$3.50/gallon Gas - How will that change your behavior?

[Terra]

Maybe I misread the original posters intentions, but they were talking about gas prices at the pump. I assumed they meant to talk about actual gas pumped into your car, and how it might impact travel, etc.

Way back when I was a kid, I found it strange when my friends would get muscle cars as their daily drivers (1970 Mach 1, 1969 Camaro SS, 1980 Monte Carlo SS, etc). I would always chuckle when they couldn't go anywhere because they couldn't afford to put gas in the tanks. If you can't afford to put gas in the car, you can't afford the car.

I think many people don't live within their means. Putting gas into your vehicle is part of the deal, so whatever the price of gas goes to, it's some thing that's got to happen. Maybe it's a harsh statement, but it's the way it is.

Same goes for heating oil. If you can't afford to heat the house, you can't afford the house. But I think that's getting off topic.

And yes, I understand the whole fixed income mess, etc. But, it all boils down to living within your means. Whatever those means are...

And that is none of my business.

Note: The use of "your" is not meant to point fingers. It implies, not me.

I think you have to remember though that also [by region] you can have a great job...but in the region one is in can mean a higher or lower pay on the whole pay scale...so sometimes there is not much of choice unless you want to move clear across the country or something...

Do I think some of your statements are a little harsh? Yes...but that is your opinion and you are entitled to it just like everyone else

I would think that if a person continues to work they HAVE to put gas into their car....unless they want to take public transportation...which if you lived in our area is not available...
So it's hard to make general statements about living above one's means if you don't have all biographical and regional information...

[SteveL]

And then are idiots like my son who is actively looking for a low mileage preowned Hummer.

[Terra]

And then are idiots like my son who is actively looking for a low mileage preowned Hummer.

when he finds that tell him to let us know where to get one...

Gosh aren't hummers like 10 mpg only? eeks...

I would LOVE to have a Hybrid one day!

[Ian]

Sorry Ian, I didn't mean it to offend you...And I don't think my husband is less successful because he is a teacher..

To be honest, Terra ... you didn't need to apologize (but thank you for being polite enough to do so anyway!).

I wasn't honestly offended by what you said. I was really more making a point about why I don't sweat an extra $50 or $100 a month. I worked really hard to not have to worry about it.

And also ... I hope I didn't come off as equating success with money, because I most certainly DO NOT. Often the two are linked because in America success sometimes comes with financial rewards, but not always. You can be successful and broke, too, because each individual defines what successful means for themselves.

Anyway ... didn't mean to hijack Marker's gas thread ... we now return you to your regularly scheduled program!

[Terra]

To be honest, Terra ... you didn't need to apologize (but thank you for being polite enough to do so anyway!).

I wasn't honestly offended by what you said. I was really more making a point about why I don't sweat an extra $50 or $100 a month. I worked really hard to not have to worry about it.

And also ... I hope I didn't come off as equating success with money, because I most certainly DO NOT. Often the two are linked because in America success sometimes comes with financial rewards, but not always. You can be successful and broke, too, because each individual defines what successful means for themselves.

Anyway ... didn't mean to hijack Marker's gas thread ... we now return you to your regularly scheduled program!

Ahh you are too sweet Ian! I actually agree with you too about the success equaling money...

Actually just from getting to know you by posts...you sound like such a hard worker and a family man with a great head on his shoulders...

Shoot I remember when I was dumb and got irritated with you for giving GOOD advice one time...which turned out to be true..
Which is why DH finally does have the better teaching job now...
Gosh if we could only get teachers to be paid even more...he he...

I'm actually working on my master's degree myself and hope to become an online professor [to be home to homeschool the kiddos]...

oopss..done..didn't mean to hijack either!
I love talking about stuff like this!

[laughingplace<3]

This won't effect me at all (although I can't really say at all because I do go away about once a month on a weekend, etc.)

I live in NYC and am proud to say I don't own a car and use public transportation to go EVERYWHERE. Helping stop global warming and of course, saving money. Anyways, the gas prices are so high here in NYC that it wouldn't even be possible for me to own a car with the distances I travel!

This is also okay (I won't say good) news, because now I won't ever have to drive to FL during a family vacation EVER again because flying is cheaper!

