Cutting Back...

[Los Spurs]

Has anyone on this forum made any changes on their spending habits now that the damn Gas is going up higher and higher by the day?

I just finished speaking to a representative at Direct TV and asked her to please remove some of the premium channels. That included the removal of the Soap Network... :depressed

[balli]

About a year ago I bought a bike and stopped driving for the most part.

[CuckingFunt]

Has anyone on this forum made any changes on their spending habits now that the damn Gas is going up higher and higher by the day?

I just finished speaking to a representative at Direct TV and asked her to please remove some of the premium channels. That included the removal of the Soap Network... :depressedIt is $3.85 to $3.95 for the cheap stuff where I live, so I've started walking more (in town, at least -- I'll be driving about seven hours to visit family in a couple weeks and there's not really any way around it). My goal is to limit my trips to the gas station to once per month at the very most, and so far I've been pretty successful. That will probably become more difficult this summer because I'll be taking classes at a local JC that is several miles from my apartment, and I'm not very realistic about being able to drag my morning hating ass out of bed early enough to take the bus every day and make a 9:00 AM class, but I'm hoping to still limit my driving as much as possible.

I haven't started cutting costs anywhere else, YET, but $50 for a tank of gas in a fucking Beetle is ridiculous and if it gets much higher I'll definitely start looking for other ways to stretch my money.

[macdude06]

im looking at trading my truck in
looks good til i put 70 dollars a week in it

[ploto]

I am thankful every day I bought the 4 cylinder sedan.

[balli]

My parents had a Prius. They sold it and got a Civic hybrid. They hate it and are going to sell it. Then they're going to buy a Prius. I'm not buying another car until I get me an Aptera. Hows 250 mpg sound?


http://1001gatos.org/wp-content/uploads/2007/10/aptera01.jpg

http://www.fayerwayer.com/up/2007/09/aptera3.jpg

http://www.newlaunches.com/entry_images/0907/28/Aptera_Electric_Three_Wheeler_2-thumb.jpg

[Chris Duel]

Has anyone on this forum made any changes on their spending habits now that the damn Gas is going up higher and higher by the day?

Not me.

Because Valero and Exxon/Mobil need more profits and Government subsidies (e.g. YOUR TAX DOLLARS for THEIR PROFITS).

I think we should all keep voting for the liars and pawns of Big Oil!

Who's with me? :elephant

[tlongII]

I'm buying regular instead of premium now.

[T Park]

Not me.

Because Valero and Exxon/Mobil need more profits and Government subsidies (e.g. YOUR TAX DOLLARS for THEIR PROFITS).

I think we should all keep voting for the liars and pawns of Big Oil!

Who's with me? :elephant


Yeah DOWN WITH COMPANIES MAKING A PROFIT!!!!!


I never thought a man smart as you Duel could be so anti business.

[remingtonbo2001]

Precisely the reason I drive a 4 cylinder truck...35mpg

I bought a product call the Tornado a couple years ago which bump up my mpg.

It's really simple to install and I'm sure they're still available. They fit in your air intake hose. Anyways, it's been a good investment.

I've considered getting a bike as I recently got a job within a couple of blocks from where I live. However, I still have to drive to class 3 days a week.

[Chris Duel]

Yeah DOWN WITH COMPANIES MAKING A PROFIT!!!!!


I never thought a man smart as you Duel could be so anti business.

T Park,

I never thought a man as smart as you would put words in my mouth.

Let me help you out here, oh sage...

Big Oil Companies = Biggest Profits in The History of The Planet Earth

(I'm cool with that, good for them!)

American Taxpayers = Giving Billions of Dollars in Subsidies to Big Oil Companies

Am I anti-business or pro-taxpayer?

[Nbadan]

It's T-Park.....subsidies to business are OK, just don't try and feed the poor..

I saw this coming, so I drive a 4-banger and haven't had a car payment in 1.5 years...

[Heath Ledger]

Im about to trade my SUV in for a hybrid and write it off under my business....

