Have gas prices changed your life?

Besides the fact that everything else has went up in regards to fuel prices. What about the truckers who no longer can afford the fuel? What about the cattle/hog farmers whom no longer can afford the feed? Where will this end? I see a 30's trend going on here. My suggestion-purchase silver & plant a huge garden-grandpa did and made it through it.
..::Vote Ron Paul 2008::..

Not in the slightest, gas could be $5 a gallon and it wouldn't hurt my pocketbook. It's nice to have vehicles that like to sip the gas, not guzzle.

phreakwars if you have so much money or lack of intelligence that you want to spend $5 a gallon on gas that is your choice, but even if your little car sips gas you are losing out on money that could have been used elsewhere instead of buying expensive gas. you could be investing the saved money for future purchases or retirement...anything really instead of expensive gas. a little car at $2 a gallon may cost you $24 to fill up where as at $5 a gallon it is $60 that is a savings of $36 per fill up any way you look at it. so if you only fill up once a month its $432 at the end of the year that you could stick in an ira or some other ivestment to make your future better instead of giving it to some arab who could care less about you and your gas sipper. try not thinking you are so high and mighty because you drive gas sippers and try thinking like an intelligent human. others like you drive fuel efficient cars as well but would like to have that extra money in their bank accounts or investments.

Well, la de da!!! Good for you! I have an older car and cannot afford to get a newer more efficient one. And further more, it would be nice to think of the effect of gas prices on EVERYONE...not just you!

Jealous??

And I am thinking of the price on everyone else. Now if everyone else did their part by cutting down on consumption, the prices would go down too. If everyone in America (cept truckers) drove a vehicle thats AT LEAST 35 mpg, how much do you think gas would cost? As for not being able to afford a more fuel efficient car, buy a used one, they run just as well. My Hyundai is brand new yes, but my other car, which gets better mileage then the Hyundai, is a 96' and only cost me $1500.

I only drive my truck to work and back,otherwise we use my wifes car to get around town.We dont go out of town at all now. We are finding some things to buy in town that are a need not a want,we do walk more also.

Should pay a higher tax for vehicles that do not reach a certain MPG.

I would get into the whole people with large suvs who could get by with less and kids with pickups, but I guess I was wrong and that has nothing to do with anything. Apparently kids having large vehicles makes them safer.

gas prices are getting too high but food cost are also rising. my car used to almost fill with $10 on gas and now it only gets to the middle. And food man i just hope the milk price won't go up again because my 2 year old loves drinking milk but i think the good side of that is that it helps his bones grow. but another reason why food prices are rising is because the trucker have too pay certain amount of money for gas to get all that food transported. I'm just going to pray to god that this crisis will end soon

phreakwars - no i am not jealous i have a honda civic that gets pretty good mileage that i drive to work. my wife drives a toyota camry that doesn't get as good of mileage but she hauls the kids everywhere so we wanted something a bit bigger. i am just not happy spending the high dollars per gallon for gas that i could be spending else where or saving so that i could retire a few years earlier, or send my kids to college. i think if you took a minute to read other peoples posts you may find that others are also trying to save gas they just don't like dropping twice as much money every time to fill up that they did a year or two ago. i know nobody else in here is supposed to have an opinion that differs from yours, but i think i will go against what you like on this one and disagree with you. if you don't see $5 per gallon gas as being a bit expensive you are not one of the brightest humans on the planet i don't care if it hurts your pocketbook or not you could be doing other things with that extra money be it invest, donate, or just spend it on other things to boost the economy.

No.

It depends really on what your getting out of a full tank. At $5 a gallon it's only costing me $60 to fill my tank.. granted, if it was $2.50 a gallon, it would only cost me 1/2 as much. But then what's $30 more to me if a full tank is lasting me 2 weeks? I won't complain one bit about how $30 more dipping into my pocket simply because I see others who are already now filling up $50+ just for a weeks worth. I have no stance in which to base a complaint. So how could I possibly say pump prices are hurting me? I would by flat out lying. Now ask me if FOOD prices and such CAUSED by the high gas prices are affecting me, then the answer would be yes. But realistically, I don't complain about the pump prices simply because I thought ahead for just this type of economic situation. Instead of trying to put some sort of argument and scoff on me, kick yourself in the rear for not doing the same a long time ago.

phreakwars,

You really are the only smart person in Columbus, aren't you? - NOT! My husband and I have FIVE kids, 3 still in car seats. When we all go somewhere together, we need our 7 passenager vehicle. And where would you suggest we store the "double" stroller, and my 2 sons sports equipment, and the cooler since food and drink prices are so high now? Should I be able to fit all that in my crappy little non american made Hyundai? I am sure you are single with no children, since you are so arrogant!!!!

