Don't pump gas on May 15th!

[berry99]

I'm sorry that a lot of you don't have access to public transportation. I am very lucky because I catch a bus about 5 miles from my house that drops me off about 1/8 mile from work. I don't have to change buses or anything and it takes me about 40 min to get here. I love this option and it really saves in gas/auto costs. It also saves my sanity with all the traffic .

Karin

 

[Mocha]

Last year, due to rising gas prices, I started biking to work about three days per week. Acutally, I do a bike-bus combo commute.

It is beautiful, and I love it. But the funny thing is that, even though I started doing it to save money, by the time I pay the bus fare, it actually doesn't save much. I figure that just in gas, I save only about $1.00 per day. Since I do the bike-bus commute 3 days per week, it adds up to only about $12 per month. And since I only do the bike-bus commute in the fall and spring (winter the trails are icy and summer school is out - I'm a teacher) it adds up to only $66 per year. I pay almost that much getting my bike tune-up each year! And I had to buy some things to outfit my bike for commuting in the first place: fenders, lights, a new chain, a rear rack and basket, etc. So overall, at this point, I think biking has actually *cost* me money. (Of course, it probably isn't fair to include my bicycle maintenece figures in that analysis, and not the car maintenence, but still...)

I still do it though, more because I am just in love with being outside, riding along a beautiful trail so often. Even in the rain, it is such a gift, and makes me feel very rich and fortunate. I figure: I am paying the money anyway. Why not pay it to support an activity I love and that brings me such pure joy, rather than pouring it into my car??

 

[violinga1]

>It's hard to NOT hate the gas companies when they are getting
>record profits in the BILLIONS, and we are paying more and
>more everyday!

Oil company profits aren't really out of line, their profit margins are really somewhere around average if you look at a variety of industries. When gas prices increase, it's not the the result of oil companies gouging prices. Gasoline prices are driven by market forces.

Sure, it is a big business, who doesn't use fossil fuels on a daily basis? Do you know how many things you wear or have in your household that are made from hydrocarbons? So their profits are going to be big. But on the flip side, companies are having a hard time finding economic plays to produce more oil and gas. Land are lease prices have sky rocketed, service companies are charging more than ever to provide their services to oil companies, environmental restrictions and regulations are very strict and can make projects very expensive or not viable. Many companies are cutting their programs because it is just not economic anymore.

 

[violinga1]

>I don't know any other business
>that gets to raise their prices, and everyone is forced to pay
>that price, when their company suffers a loss.

Really?

 

[Kathy02]

Doesn't it suck to feel so helpless? I wish, first of all that I could afford a new Hybrid, but there's not way as they are too expesive. I cna't afford a new car right now at all. I have mine paid off and that is where I have to stay for now. When I'm done with school, I hoping to be able to afford a new car, one that gets really good gas mileage.
Last night in my Speach class a group did a presentation on living more "Green" and it was really interesting. But the gas part was covered so broadly that it made it hard to figure out what to do exactly.
Like many of you, I live a long distance from my school, which is the only place that I have to drive to for the most part, except the grocery store, that's ony because I don't see myself being able to haul 7 bags back on my bike. But, maybe there is a way like getting some kind of cart to go behind it or something? I have no idea. This is the first year that I've really taken a hard look at how to get even groceries home without using my car. If anyone has any suggestions, throw them my way! I'll take 'em. But school is about 40 miles there and then 40 miles back. There is not a school any closer to my house, unfortunately. When I can I will do web enhanced courses, like my English class this year and I even made a friend that lives in my city and we carpool. So, at least I'm doing that.
Where my families big gas expense comes in is from my husbands drive to and from work everyday. He drives about 50 miles to and 50 from work. But at least he has a small car that gets decent gas mileage. It only holds about 12 galons and he has to fill it about once every 4 days. So, let me do the math here...He gets about 33 miles to the gallon. Not too bad.
I just think that we all need and are going to, have to lessen our consumption of oil. It will happen, I believe that, everyone is being so proactive about it for the most part. It will just take time. But until then, Gas prices will keep rising, and we will keep shelling out the money.
This whole thing just sucks in general. It's hard to see everyone so frustrated, and to be frustrated yourself, ya know.

Kathy

 

[dorothyrd]

>I'm sorry that a lot of you don't have access to public
>transportation. I am very lucky because I catch a bus about 5
>miles from my house that drops me off about 1/8 mile from
>work. I don't have to change buses or anything and it takes
>me about 40 min to get here. I love this option and it really
>saves in gas/auto costs. It also saves my sanity with all the
>traffic .
>
>Karin

When you live in corn and soybean land, lotsa tractors, not a lot of public transportation. A car is a must, although if I could afford a new bike I would try biking a couple days a week in the summer. It would be 1 hour one way, but great exercise, especially with our winds.

 

[Mocha]

If anyone has any suggestions,
>throw them my way! I'll take 'em.

Boy, I hear you about struggling with gas money as a student! My husband is completing his degree right now, and it's difficult, putting him through school and paying the bills (including gas!) on a teacher's income.

This probably isn't a practical suggestion for you (given the up-front cost and how long it would take to pay for itself), but here is a way to get groceries home on a bicycle:

http://xtracycle.com/

It's a pretty cool kind of bicycle trailer; acutally any trailer would work, and sometimes you can find trailers cheap on ebay or craigslist.

 

[hopefull]

And you know what would help even more? If the car companies would make cars that get better mileage. What's up? We have a 92 honda civic that gets 48 miles to the gallon consistantly. Had a honda hx a few years ago that got the same. What's happened to these cars. Where are they? I'd buy another car like our honda in a heartbeat if there was one available. I dread the day it dies. It is the best little car and gets better mpg then the pricey (maybe that's it)hybrid they have out now.

 

[kathryn]

>I'm sorry that a lot of you don't have access to public
>transportation. I am very lucky because I catch a bus about 5
>miles from my house that drops me off about 1/8 mile from
>work.

When I was a grad student, I used the bus all the time. Even if I walked to school, I knew that I could take the bus back home if the weather got bad or if I decided to go grocery shopping and needed transportation for my bags. I also biked a lot. Moving to a small town with no bus actually means I drive more than I did in a larger town.

 

[Gibbee]

>>Also if I could find a smaller, more fuel efficient car
>that
>>could fit 3 carseats plus stroller and sport gear, that
>would
>>be nice too.
>
>There are some hybrids that are that big, like the Ford
>something or other (I know it's usually in a yellow color, but
>I can't remember the name of the vehicle)?


I don't recall the Ford truck name, but we have test-driven a Chevy full-size hybrid truck at work (last year or the summer before).

I would be interested in the Toyota or Ford Escape hybrids myself.