$4 gas in Hawaii and California, page 2

reply to post by Sleuth

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Well they pay through the nose due to taxes which give them services we dont have. Us Yanks are just paying for Exxon Mobil employee's salaries.

reply to post by Zaphod58

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I agree but Myth Busters proved that you can be a safe distance behind a Semi and still benefit greatly from drafting.

reply to post by jojoKnowsBest

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The problem is still visibility for the driver of the truck. He has to know that you are back there, and he's not, even at a "safe" distance. Unless you're a good 3/4ths of a truck length behind him he can't see you. And most people aren't going to stay a "safe" distance behind him. I was out there on the road and I have seen how cars act around trucks.

reply to post by BlueTriangle

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Well I'm glad that you are, because I'm living with it and it's not nearly as easy as you think. I wake up every day waiting to hear if she's back in the ICU or if she's still at home and doing ok. We're facing a total heart transplant possibly running at least $10,000. On top of that I'm paying my car payment (yes I bought a new car, but it was the most fuel efficient car I could buy and I HAD to buy one if I wanted to keep my job), my rent, my computer which is the easiest and cheapest way for me to stay in touch with her, food (I actually buy groceries and cook my own food), her living expenses because she can't get a job because of her heart condition, and her medical bills. Even with help it's not going to be as easy as you make it out to be.

reply to post by LostNemesis

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No, they don't. Minimum wage there was $5.25/hr there until recently. And a LOT of jobs paid either minimum wage, or barely over minimum wage. I meant it when I said I knew people working 3 jobs to survive there. My friend is a computer networking person, his wife is a nurse. Between them they make over $100,000 a year, and with what they're paying for rent, and car, and their baby expenses they're looking at 10-15 years to get out of debt out there.

reply to post by Zaphod58

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Put it that way, and it doesn't seem economical to live there at all. Aside from retired folks with a lifetime of stashed away wealth to live on.

I think sometimes that earlier generations had it easier. They still had houses to pass onto their children, and money to retire with... What is this REVERSE MORTGAGE stuff?? I bet the elderly and their family doesn't much benefit from it..

Well, interesting thread. Learn something new everyday.

reply to post by BlueTriangle

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Apaprently it's just you and your wife that you need to worry about, but I like many others, have small children to look after as well.

You can't go cutting corners nutritionally when it comes to growing children, it's a really bad idea. If it were only me and the missus, we could do without all the milk, fruits, and meat products, but it's not, so that's not really an option.

We could turn down the thermostat I guess, but it's already at 68 degrees. It's still Winter where I live, and the temperature get in the teens and single digits regularly. What I'd save on energy costs by doing so would then go to the doctor and the pharmacy instead.

Do you know of a car with an engine smaller than a four cylinder? Our care gets 35 mpg and we paid cash for it. No bill there. I do have a truck that I drive roughly 20 miles a week, but I need it for hauling our water and picking up feed for our livestock. I owe nothing on it either, and really don't have the money to replace it with a economy model. Trucks that are big enough to actually be used for work cost a lot of money.

I quit smoking recently because it's too expensive and is bad for my health. I can add that money back to my budget now thankfully. We don't do sodas, only juices, milk, and bottled water. I don't have any other vices.

Back on topic though: Are you content getting scr-wed by the oil companies and the government with over-inflated fuel prices? I'm not, and I'd like something done about it before gas goes over $4/ gallon. If you call that whining, so be it. If more people took the time towhine at their representatives in government, the problem would not be so bad now.

reply to post by Nohup

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I wish I had some money to invest, but all my disposable income is earmarked for basic necessities. A 60 mile a day round trip bike ride is probably out of the question in my case.

[edit on 3/14/08 by LLoyd45]

Originally posted by LLoyd45

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Apaprently it's just you and your wife that you need to worry about, but I like many others, have small children to look after as well.

Once again you assume way too much. I have a 5 yr old and a 6 yr old. The fact that you keep trying to find dramatic differences between your life and mine leads me to believe that you think it's impossible to better your situation. You'd be surprised what you can accomplish when you put some effort into it.

Originally posted by LLoyd45
You can't go cutting corners nutritionally when it comes to growing children, it's a really bad idea. If it were only me and the missus, we could do without all the milk, fruits, and meat products, but it's not, so that's not really an option.

Agreed and we don't. We do skimp as much as possible and keep eating out to a bare minimum. Take a look at the Hillbilly Housewife webpage and you can get a good idea of how to skimp on food and still give your kids what they need to grow. The prices are a little outdated on the site, but the principles are the same.

Originally posted by LLoyd45
We could turn down the thermostat I guess, but it's already at 68 degrees. It's still Winter where I live, and the temperature get in the teens and single digits regularly. What I'd save on energy costs by doing so would then go to the doctor and the pharmacy instead.

My wife keeps ours at 64. I'd prefer it up around 70, but my wife wants 64 to save cash and that's what we do. If we get cold, we use sweatshirts and blankets. We are no more sick than any other family I know.

Originally posted by LLoyd45
I quit smoking recently because it's too expensive and is bad for my health.

A big congrats to you on that. I also quit smoking fairly recently and I know it's a huge struggle. It still is for me everyday because I work with many smokers.

Originally posted by LLoyd45
Back on topic though: Are you content getting scr-wed by the oil companies and the government with over-inflated fuel prices? I'm not, and I'd like something done about it before gas goes over $4/ gallon. If you call that whining, so be it. If more people took the time towhine at their representatives in government, the problem would not be so bad now.

I am far from content with current gas prices, but I also know enough about the system to realize that the government has very little to do with it. Unless you care to argue the "no new refinaries" argument, which I do agree with, or attack the gas tax itself (which isn't percentage based in my area so it's not causing this)you can't pin this on the government at all. The only way the government can fix this is to penalize the oil companies for being a successful business which is contrary to the beliefs that this country was founded on. I don't really want to get into this particular argument as it's been done repeatedly, but there's my opinion.

I've also looked in depth at the oil company profit issue and I can clearly see that the their profit percentage isn't out of line at all. This also has been covered in depth in various threads by me and others. Certainly many disagree, but I don't see an issue with a business earning profit margins inline with the norm for their shareholders. The reason you're seeing the "record profit" headlines is because 10% of $3/gallon is a lot more than 10% of $2/gallon gas.

Again, thanks for the reply. It appears from your tone that you might be angered by my statements. I apologize if that's the case. I really think that anybody, regardless of their situation, can better their life by carefully managing their expenses. My intention is to get that point across and help others improve their situation. Sometimes it can come across as self-righteous I guess, but that's not my intention.



[edit on 14-3-2008 by BlueTriangle]

reply to post by BlueTriangle

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I have no problem with you. You're entitled to your opinion, just like I am to mine. We can simply agree to disagree if that's cool with you.

Congratulations on quitting the habit as well. It's not only an expensive habit, but a nasty one as well. I hate the smell of smoke I have on my clothes now. Yuck!

I'll check out the web site you posted a link to also. I'm all for saving a few bucks if I possibly can. Take care.

PS: Checked out the site, it was great! Thanks for the link.



[edit on 3/14/08 by LLoyd45]

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