I have to agree with all of your statements phreakwars. The sooner people stop driving those 10-12 mpg SUV's and get themselves into more fuel efficient vehicles, the sooner the prices will come back down. Our society has become so spoiled with all the "toys and gadgets" out there. It's only going to get worse, much worse. Who wants to give up their $40K - 8 passenger vehicle to (gulp) ride their bike or walk to work?

phreakwars - if you are such an economic genius did you not think that the higher cost of fuel would affect the price of everything else? you complain about food what did you think that it magically appears on the grocery store shelves, no it is hauled in and what do those trucks need to get the food to you.......oh yes fuel. this is just the final stage of getting the food to you. tractors, combines, grain trucks that have to plant, harvest and haul the grain before it can even be made into food for you also require fuel. did you think that the farmers and the truckers were going to just absorb the increased cost of fuel so that it doesn't affect you. i would have to bet not. so instead of thinking that you are so high and mighty kick yourself in the rear for having such short sighted economic brilliance. everything in this country revolves around fuel if it costs more to transport the goods they will pass it on to the consumer pretty simple to figure out. so when you sit there and say $5 a gallon gas/diesel doesn't affect your pocket book you are wrong it may not bother you when filling up your tank, but it will hit you in other areas of your life. that in turn does make $5 a gallon change your life.

phreak:

Even you should know that gas prices have absolutely nothing to do with supply and demand. This is one area where market forces mean nothing. The supply of world oil has changed very little while demand has increased. Has it increased by 30-40% like gas prices have? Do you really believe that if gas consumption dropped 10% that the prices would follow? The oil companies are greedy and much of their supply is protected by our military, which is paid for by the taxpayers. Disregard basic economics when it comes to oil.

Anyone driving to Wayne in the fall and want to save on gas??? Email me at: lindseylu32@hotmail.com!

I parked my truck and saving the gas in it for farming and pulling the boat on fishing trips.

I am driving my spare gas trifty car for work and errands.

well.. i for one drive a big SUV.. i also drive a big pickup.. also have a 2nd pickup.. i don't really let gas prices dictate what i drive.. if i choose to drive a SUV or pickup that get 15 mpg and cost $100 to fill up.. that is my choice.. i don't complain.. yeah it would be nice to have the $.98 cent gas of the late 90's / 00's time.. (was that because Clinton was in office?) maybe we should get his wife in office to see if gas prices drop down low again.. there should not be some tax on vehicles that don't get certain MPG.. that is stupid.. they should tax people that don't have energy efficient houses then.. or businesses and such..

not that many of you on here agree with Phreak.. but I’m the same.. so what if gas gets to $5 a gallon.. you adjust your ways of living.. don’t go shopping as much, don’t eat out as much, don’t go on trips.. or just enjoy life.. go boating on the weekends.. pull the boat with your SUV.. take your kids.. buy beer and food and just be happy you have a job and are alive and healthy!

Take Red Bull energy drink.. some people pay $1.99 a can. That is $30.69 a gallon.. do they complain? Or what about adding some Vodka to that drink, let’s say Absolut Vodka, about $27 for a large bottle, or $58.26 a gallon. Or for us ladies, how about Nail polish.. that is what? $2.79 a bottle, that is around $892.80 a GALLON!! Or for you drug users, GHB is what? $20 an ounce, so that would be $2,560 a gallon. Or LSD is $120 for .125 ounce or $122,880 GALLON!

Nation City Price in USD Regular/Gallon

Netherlands Amsterdam $6.48
Norway Oslo $6.27
Italy Milan $5.96
Denmark Copenhagen $5.93
Belgium Brussels $5.91
Sweden Stockholm $5.80
United Kingdom London $5.79
Germany Frankfurt $5.57
France Paris $5.54
Portugal Lisbon $5.35
Hungary Budapest $4.94
Luxembourg $4.82
Croatia Zagreb $4.81
Ireland Dublin $4.78
Switzerland Geneva $4.74
Spain Madrid $4.55
Japan Tokyo $4.24
Czech Republic Prague $4.19
Romania Bucharest $4.09
Andorra $4.08
Estonia Tallinn $3.62
Bulgaria Sofia $3.52
Brazil Brasilia $3.12
Cuba Havana $3.03
Taiwan Taipei $2.84
Lebanon Beirut $2.63
South Africa Johannesburg $2.62
Nicaragua Managua $2.61
Panama Panama City $2.19
Russia Moscow $2.10
Puerto Rico San Juan $1.74
Saudi Arabia Riyadh $0.91
Kuwait Kuwait City $0.78
Egypt Cairo $0.65
Nigeria Lagos $0.38
Venezuela Caracas $0.12