[Nbadan]

Im about to trade my SUV in for a hybrid and write it off under my business....


That's not a bad idea, just slap a logo on it....

[BonnerDynasty]

Nope.

[RashoFan]

It's T-Park.....subsidies to business are OK, just don't try and feed the poor..

I saw this coming, so I drive a 4-banger and haven't had a car payment in 1.5 years...

:clap
Four cylinder truck and I paid it off last November! :cheer

[Evan]

I quit logging onto eBay after I have a few beers...

[BigBeezie]

I am going to buy a little Ford Ranger. I currently have a Tundra and the MPG sucks...

[midgetonadonkey]

I traded in my F150 for a Honda Civic. I now get 35 mpg.

[marini martini]

Hooray, for Hondas!:toast

[Vinnie_Johnson]

I quit logging onto eBay after I have a few beers...

So true I need to do that too:toast

[ashbeeigh]

That included the removal of the Soap Network... :depressed



Dear god! My family could not live without the OC, Beverly Hills 90210, and One Tree Hill. We'd get rid of the movie channels before we got rid of that channel! :lol

But seriously, I've stopped needlessly shopping after payday...I have plenty of clothes and shoes to go around.

[Sunshine]

My b/f and I started driving to work together since we work across the street from each other (well, until last Friday!) We just couldn't see driving 2 cars 18 miles each way with gas as expensive as it is. I drive a Jeep and he has an Avalanche...neither get great mileage!

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

About a year ago I bought a bike and stopped driving for the most part.

Smart man, especially for a Jazz fan... :lol

I did the same 3 years ago. Now I use about 60-70L (15-18Gal) of petrol a month, vs 250-300. I am fitter and healthier than I've ever been and love riding.

The petrol price will only continue to rise with productive capacity maximised and demand exceeding supply, so start to change your lifestyle now (ride, use public transport, car pool, plan your journeys better, buy a smaller car, convert to LPG or natural gas, move closer to your work or work closer to you, work from home, etc etc) or be prepared to pay more and more of your income for transport, simple as that.

As for you T Park... :rolleyes Onya Duel for trying to set the poor boy straight. Australia gives $9bil a year in subsidies to oil companies - hate to think what America gives.

Check this out:

http://www.corporations.org/system/top100.html

In 2000, General Motors (23), Exxon (26), Ford (27) and Chrysler (28) were in the top 30 economic entities (governments and corporations) in the world (and another 4 car or oil companies were in the top 50), and 51 of the top 100 were corporations. Governments are become increasingly irrelevant in the face of global corps. Any wonder that the dominant paradigm of gas-guzzling large-vehicle transport isn't changing?

[balli]

I did the same 3 years ago. Now I use about 60-70L (15-18Gal) of petrol a month, vs 250-300. I am fitter and healthier than I've ever been and love riding.

The petrol price will only continue to rise with productive capacity maximised and demand exceeding supply, so start to change your lifestyle now (ride, use public transport, car pool, plan your journeys better, buy a smaller car, convert to LPG or natural gas, move closer to your work or work closer to you, work from home, etc etc)


Looks like we're the smart ones. People who are able & fit, but are not biking are crazy. I can get anywhere within 15 miles or so in less than an hour, any time. If I have to do it, biking 35-40 miles is nothing. I'd much rather stay healthy, save the world, have fun and keep ALL my money than start cutting down my TV package or otherwise normal spending habits. And all the people bragging about their 4-bangers that get 35 mpg are misguided. Pretty soon you're going to be paying $5.00 for that 35 miles. 35 mpg is still just awful in my opinion.

