That's a pretty amusing story. The entire island of maui is about 45 miles from end to end. Gas could easily be $10 a gallon there and it shouldn't significantly impact a budget.

Agreed. I posted what I did because the article addressed the poor guy from denver who had sticker shock at the gas pump.

I think the idea of copying the mass transit systems of germany is going to be much harder than you think. In most of the large cities, this has already happened. I spent a week in boston last month on business and I found that almost nobody in the office drove to work. They took buses or trains to/from work everyday.

On the flip side of the coin, I live in a small rural city of about 15,000 and my job is 15 miles away in a town of about 1,000. It's simply not feasible to introduce mass transit in a situation like this. I think you'll find that a good portion of America is in the same situation. Mass transit makes perfect sense in the city but it does not at all in the rural areas...which is most of the country.

Prices in usd per regular a gallon today.

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

I remeber a bunch of years back gas was selling for like 0.05 gallon in kuwait. Man, them were the days.

Thank the wall street speculators and opec for our sufferings.

Originally posted by niteboy82
If they had been living with a budget that depended on $3/gal gasoline, and it went up to $10/gal I am pretty sure it would still affect people. That's like saying that since I walk to work that it shouldn't matter to me if I spend $200 on a pair of Nikes when I'm used to spending $70.

Here is how I look at it. A few years ago, gas was about $2.00 and it cost me roughly $20.00 to fill up my honda civic. As of this morning, gas is $3.25 in my area. It now costs me about $32.50 to fill up my honda civic. Since I use roughly a tank a week, I spend roughly $50 more a month to gas up my car. If a $50 expenditure in a month is wrecking your finances then you need to budget your money a little better. I bet that 90% of those complaining have an iPOD in their pocket, a nice TV with full digital cable, a new car or two...see what I'm getting at??

I'll be the first one to tell you that gas prices are out of control and it sucks! However, I have no sympathy for people who live way beyond their means by building up debt and then complain that they cannot get by when their gas bill goes up by $50 a month. The entire country needs a budgeting class and a lesson in self responsibility.

I'm glad I don't drive a diesel,last week saw it going for 4.25 a gal,and that was at several different stations,makes 3.69 a gal I paid sound cheap

Originally posted by MikeboydUS
Most people dont drive Hondas. Most people fill their car or truck up once or twice a week, depending on the car model. So for most people its a huge issue. Me personally I spend about $40/week and thats driving a Toyota.

I'll just reaffirm my earlier point. If you can't afford to drive whatever vehicle you have because the gas is too expensive then you should trade it in for a used car that's worth a similar value and gets better gas mileage. People need to learn to live within their means and not try to "keep up with the Joness"

It's high time people ACT on their situation instead of whining and complaining until the government steps in and saves their behind.

Just my 2 cents...which seem to be worth less and less everyday with inflation.

That would be the price of living in paradise. I would love to live in Hawaii but I'll freely admit that I can't afford it. Perhaps the guy from denver mentioned in the article should have come to this conclusion before he put himself in his present situation.

Sorry if I'm coming across here as uncaring, but this is precisely the problem with the US today. It's become common to buy things that one cannot afford and worry about the payment details later. This has led to record consumer debt as well as skyrocketing public debt. The evidence is all right in front of you if you just open your eyes and observe. Perhaps you're an exception, but I see this going on all around me every day. Many people are getting nice tax returns and blowing them on crap that is not necessary. In the mean time, they continue to pay minimums on all of their credit cards and then have the audacity to complain on forums such as this that the rich are getting richer and the poor are getting poorer. Perhaps it's the massive amount of interest that is getting sent out to the banks?? Nah, can't be that. It's obviously a conspiracy. At one time, self-responsibility was a cornerstone principle of this nation..I wish I had been born then because what we have now is completely ridiculous.

For some reason last summer I bought a truck lol. Now it is the best mpg truck on the market, but ouch, I filled it up yesterday for $85! On my way to work I saw premium for $3.89

Originally posted by LLoyd45
Obviously you have a good paying job, or you wouldn't be feeling quite so self-righteous or as your avatar says smarmy.