Phreak, I am glad that at this point the rise in fuel prices hasn't seemed to affect you. But what happens when the price continues to go up and suddenly I have to make the decision to go eat at Gambinos or put another $20 worth of fuel in my car. How about those that deliver food to Gambinos? How long before they cannot continue to deliver at the same price and need to double or triple their price to you--then what--I have a feeling that you will need to raise the price of your food, thereby forcing consumer to make another decision whether to skip eating out or filling up their gas tank. When enough people can't afford to eat out, then you and employees will end up getting laid off, and then how will you feel about gas prices. My family is already eating out less, going less places, and yes we have fairly fuel efficient cars at 34 and 28, but for every extra dollar spent for fuel, that's another dollar that I won't spend at Gambinos or any other place for that matter.

What really hurts is the effect these prices are having on the country's airlines. Employees gave up billions in pay and benefits after Sept. 11, but all of this and much more has been taken by the oil companies. Any guess how many gallons of jet fuel a Boeing 777 consumes flying from Delhi, India to Chicago?(American Airlines longest non-stop trip). Would you believe between 33,000 and 35,000 on average? Put that on your credit card as jet fuel nears $3.00 a gallon.

If this country had any leaders in government that would take action to try and INCREASE supply of oil, along with conservation 12 yrs ago, we wouldn't be in such a mess! But no one has the courage to even talk about drilling for oil. Instead, we let china and mexico drill in the gulf of mexico and we talk about driving electric cars! Thats nice, but there are billions of barrels of oil no one seems interested in going after right here at home, and in alaska. Beam me up scotty....

The bottom line is that the government does not care what the price of gas is. A prime example of this is the Congress and Senate that we have elected. They are more worried about steroids in baseball and what Roger Clemens is doing. Something should have been done starting a couple of years ago. If you look at the rise in gas prices from 2002 it will make you sick. If you also look at what the oil companies contribute to the canidates it will make you sick.

EVERYONE NEEDS TO SEE THE MOVIE, WHO KILLED THE ELECTRIC CAR. This movie is about how the electric car was sucessful in California in the 1980's, then a certain big car company bought the rights to these cars and then had all of them destroyed. Please see this movie. Anyway, I agree with Ron about the oil drilling and also there needs to be more oil refineres. I think the last one to be built in the United States was in the late 1970's.

I drive a big SUV's and my husband drives a big truck. It sucks gas prices are so high, but its not going to slow me down or make me think about buying a little car. I will still continue to drive to Omaha a couple times a month shopping. When its time for me to get a new car next year, I will buy another big SUV! I agree with about everything "got gas" says. You just have to cut back on things that are not as important so you can enjoy everything else.

There you people go, completely overlooking what I said. It's in black and white, but if I must rewrite it again for those who are too lazy to read a complete paragraph-"Now ask me if FOOD prices and such CAUSED by the high gas prices are affecting me, then the answer would be yes." The question, I believe, was whether gas prices are affecting me. And so there ya go wanting to throw a reference to my job into the mix. OK, I'll lay it out for you. Yes the gas prices do in fact affect our employees, specifically the drivers. Back when gas just went over $2.00 a gallon, we were forced to increase our delivery prices... why? Because drivers were NOT making money when they had to use what we pay them to deliver to replace gas, and in addition use part of their own money. Keep in mind, that was at $2.00 a gallon, it doesn't take much to figure out how it's hitting them now, they don't have the benefit of owning a vehicle that can pull 35 MPG+. And yes, we had to raise prices, just like everyone else did. And yes, even we feel the crunch of people not wanting to eat out/order out as much. According to our delivery truck drivers, this is the case with several of the places they deliver to. Business franchise owners have not had to order as much restock food because they have slowed down. Does this affect me personally.. still a resounding no, I get paid the same regardless. Affect business, well sure.. duh.. So what's the point your trying to make with me? Am I now one of those out of touch elitist Liberals that are fun to complain about? I'm not saying I want GAS TO GO TO $5 A GALLON, OR THAT I WOULDN'T CARE, I simply said it wouldn't hurt my pocketbook. Pay attention people.