In fact, I don't mean to be a snob about this, but I'm too damn spiteful and proud. Quitting driving makes me so much of a better person than the average citizen that it's not even funny. I see all these peroxide blonde trophy wives driving around in their Escalades and I straight want to give them a death sentence. How inflated and selfish can you be to spend $4 bucks a gallon on your 12 mpg SUV? Especially in light of global warming. Fuck. I'm just in a terrible mood now.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

Looks like we're the smart ones. People who are able & fit, but are not biking are crazy. I can get anywhere within 15 miles or so in less than an hour, any time. If I have to do it, biking 35-40 miles is nothing. I'd much rather stay healthy, save the world, have fun and keep ALL my money than start cutting down my TV package or otherwise normal spending habits. And all the people bragging about their 4-bangers that get 35 mpg are misguided. Pretty soon you're going to be paying $5.00 for that 35 miles. 35 mpg is still just awful in my opinion.

In fact, I don't mean to be a snob about this, but I'm too damn spiteful and proud. Quitting driving makes me so much of a better person than the average citizen that it's not even funny. I see all these peroxide blonde trophy wives driving around in their Escalades and I straight want to give them a death sentence. How inflated and selfish can you be to spend $4 bucks a gallon on your 12 mpg SUV? Especially in light of global warming. Fuck. I'm just in a terrible mood now.

Don't get me started, just know that you are not alone.

Go to a main street some time during rush hour and count the number of people driving 6 and 8-cylinder vehicles with one person in them. About 85%. Another 10% have 2 people, the rest 3 or more.

People are blind, but what can we do? Only what we are doing, and spreading the word. Read my sig, prcatice the Serenity Prayer and live a thoughtful life. I do this shit (human ecology) for a living and it is depressing as hell if you let it get to you, but you can't or you'll go crazy. The world IS WHAT IT IS, just keep trying to open people's eyes to the absurdity of their assumptions, that's all you can do.

You're okay for a mortal enemy. :) :lol

[balli]

Thanks Oz. I've met three people from Australia in the past two days and you've all been badasses. I should visit sometime.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

I'm buying regular instead of premium now.you don't need to buy premium unless you drive a ferrari or something like it - or your car knocks. i'm going with the latter.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

global warming. :lol

whew that was a funny one.
Baaaaaaaaaaa

[Das Texan]

Looks like we're the smart ones. People who are able & fit, but are not biking are crazy. I can get anywhere within 15 miles or so in less than an hour, any time. If I have to do it, biking 35-40 miles is nothing. I'd much rather stay healthy, save the world, have fun and keep ALL my money than start cutting down my TV package or otherwise normal spending habits. And all the people bragging about their 4-bangers that get 35 mpg are misguided. Pretty soon you're going to be paying $5.00 for that 35 miles. 35 mpg is still just awful in my opinion.

In fact, I don't mean to be a snob about this, but I'm too damn spiteful and proud. Quitting driving makes me so much of a better person than the average citizen that it's not even funny. I see all these peroxide blonde trophy wives driving around in their Escalades and I straight want to give them a death sentence. How inflated and selfish can you be to spend $4 bucks a gallon on your 12 mpg SUV? Especially in light of global warming. Fuck. I'm just in a terrible mood now.



I'd love to do that. However, work is 250 miles from me each week.

:downspin:

[SpursWoman]

Go to a main street some time during rush hour and count the number of people driving 6 and 8-cylinder vehicles with one person in them. About 85%. Another 10% have 2 people, the rest 3 or more.

So, am I supposed to have 2 different cars ... one for when I have to take my son and all of his crap to baseball practice and my daughter and all of her crap to softball, and then another waiting for me at their respective fields for after I drop them off? Dude, sometimes I have be all alone in my truck. It happens. :lol

[balli]

I'd love to do that. However, work is 250 miles from me each week.

:downspin:

I'm with you. Obviously employment for some people neccessitates a lot of driving and man, you got to eat. There's just way, way too many people who don't need to drive, but do anyway.

Especially where I live in SLC- we have a killer light rail system and in combination with that I can bike anywhere in the valley in relatively short order. However, we have this kooked out mormon culture here that values the appearance of wealth and privilege like we were supposed to be royalty or something. A big part of that is getting a honking big SUV. It's like you aren't shit here unless you got an Escalade or H2. And I think most people tend to view public transit as a service for transients and degenerates when that couldn't be any further from the truth. It disgusts me quite frankly.