[vizsla]

The gas prices are already hitting us pretty hard in the pocket. We have 3 vehicles, a Honda CRV, Nissan Titan, and a Dodge Ram 1500 4x4. DW uses the Honda since she does alot of business travel everyday, and I use one of my 2 trucks which are both horrible on gas. It is really starting to hit me hard because, between traveling back and forth to work, then 4 days a week running DD back and forth to gymnastics, and both of my parents are having medical problems so I am leaving work and driving back to get them to their doctor appointments and then back to work again. The last couple of weeks it almost seems like I never even shut off the truck. Then if they need help during the night I am running over to the house to help them. I am not complaining about helping my parents, I would do what ever it takes to help them and that is even sacrifing things for ourselves which we already did. We decided not to make our annual WDW trip, so we could help my parents at whatever cost through their recovery process. My father has one more major surgery Feb. 20, and if that goes as well as the others, hopefully he will be fully recovered in a couple of months.

[DizneyRox]

So it's hard to make general statements about living above one's means if you don't have all biographical and regional information...

Maybe we are talking about two differnt things. Living within your means DOES take into account everything. "Means" to me is basically salary. Living within that, means you are living (staying alive) and not accumulating debt. It is not important what your salary is, only that you don't spend more than that salary. That would mean, if it becomes too expensive to put gas in your car, then you need to look at not putting gas into the car, or selling the car and getting something that you can afford to put gas into.

None of this is any reflection on the person themselves, except when it becomes my job to bail people out of trouble.

[Marker]

Amazing how far a simple question can go.

It's wonderful that so many people find themselves in situations where and extra $100 per month doesn't matter. But I think I would be very uncomfortable with the assumption that people in situations that make that $100 per month a hardship are there because of lack of hard work, ambition, or intelligence. Sure, there are those for which that is absolutely true. There are also those for which misfortune can take many faces, health issues, lay offs, natural catastrophe, etc. Circumstances that don't care about how hard a person works can leave them financially, and socially devastated.

Likewise, one's career choice may leave them with less earning potential than other, but still just as vital to our society. As an example, I have friends and family who are teacher, and farmer who are definitely not in high earning careers, but heaven forbid they weren't there. And those are just 2 of many examples.

I would also be very uncomfortable equating earning with success. If I may use my own household as an example, we made a conscious choice to have a parent at home to raise our children. A choice we felt very strongly about that definitely had a consequence in earning/saving potential. A consequence we were well aware of and that we felt was well worth it. If anyone were to imply that that loss of earnings was due to lack of hard work and motivation I would have to very strongly disagree.

I would consider someone raising children of good character and high moral fiber, who stuggles to make ends meet to be far more successful than someone who "falls into" money and lives a life without significant effort. Working hard for a good way of life is fine, but there can also be rewards for hard work that don't involve dollar signs.

I am happy that so many seem to be in a situation that allows them to not really care about rising gas ( or anything else) prices, or the effect it will have on them. However, I am also concerned with the people who are not in such a fortunate situation.

Back to the subject of gas prices, as long as people on willing and able to pay, the price is destined to rise. It will rise until it cuts deeply enough to truly effect the population's ability to pay. Sounds like we're destined to see higher prices.

Hey, you had to know I'd have to chime in on this.

[merlinmagic4]

It's wonderful that so many people find themselves in situations where and extra $100 per month doesn't matter. But I think I would be very uncomfortable with the assumption that people in situations that make that $100 per month a hardship are there because of lack of hard work, ambition, or intelligence. Sure, there are those for which that is absolutely true. There are also those for which misfortune can take many faces, health issues, lay offs, natural catastrophe, etc. Circumstances that don't care about how hard a person works can leave them financially, and socially devastated.

Likewise, one's career choice may leave them with less earning potential than other, but still just as vital to our society. As an example, I have friends and family who are teacher, and farmer who are definitely not in high earning careers, but heaven forbid they weren't there. And those are just 2 of many examples.

I would also be very uncomfortable equating earning with success. If I may use my own household as an example, we made a conscious choice to have a parent at home to raise our children. A choice we felt very strongly about that definitely had a consequence in earning/saving potential. A consequence we were well aware of and that we felt was well worth it. If anyone were to imply that that loss of earnings was due to lack of hard work and motivation I would have to very strongly disagree.

I would consider someone raising children of good character and high moral fiber, who stuggles to make ends meet to be far more successful than someone who "falls into" money and lives a life without significant effort. Working hard for a good way of life is fine, but there can also be rewards for hard work that don't involve dollar signs.

I am happy that so many seem to be in a situation that allows them to not really care about rising gas ( or anything else) prices, or the effect it will have on them. However, I am also concerned with the people who are not in such a fortunate situation.

Back to the subject of gas prices, as long as people on willing and able to pay, the price is destined to rise. It will rise until it cuts deeply enough to truly effect the population's ability to pay. Sounds like we're destined to see higher prices.

Hey, you had to know I'd have to chime in on this.