Lose your job to outsourcing or have your pay reduced due to downsizing, then we'll see what you have to say. Most people are less than two paychecks away from being on the street and homeless. It only takes one major setback to ruin a person's whole life.

Oh, By the way, I don't have a new or big car, a plasma screen TV, or a new home that I'm paying on. I'm just a poor smuck trying to get by from paycheck to paycheck like probably 90% of the population is doing now. Thanks for your comments.

You assume too much. The "smarmy" remark is a joke, but I won't waste my time even arguing that. I'm also not loaded, my family falls pretty squarely into lower middle with a 50ish hour work week for me and a 35 hour week for my wife. The fact is that I'm struggling just like everybody else. I've certainly noticed the 20% or so increase in my food bill. The difference is that I don't whine and complain and expect the government to step in and ease my situation. I cut corners and live below my means so that a small increase in my gas bill doesn't destroy my life. If you define self-righteous as a person who takes responsiblity for his life and doesn't blame oil companies or the government when things get tough, then I guess you have me pegged.

Living week to week is a bad idea for anybody. Sitting down and making a plan can put that to an end much quicker than you think. This is off topic, I know, but I used to have the same attitude as you. Until I sat down and actually looked at my finances and realized that things were only tight because I was throwing away several hundred dollars a month on things like eating out, cigarettes, and soda. I didn't see it it going and I bet many people who are now struggling are doing the same thing and don't even realize it.

Thanks to you for your comments as well.

[edit on 14-3-2008 by BlueTriangle]

On Vashon Island gas is at $3.99 a gallon and it’s only a fifteen minute ferry ride to Seattle where it’s about $3.79 a gallon for premo, which my 94 Acura requires.

Since Seattle is so close to the oil that comes from Alaska it doesn’t make much sense why we have some of the highest gas prices in the country. Why is fuel so much cheaper on the East Coast?

These are some tips to save fuel and if you follow them you can see your fuel economy go up 20-30% without having to buy a new car. I started doing it and I have noticed a huge difference.

Drive like an old lady. Feather that throttle and get up to speed as slowly as possible the higher you rev your engine the more precious gas you waste.

After 55MPH you automobile hits an aerodynamic brick wall where it take a lot more power for small gains in speed. Try to drive around 60MPH on the highway, if you go 70-75 MPH your wasting gas to get to your destination a few minutes quicker

Do as the NASCAR does and start drafting. The closer you tail a Semi your car will get sucked along by the negative pressure wave saving up to 20% more power and using less gas to achieve the same speed (See Myth Busters). The closer you get the less fuel you use but remember tail gating is illegal and dangerous.

When going down a hill throw it in neutral and coast as long as you can. When you leave it in gear or don’t have an overdrive the engine breaking will slow your car down.

Don’t believe me, try it for a week and come back and call me a liar

Please tell me exactly how I'm supposed to plan a budget for my wife getting cardiomyopothy. Or how I'm supposed to plan every week when I don't know if I'm paying for her to be in the hospital every week. And don't tell me health insurance, because she's in another country where my health insurance won't cover her.

As for people choosing to live in Hawaii, not everyone does. Most of my friends grew up in military families that transfered out there and stayed. Then they grow up and stay out there. They had no choice in whether they went out there. And not all of them have the MEANS to move, or the opportunity to. I was lucky. I fell on hard times and had the means and opportunity to move from there and fell into a decent job, where I'm STILL struggling to live through two weeks.

Originally posted by jojoKnowsBest
Do as the NASCAR does and start drafting. The closer you tail a Semi your car will get sucked along by the negative pressure wave saving up to 20% more power and using less gas to achieve the same speed (See Myth Busters). The closer you get the less fuel you use but remember tail gating is illegal and dangerous.

Really really really BAD idea. I used to drive semis and there is nothing that used to piss us off more than someone drafting like that. The blind spots in a semi are HUGE, and most of the time the first clue we have that someone is there is when they pull out to pass us. If for some reason we had to hit the brakes, you're gonna get hurt. We can't see behind us very well so we probably have no idea you're there.