[balli]

So, am I supposed to have 2 different cars ... one for when I have to take my son and all of his crap to baseball practice and my daughter and all of her crap to softball, and then another waiting for me at their respective fields for after I drop them off? Dude, sometimes I have be all alone in my truck. It happens. :lol

You know, they do make bikes and bus passes for kids too. ;) Actually, it's not my place to criticize if you have to do it, but just for the sake of your own wallet I'd try to save where you could.

[BacktoBasics]

I took the catalytic converters off and went with straight dual exhaust with two chamber mufflers. Gained nearly 6 miles per gallon.

[BonnerDynasty]

Looks like we're the smart ones. People who are able & fit, but are not biking are crazy. I can get anywhere within 15 miles or so in less than an hour, any time. If I have to do it, biking 35-40 miles is nothing. I'd much rather stay healthy, save the world, have fun and keep ALL my money than start cutting down my TV package or otherwise normal spending habits. And all the people bragging about their 4-bangers that get 35 mpg are misguided. Pretty soon you're going to be paying $5.00 for that 35 miles. 35 mpg is still just awful in my opinion.

In fact, I don't mean to be a snob about this, but I'm too damn spiteful and proud. Quitting driving makes me so much of a better person than the average citizen that it's not even funny. I see all these peroxide blonde trophy wives driving around in their Escalades and I straight want to give them a death sentence. How inflated and selfish can you be to spend $4 bucks a gallon on your 12 mpg SUV? Especially in light of global warming. Fuck. I'm just in a terrible mood now.

Fuck Global Warming and fuck anyone who thinks they know what is best for another to drive.

All you people who look down towards those who drive big trucks, SUVs, etc. They are laughing at YOU (well, the ones not in debt and completely stunting their finances b/c they want to feel cool). Not only that, they LOVE when gas goes high b/c they can then pick up cheap real estate on the coast/vacation spots. Stay out of debt, work hard, invest, and play the game imfo.

[clambake]

conserving gas is a slap to the face of our dying soldiers. support the mission.

[BonnerDynasty]

slap to the face of our dying soldiers

yeah.

[clambake]

every time 3 soldiers die i get an oil change.

[SpursWoman]

You know, they do make bikes and bus passes for kids too. ;) Actually, it's not my place to criticize if you have to do it, but just for the sake of your own wallet I'd try to save where you could.


It's okay...lol. I live in Live Oak just outside of San Antonio, and there isn't public transporation here. But, I only drive about 600-800 miles per month anyway ... pretty much the minimum I can possibly get away with.

If I still worked 30 miles away in New Braunfels like I did for 7 years, I probably wouldn't be driving an Xterra. Actually, I guarantee you I wouldn't. :fro

[Viva Las Espuelas]

Fuck Global Warming and fuck anyone who thinks they know what is best for another to drive.

All you people who look down towards those who drive big trucks, SUVs, etc. They are laughing at YOU (well, the ones not in debt and completely stunting their finances b/c they want to feel cool). Not only that, they LOVE when gas goes high b/c they can then pick up cheap real estate on the coast/vacation spots. Stay out of debt, work hard, invest, and play the game imfo.
you and back to basics need to go into business together.

[mrose31]

I kind of agree with you Balli you make sense and this works for you but I can't afford to live in the town I work in. Well I can but not any place I would want to raise my little girl . So I had to buy a house in a small suburb town which is about 20 miles away.So I get ok gas mileage but I have to find other ways to cut cost. What works for you is fine but not everyone can do this.

[T Park]

I have a one ton pickup that has a diesel engine.

After reading this thread im gonna buy 5 more.

[Mark in Austin]

I have a one ton pickup that has a diesel engine.

After reading this thread im gonna buy 5 more.

better make sure they're used... all the new diesels now have lower emissions. Wouldn't want anybody to think you give a shit.