Gee, I hope my post didn't make it seem like I don't care about the impact of higher gas prices. I stay at home, too and we have made great sacrifices. But, I am not a big gas consumer. My van sits in the driveway almost all of the time and I only fill up about once a month. The only place we will feel it is during our summer camping vacations with the boat. But they cost us so little money (8.00 per night) that even with more gas costs, the vacation costs a fraction (and a very small one at that) of a typical family vacation.

My husband doesn't have a very long commute although we would LOVE to trade his truck (which he also uses for landscaping when he is not teaching) for a hybrid but we couldn't afford the extra monthly payment. It actually costs us less to drive the truck, if that makes sense.

I guess where I feel it (and this is off topic) is the incredibly increased prices at the grocery store. I need at least a third of my husband's take home pay to cover groceries, home supplies, and gas, too. But gas is the least of our worries actually (although it is all intertwined anyway).

[BronxTigger]

I don't have a car, so it won't directly affect me.

However, it does affect me.

My Metrocard (train/bus pass) is rising from $76 to $81/month soon. (Still far less than car costs, I know!)

Grocery prices are insane! They just keep rising and that's where I'm feeling it the most.

[MsMin]

I agree that its the inflationary effect that is the bigger picture. It's hard to run into the grocery and pick up a few things w/o leaving $100. Gas prices have made me more aware of my expense report. I used to run to N.O. about 120 miles round trip and not bother to report the mileage b/c of the hassle of the expense report but gas is just too expensive.
as far as hard work = success-- I would disagree... I would just consider myself blessed. I've seen people work very hard and have some tragedy or misfortune and lose everything or be very happy making an honest living. I've seen ppl too with loads of money and they were miserable. WE all have to make our own happiness and be thankful for what we've got. The only thing we can be certain is that life isn't always fair-- there are no absolutes.. but we do have choices....

[magicofdisney]

I'm a SAHM so the affect at the pump isn't significant. I rarely need to leave the house. But the rising costs of living, due to the rising costs of gas is affecting us. It blows my mind when I need to grocery shop. As a minor example...
We used to get pizza from a franchise, Hungry Howie's. A carry out, large cheese pizza was $3.99 just 2 yrs ago. That same pizza is now $6.95 and the sign on the door specifically states the increase in price is due to the increase of fuel to transfer items to the store.

[conorsmom2000]

It won't affect me directly, as I am lucky enough to work from home (and for that, I am extremely grateful!) I only do local driving and some of that I can definitely cut back on (I'm the PA President at Conor's school so I'm there a LOT, but I can walk sometimes, etc.) I've had my Honda Pilot for 8 months (today! ) and I only have 3,000 miles on it - and that's with a few trips to upstate NY! (it drives my siblings with very long commutes crazy when they hear the milage on my SUV! )

With my husband, it won't affect us....yet. He's currently working locally (2 miles away) but this job is scheduled to end in May. So, if there's no work in the Union at that time, it will definitely hurt us some. If there is work, odds are he'll have a 40 minute commute - after 4 years of a 5 minute commute, we'll feel the difference.

But, I agree with others who have said they feel it elsewhere, especially grocery shopping!!

[PirateLover]

Here in the city, I'm pretty sure that we've been close to $3.50 before, if not actually there. I think currently it's somewhere between $3.05 and $3.10 depending on where you are. I'm currently not working but when I was I was driving almost 30mi per day. Also I've been working in NJ which costs me $3 per day for bridge fare, which will also be going up soon. No one likes prices to rise, that's for sure. But I definitely agree with the fact that you need to live within your means, and live sensibly. I hope I don't offend anyone because I am of firm belief that what you do with your money is your business... but I can't help but notice the increase in large SUVs in the city. I mean some of these vehicles are so big that people have to park them half on the sidewalk to ensure they aren't side-swiped.To me that is ridiculous.

I have a Ford Taurus. Sure it's not the coolest car around but it gets good mileage

[jennbunn]

i am a bus girl. i have noticed that ridership has gone up since gas prices are so high. i also work in a grocery store and to me that is where it hits home about gas prices. milk is 4.50 a gallon and eggs about 2.25 for a dozen. both items have gone up at least 50% if not more in a year. yikes.

[diz_girl]

It won't change my behavior much. Not because I have a lot of disposable income, but because of the car that I drive and the fact that I work close to home. However I do take one to two 150 mile trips per month. I used to spend $30 per month, but now I spend $40 per month on fuel, so I'm not hurt by the prices.

