be in that area at night on a bike!). Between the two, I’ll be working at least six days a week. I play a sports game on the seventh day about thirty miles away. I am TERRIFIED.
I’m not that far from neighborhoods with slightly less expensive gas, but that just means I’d pay $3.47 when everyone else in LA pays $3.54. I have a ten-gallon tank. That’s not exactly big savings.
Yep, I’ve had to change my routine. Normally, two days a week I would work out in the gym in my office building, and the other three days I would drive home during my lunch break to walk my small dog, who has a hard time holding it all day long. It was nice to relax and play with the dog mid-day, but the drive from work to home is about 15 minutes. So three days a week, I was essentially driving to work and back an extra time. It was OK for a while, but after noticing how much more frequently I was filling up the car and watching the prices inch up, I’ve stopped going home for lunch breaks. I feel bad leaving the little dog alone all day, but luckily we’re moving offices next month and I’ll be no more than 5 minutes from home, so it will be much less expensive to stop by. I never thought gas prices would become this much of an issue for me, but I’ve already noticed that I’ve saved some extra money from cutting out that extra drive.
I haven’t changed my habits YET but I am thinking about ways that I could make some small yet signifcant changes . . . a commuter train just opened a stop a few blocks from my work so I’m looking into that today. I drive 80 miles a day for work roundtrip so any way I can cut back I will!!
Ohhh yes, it is such a pain. Our gas situations sound the same except that gas is a little cheaper here ($3 to $3.15/gallon) and I don’t have to pay to park anywhere unless I go into the city. However, on the weekends I often take roadtrips to see friends, which use up about 250-300 miles roundtrip (including other weekend errands). I’ve cut the trips out for the time being, or at least am reducing them to once a month or so.
I also hate feeling that I can’t drive somewhere because it’s too expensive, and won’t cut day-to-day driving significantly unless we do see $4+ a gallon gasoline. But to compensate, I have been discovering free/low-cost, local things to do on weekends (festivals, cooking classes). I used to be in a book club — good way to meet people, and not an expensive hobby especially if you can find books at the library or online swap sites.
If I can walk somewhere, I do. I live across the street from two grocery stores and a natural foods store so I try to walk to do my errands if I’m in town.
Do you have a Sam’s Club or Costco nearby? Might not be worth joining if you only are using them for cheaper gas, but if someone in your family has a membership you can usually get an additional card for yourself. (That’s what I do.) I pay about $.15/gallon less for gas when I fill up there. Not much, but it adds up.
Instead of driving to see my family, I booked a train ticket via Amtrak. I used Fuel Cost Calculator (www.fuelcostcalculator.com) to price what gas vs. a train would have cost, and it came out to almost the same thing with the train being just slightly more expensive. Still, for almost 10 hours of uninterrupted work/reading/movie-watching time, it’s worth it, as is foregoing almost 700 extra miles on my car — the fact that wear and tear on my car will be nil.
Firestone (if you have those) has a fuel service — I forget what it is/what they do, but I had this done last year and saw my gas mileage go up quite a bit afterward. I think it’s $70 or $80, and they often send out coupons for $10 or $20 or will give you coupons when you’re there that are good on your next service. Oh and, I believe that keeping your tires properly inflated helps you to get better mileage as well — or at least ensures that your tires wear evenly.
Sorry so long, hope these help somewhat!
Gas here is 3.10 and i was complaining about that being expensive. I can’t imagine 3.40+. Two weeks ago it was 2.70. My husband only drives the car back and forth to work, about 10 miles round trip. The grocery store and walmart are less then 1/4 mile from home. Everything else is like 20 miles away at least. We were going to go out of town this weekend to go skiing but its a 4 hr drive there, and gas is even more expensive there. We may not go after all.
We are so spoiled - and I include myself in that group. Having a car is a luxury, not a necessity (though it is perhaps a little more necessary in LA).
When I talk to people at work about carpooling, they say that they don’t want to have to coordinate their schedule around someone else… which I understand, but in the grand scheme of things, is getting to work 10 to 30 minutes early/late or leaving work at a different time all that big a deal, especially if it a. saves you $$$, b. saves the earth, and c. helps you get to know a co-worker?
Studies have shown that it takes a LOT for people to actually change their behavior… even when they say they will. So it will be interesting to see what actually happens.
My husband works an hour away so he’s started carpooling with one of his friends who has a small car. Our Jeep get really sucky gas mileage.
And about the mall thing… I’ve never even heard of having to pay for parking at the mall but I think it would make me angry! I’d probably end up doing most of my shopping online just to avoid that fee. I’d have to pay shipping but atleast I’d earn money back through ebates or mypoints.
I feel your pain!
I thought I was so smart, finding street parking near school so that my only commuting cost would be gas. Now, gas prices are on the rise and it’s been snowing non-stop for a month.
There’s nowhere for the ploughs to put the snow except for where I park (that it, where I used to park!) That leaves me with higher gas costs AND paying for visitor parking on campus ($10/day) when I can’t find a recently vacated spot on the street. Add in the parking ticket I got for being too close to the intersection (the only part of the road where there wasn’t a mountain of ice) and I’m left thinking the $200 parking pass might have been a solid investment. I mean, my peace of mind is worth at least that, right?
My Dodge Ram 1500 gets a hardy 12 mpg… and costs about 95$ to fill…
I only drive my old ‘93 T-Bird to work and back, and maybe a round trip to visit friends once a month. My boyfriend’s more fuel efficient Saturn is our weekend car. Even with that minimal amount of driving, I go through $60 for gas every week easily. I need to put Plus in the T-Bird, which costs about $3.10/gallon in Northern NJ.
With the T-Bird slowly wearing away from the inside out, I’m saving up for a down payment on a Prius. My trip to work is 50 round trip, 5 days a week. I rented a Prius and discovered that it doubled my gas mileage. Since I need to buy a new car anyway, I’m going with a hybird. Seeing your car get 40-50 miles per gallon is worth it.
Now I’m just waiting to see if the French car that runs on compressed air will ever be available here. Imagine never having to fill up at a gas pump again!
That is why I hoof it these days. I am tired of bankrolling the Saudi Princes and their new palatial estates and concubine procurements. It is an economical issue for me. I could give a damn about the environment. I am an old man with few years left - let you young bastards sort it out.
Gas in CA sucks really bad right now. The other day I put $40 in my car at $3.66 a gallon!
I have to drive a lot for both of my jobs unfortunately, so I kind of can’t get around that. I’m now trying to be more conscious of how many trips I make where I’d usually go home then run my errands, I’m trying to run them on my way home etc.
And yeah, paying to go shopping sucks. There is only one mall I can think of that I have been to that did that, but they validate for the first 3 hours. The mall wasn’t very exciting so if you were there for more than 3 hours there is probably something wrong, hehe.
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