[clambake]

I have a one ton pickup that has a diesel engine.

After reading this thread im gonna buy 5 more.

isn't it a 2 ton pickup when you're in it?

[balli]

I have a one ton pickup that has a diesel engine.

After reading this thread im gonna buy 5 more.

My leg muscles are about 3x the size of your gay as fuck pickup. Go get another Big Gulp, Bubba.

[balli]

Fuck Global Warming and fuck anyone who thinks they know what is best for another to drive.

All you people who look down towards those who drive big trucks, SUVs, etc. They are laughing at YOU (well, the ones not in debt and completely stunting their finances b/c they want to feel cool). Not only that, they LOVE when gas goes high b/c they can then pick up cheap real estate on the coast/vacation spots. Stay out of debt, work hard, invest, and play the game imfo.

I can't wait until Global Warming kicks your fucking ass.

[Mixability]

My v8 does take ethanol fuel, so that makes me feel better about driving alone sometimes.

[to21]

My v8 does take ethanol fuel, so that makes me feel better about driving alone sometimes.My Tahoe does also.
Do you live in SA?

Were do you gas up?

[mrsmaalox]

If I could find a more fuel conserving vehicle capable of hauling aound my basketball team, I'd get rid of my Expedition in a heartbeat. But I did get my son and his best friend bus passes and showed them how to get back and forth to the gym for their training! :D

[Viva Las Espuelas]

My v8 does take ethanol fuel, so that makes me feel better about driving alone sometimes. i guess you don't know everything else that ethanol affects. you do know that there's more gas in ethanol than ethanol itself. i'm talking about corn ethanol which all these global warming idiots are jizzing over.

[Mixability]

My Tahoe does also.
Do you live in SA?

Were do you gas up?

I said it TAKES e85, but not that I've ever tried it. :downspin:

Randolph FuelUSA? is the only local e85 station.

[Mixability]

i guess you don't know everything else that ethanol affects. you do know that there's more gas in ethanol than ethanol itself. i'm talking about corn ethanol which all these global warming idiots are jizzing over.

I don't know, because I don't use ethanol.

To tell you the truth, I bought my "big ol' honkin' SUV" cause I needed the space, kid haulin' and such. I bought it knowing that gas prices were on the rise.

[leemajors]

ethanol subsidies need to end now. they're driving up hop prices, which in turn makes me pay more for my delicious IPA's. :flipoff





the effect on food prices also sucks.

[Viva Las Espuelas]

I don't know, because I don't use ethanol.



My v8 does take ethanol fuel, so that makes me feel better about driving alone sometimes.

you are danyo, are you? look in the mirror if this is a hard question.

[easjer]

Eh, not really yet. But we'll have to soon. SFIE and I already commute together, and that will continue even after he leaves campus. Biking from our area is impossible - it's 16 miles by straight highway to get to work. Now, biking to some areas is possible, and we should get a new tire and take advantage. There is public transportation, and if gas prices get particularly outrageous we may have to resort to it. But it is not something I want to do. The commute time in the car is 30 - 40 minutes on average. The commute time via bus is 1.5 -2.5 hours, one way. I don't have time for that. I would love to live closer to work, but the cost of living is way beyond our means.

The one thing this has changed is that we no longer plan to buy an SUV or a mini-van in a year when we get a new car. We'll stick with the sedan until our children are numerous enough to need a bigger vehicle (which would be when we hit 3, because it simply is not possible to fit 3 carseats in the back seat of a sedan). And hopefully, by the time we hit that point, hybrids will be more affordable and more widely available, and more extraction crews will be trained in using jaws of life on a hybrid car in case of emergency.

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

So, am I supposed to have 2 different cars ... one for when I have to take my son and all of his crap to baseball practice and my daughter and all of her crap to softball, and then another waiting for me at their respective fields for after I drop them off? Dude, sometimes I have be all alone in my truck. It happens. :lol

C'mon SW, that's not what I was talking about. I was talking about commuting. Fact is most people drive alone to and from work, often in oversized vehicles, and commuting makes up over 60% of most people's travel. Of course people are going to drive alone sometimes!