I drive a Diesel Jetta and I love it. It averages 42 mpg, but I can get 50 mpg on the highway if I don't drive much over 65 mph. It can go from New Jersey to Columbus, OH on 1 tank and from NJ to WDW on 2 tanks. Yes, 2 tanks. The first time that I drove it to WDW I got 52 mpg (driving 60-65 mph on the scenic route) and the second time I averaged 46 mpg (driving 75 mph - on I-95). On a trip to Canada I went 675 miles on 13.5 gallons of fuel.

My BIL bought a diesel Jetta and it paid for itself in fuel savings. He has a long commute and was spending $600-$700 per month on fuel driving his Ford Ranger while working a 7/12 shift (seven 12-hour days per week). When he got the Jetta his fuel was $300 per month and car payment was $400 per month (with a decent down-payment). So at least he now has something of value out of it.

They're not available right now in the US, but this spring they should be available in all 50 states. It will get 140 hp and 236 lb ft of torque and go from 0-60 in 8.5 seconds, so no one should have any worries about performance. I have a 2005 model which is 100 hp and 170 lb ft of torque, and it's a little slow off the mark, but really zooms once you get over 20 mph and into third gear.

I know that this car is not for everyone, as you can't tow anything. Rear-seating is tight for three and probably won't accommodate three forward-facing car seats (or probably even three boosters) - and definitely no more than one rear-facing infant seat and that one has to be in the middle. Until we turn around my son's convertible car seat in a few months I don't think that my husband can be either a driver or passenger in the front of the car (he's 6'1"). The Passat is roomier, but probably can't comfortably accommodate three child seats either, and I don't know when a diesel version will be available. VW will be selling a van at the end of this year, but not in a diesel version right away because it's on a Chrysler Town & Country platform and can't accommodate the diesel equipment under the hood. So the only other VW diesel that is available now is the Touareg, but that is $65K and was loaded with so much power (310 hp, 554 lb ft of torque) that you only get an extra 2 mpg.

Can you tell that I like VW diesels?

[BelleCiavo]

Here in the city, I'm pretty sure that we've been close to $3.50 before, if not actually there. I think currently it's somewhere between $3.05 and $3.10 depending on where you are. I'm currently not working but when I was I was driving almost 30mi per day. Also I've been working in NJ which costs me $3 per day for bridge fare, which will also be going up soon. No one likes prices to rise, that's for sure. But I definitely agree with the fact that you need to live within your means, and live sensibly. I hope I don't offend anyone because I am of firm belief that what you do with your money is your business... but I can't help but notice the increase in large SUVs in the city. I mean some of these vehicles are so big that people have to park them half on the sidewalk to ensure they aren't side-swiped.To me that is ridiculous.

I have a Ford Taurus. Sure it's not the coolest car around but it gets good mileage

But at least if you fill up in Jersey you'll only pay around $2.79 a gal.

[Scar]

... and eggs about 2.25 for a dozen.

$0.19 per egg… one of the best deals around.

But at least if you fill up in Jersey you'll only pay around $2.79 a gal.

I saw it at Hess in Perth Amboy today at $2.75.



The only thing I really do different is what I started a few years ago. I accelerate slower, and let off the gas sooner when approaching a stop (helps save the brakes too.)

An added benefit I find is I’m much more relaxed and less stressed.

It boggles my mind when I see people accelerating approaching a red light just to slam on the brakes at the last second.

As far as excess goes, I couldn’t care less what people do with their money (as long as it’s their money and not taxpayer’s money.) You can buy as big a house you want and blow all your money on stupid stuff all you want, but I have no sympathy for those who go into foreclosure because they bought too expensive a house, spent on other things, then lost their job and now can’t pay their mortgage.

[crazeedizneefinatic]

I am also a SAHM. My husband luckily does not commute 2 hours a day anymore! His job is now about 5 minutes from home, but I still say the gas prices have hurt us. Like a few others have said not just at the pumps, heat for the house (we got our bill today, I almost fainted at the door!), groceries in particular. It's way out of line. Yes, some may argue that maybe prices have caught up with the times (explain that to our paycheck!) but it did so in such a short amount of time it's hard on the budget. Before my son my husband and I both worked and worked hard. We both had very good jobs that paid well. After I left to have my son the company closed down and my husband was out of work. There were 2 very long months without income, we lived off savings which we have never been able to replace, while he worked jobs here and there through a temp agency. Even though the money is not there like it was I am grateful that we are able to pay our bills, sometimes with not too much left over, but somehow things manage. I feel absolutely blessed. If things go much higher I am not comfortable enough to say things will be alright. Not because I have squandered my money, or been irresponsible, lazy or unsucessful. It's because this gas thing is out of whack!