I don't know how many of you are actually reading each others posts. Most hear what they want to hear, read what they want to read(all or nothing), and say what they want to say, so hear goes,
1. Yes we have cut back on errands
2. Yes we are shopping more near home
3. No real big vacation this year
4. Gas saving tip...slow down, don't start and stop so suddenly, make sure tires are inflated to the correct PSI and change oil regularly.

(Ocmon- I will buy another big SUV! I agree with about everything "got gas" says. You just have to cut back on things that are not as important so you can enjoy everything else.)

So you cut back on things like food, presents, going out with the family, home repairs, so you can fill up your SUV

The oil companies appreciate your support.

Many are finding their budget for discretionary spending is dwindling. That ought to concern you Phreak, as a manager of a restaurant.

phreakwars, your just a big blowhard. I can afford gas at any price too, but am thinking about the folks that are not as fortunate as I am . You are a selfish human being.

well yes it has we dont go out of town to much any more. and i was running demolition derby cars but now i have sold every thing.cant see puting money in a car to go and smash have around 5,000 in and to pay gas to get to the track and if you win only get 400-800 kinda of a loss cause so now i am buying a cheep car to get back and forth to work with the money i sae from o running demolition derby

To Jerome, your damn right I'm a blowhard, but explain to me how I am being selfish. What have I done to exhibit such behavior? Name one thing.

as for the lady whos pocket book it doesnt hurt, i want to know where you work and where you get 35 miles to a gallon, i bought a vw and new it doesnt get 32. i drive to work and pay out of my pocket making only 8.00 an hour so yes i want things to change,when you got to borrow money to make money is it worth it. no im not trying to get people to feel sorry for me ive been out everyday trying to find better work but till things change i guess im not lucky to have so much money just to burn. as for people that have bigger cars maybe they dont have the money to trade in their cars,maybe you could loan us some. or even better pick me up........

You two posters are the only two who actually put things into proper
prospective. Thank you for the information. It sounds to me that you actually put facts here that every day people can relate to. I hope other posters will take to heart what you are trying to say. Good Job

Supply and demand.
And the stupid speculators.
We keep buying gas at "no matter what price" and the price stays high.
I live on a fixed income so yes gas prices have affected me. I shop online alot more. I've cut my grocery orders. I drive my 24 year old SUV about 2 to 3 times a year. Got a letter that says they are raising the electric bill this month. Got my rebate check, am going to buy propane with it. I'd rather send it to my daughter and granddaughter to help pay for a plane ticket to come visit but I can't.
So yeah, gas prices are changing my life.

FILL UP GAS TANK TIPS TO HELP SAVE YOU $$$$$

Fill up your car or truck ONLY in the early morning, when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the more dense the gasoline. When it gets warmer, gasoline expands - so when buying in the afternoon or in the evening . . . your gallon is not exactly a gallon.

When you're filling up, do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a "fast" mode. If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. In "slow" mode, you should be pumping on low speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. ...WARNING... WHEN PUMPING ON LOW SPEED MAKE SURE YOU ARE READY TO STOP THE TRIGGER BEFORE THE TANK IS FULL TO AVOID SPILLAGE, FOR MOST PUMPS DO NOT SHUT OFF AUTOMATICALLY ON LOW SPEED!!!!! All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the "fast" rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank, so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL (or HALF EMPTY). The reason for this is, the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

If there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up. Most likely, the gasoline is being stirred up as it is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom of the storage tank

FINLEY.. got to www.snopes.com - urban myth webstie.. your post is not true and posted FALSE facts..

type in gas in the search.. you will find the bogus email that floated around for years.

I have a pretty long commute to work so whenever the weather and my schedule permits I ride my motorcycle to work. I used to have a hybrid car until I hit a deer and totalled it. I wish I still had it.

Sam... if you owned a gas guzzling SUV.. you would still have your car.. the deer would have lost that battle.

Yes, it has effected my pocket book some. So instead of going out to eat all the time..spending more time at home, riding my bike w/ my family..we are noticing that we enjoy spending time together, we are not always on the go, we stop to think.."wait, its it really THAT important we go here or eat here"? Its been a positive change for our family..not saying it is for everyone, but we are just trying to find the positive in this situation...Its hard on everyone...not just w/ the type of cars we own but with the prices in the grocery stores..we are all seeing a difference no matter how you try to spin it

Dear Phreakwars, I am PROUD to drive a truck that gets 8 mpg and no body can get me to buy a little car!

NEHOGFARMER

Bush and his buddies will gladly take your money and encourage you to keep driving your truck that probably has a leak in the gas tank.