However, if every vehicle car pooled with one other person you'd vastly reduce traffic congestion (and thus wasted gas from sitting in traffic jams) and greatly increase transport efficiency whilst probably lowering gas prices. And if everyone drove vehicles with 2L engines rather than 4L engines, which are largely unnecessary for city dwellers...

[RuffnReadyOzStyle]

BTW - I am NOT a support of ethanol made from corn or any other foodstuff. It is absurd to make transport fuel from FOOD! From a George Monbiot article about the growing global food shortage:

"I am sorely tempted to write another column about biofuels. From this morning all sellers of transport fuel in the United Kingdom will be obliged to mix it with ethanol or biodiesel made from crops. The World Bank points out that “the grain required to fill the tank of a sports utility vehicle with ethanol … could feed one person for a year”(5). Last year global stockpiles of cereals declined by around 53m tonnes(6); this gives you a rough idea of the size of the hunger gap. The production of biofuels this year will consume almost 100m tonnes(7), which suggests that they are directly responsible for the current crisis. In the Guardian yesterday the transport secretary Ruth Kelly promised that “if we need to adjust policy in the light of new evidence, we will.”(8) What new evidence does she require? In the midst of a global humanitarian crisis, we have just become legally obliged to use food as fuel. It is a crime against humanity in which every driver in this country has been forced to participate."

http://www.monbiot.com/archives/2008/04/15/the-pleasures-of-the-flesh/

Now ethanol made from bagasse and other crop wastes, as long as sufficient wastes are left on the land to replenish the soil, makes sense to me.

[SpursWoman]

C'mon SW, that's not what I was talking about. I was talking about commuting. Fact is most people drive alone to and from work, often in oversized vehicles, and commuting makes up over 60% of most people's travel. Of course people are going to drive alone sometimes!

However, if every vehicle car pooled with one other person you'd vastly reduce traffic congestion (and thus wasted gas from sitting in traffic jams) and greatly increase transport efficiency whilst probably lowering gas prices. And if everyone drove vehicles with 2L engines rather than 4L engines, which are largely unnecessary for city dwellers...


So I'm supposed to have 2 cars at my disposal? One to go to work in (commute), and another to haul around my family? Because that is what you're saying...pretty much...because no one at my work lives even remotely close to me so carpooling isn't an option, and like I said, there is no public transportation in my area. Your lofty ideals might work for youself in the singular, but when you start having to add other people into the equation, they're just not that realistic.

[JoeChalupa]

I just put $60 to fill up our tank on the Explorer. :cuss Thank God I've still got my Saturn that we use most of the time. It is a standard to the wife has had to learn so she can take it to work. I tele-commute most of the time now and that has really helped. But when we go out we normally take the Explorer but even now when we go to Fiesta Texas we all pile in the Saturn to save gas and $$.
I've also got the tires on my bike ready to go.

[clambake]

60 bucks ain't bad for an explorer.

i paid 4.06 a gallon today.

[Los Spurs]

There was no cutting back on Fiesta this past Saturday.
I spent $175.00 at Oyster Bake and it was only me, my husband and my niece. :wow

NIOSA may have to wait till next year :depressed

[BigZak]

yesterday, my buddy changed out my spark plugs and wires and changed the oil on my car and removed the air filter...

my wounded lumina is back to normal! it's been over two years of sputtering cuz my deadbeat mechanic that i used to trust couldn't change damn sparkplugs correctly...

and i drive 25 miles to work and 25 back, not to mention the cruisin!

so man, i was burning 40 bux plus every 5 days...

and now it takes a 50 to fillerup.

so i'm glad i don't have to floor it to get up to 35mph anymore...

trigger rides again!!! and it's only 33 bux a month for insurance before you laugh foos!

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a66/BigZakRocha/trigger.jpg