What have you given up to buy gasoline?

**kin3** · 05-10-2008, 09:54 AM

With a $50.00 or more fillup, what are you giving up to buy gasoline?

Me not eating out as much as we used to.
Not buying movie dvd's.
etc.

**CingularDuality** · 05-10-2008, 11:26 AM

Nothing has changed for me, except I hear more people whining and I'm tired of it. I try to point out the difference in the price of, say, a gallon of milk, or a Whopper from BK, or a bottle of water, compared to the price of gasoline over the last ten years, but nobody listens...

Last year it cost me $40 to fill up, this year $50. <shrug> No big deal...

**Ferris Bueller** · 05-10-2008, 11:38 AM

Not a damn thing. I ride a motorcycle which gets close to 80 miles per gallon. So unless gas shoots up to around 30 bucks a gallon, it probably wont hurt my wallet much.

**TheBigC** · 05-10-2008, 11:48 AM

I haven't given up anything. I don't like paying that much, but there is nothing I can really do about it.

I did modify which vehicle I drive to work. I have a Pilot and a Passat. Since I have a 50 mile commute to work each day, I simply take the better gas mileage Passat to work versus the SUV.

ScratchMonkey · 05-10-2008, 01:22 PM

I hate driving, so I've always been "frugal" as a side effect, saving shopping trips until I must.

Lately (last couple years), I've been able to work from home a lot of days, and I've had to fill up less. I write software for robotics, but more the framework that ties it together for customers than the parts that make it move. My boss does the clever things to make it smooth and fast. So I'll churn out code at home and he'll test it for me on the actual hardware, and I may have to go in 1-2 days a week for hands-on stuff.

**Jimmy Jammer** · 05-10-2008, 01:28 PM

Nothing, as between my wife and I its a little more than $80.00 a week. One has to eat, put a roof a families head and pay the bills. One of those bills is Comcast and in the bill is Internet. I'll give up nothing I say. Nothing. Now I may have to get a second job as a bag boy at the local market but I'm sure we are all in the same boat to one degree or another...JJ

Bonus: Hotties shop...alot.

msdz · 05-10-2008, 01:54 PM

Well, I just went out and bought a diesel truck and then switched the gear ratios in it to get better MPG. The truck is an older model('86) and it had 4:10 gear ratio and I dropped it down to 3:08's which the truck originally got 18MPG loaded(4ton on trailer) or unloaded it didn't matter, now it is getting closer to 29MPG. Plus I have 33" tires which also increases the overall gear ratio making it higher still.
Most people can modify their own vehicles gear ratios and get better fuel economy for about $400 depending on the vehicle of course and whether or not they have actual differentials to make this easier to do. A buddy of mine put larger tires on his front wheel drive vehicle to increase the ratio and he added a few MPG by doing so, larger tires increase the ratio which then keeps the RPM's down at highway speeds. This probably won't help city drivers cause it takes more power to get the larger tires to move or highway drivers that have a lot of hills but would help for people that drive flat or almost flat highway a lot. Just remember that increasing tire size also means you will need to get the speedometer re-calibrated to have the right speed readout and odometer readings.
I had read about people modding their Toyota Prius's so much they are getting over 100MPG!!! Hyper milers or something like that they are called. They strip these cars down to just the bare essentials, removing seats mirrors, and any other part that may cause wind drag. They drift behind other vehicles so close that it is no way they could ever get stopped in an emergency situation and other techniques are used. Just surprising people will go that far.

**=DdogG=** · 05-10-2008, 02:05 PM

I have an Isuzu Axiom that is supposed to get 19 and 25 mpg. I get 16.

30.00 worth of gas lasts me almost a month. Wal-mart and my bank are within 3 miles, and I go once a week. my work is 1/2 mile from home and I make 2 round trips a day.
My 02 Axiom had 61000 miles on it in Dec. 06. I just rolled over 66,500

My wife has a dodge caravan and 30.00 lasts her 2 weeks. she drives 6 miles round trip three times a day.

Gas prices do not DIRECTLY affect us in any way. I know other costs are rising b/c of it, but we drive so little, there is no impact on us by the fluctuations.

When Katrina hit and prices spiked to 3.50 (from 2.25) we filled up both cars in the morning, then did not have to fill up again till prices were back down to 2.40 - 5 weeks later. We both worked in the same building then and drove the 8 miles one time a day... alternating cars to stretch it even further.

Evo<^|SiNz|^> · 05-10-2008, 08:38 PM

Nothing... I take public transportation for most needs.

BTW, saw gas in D.C. off of Rock Creek Parkway for $4.09 for regular driving my wife's car today... so I guess $4 dollar gas has officially hit the east coast.

**Sarcoma** · 05-10-2008, 09:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CingularDuality

Nothing has changed for me, except I hear more people whining and I'm tired of it. I try to point out the difference in the price of, say, a gallon of milk, or a Whopper from BK, or a bottle of water, compared to the price of gasoline over the last ten years, but nobody listens...

Same

You pay far more for a Gallon of Coke or Snapple than Gas. deal with it, buy a bike. I paid $4.08/gal for a fill-up today and its still cheaper than milk.

sarcoma

ScratchMonkey · 05-10-2008, 10:04 PM

And gas has much higher energy density than Coke or milk. How does an internal combustion engine compare to the human leg for conversion efficiency?

**El_Gringo_Grande** · 05-10-2008, 11:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CingularDuality

Nothing has changed for me, except I hear more people whining and I'm tired of it. I try to point out the difference in the price of, say, a gallon of milk, or a Whopper from BK, or a bottle of water, compared to the price of gasoline over the last ten years, but nobody listens...

Last year it cost me $40 to fill up, this year $50. <shrug> No big deal...

But I don't use 50 gallons of milk a week!

I haven't given up anything. But I have cut back on my extra payments on my mortgage. That is where I put most my "extra" income. So I think this gas thing is going to cost me about 20,000 dollars over the next 25 years. That bites.

**Gogeta** · 05-11-2008, 12:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sarcoma

You pay far more for a Gallon of Coke

I love Coke and I am very interested to know where to purchase these Gallons of Coke you speak of... Price is not an issue!!!

**thegreatnardini** · 05-11-2008, 12:42 AM

I've been driving back and forth from Philadelphia and CT quite a bit. My Jeep gets about 17-18 mpg and it's killing my wallet, a one-way trip takes up about 3/4 of my tank, or about $40 worth of gas with the prices they are right now. I'm seriously considering buying a cheap motorcycle to use this summer to go back and forth from work and around town. Yeah I'll end up paying $400-500 for it but I'm sure by the end of the summer it will have paid for itself.

**Ferris Bueller** · 05-11-2008, 01:04 AM

Nardini, if your credit is good, you can get a 250GZ or Rebel (250cc bike, cruiser style, top speed of about 80, close to 80mpg) brand new for around 30 dollars a month. They're 3100 bucks brand new and with financing it's insanely cheap to buy one. On my 250, I used to spend around 8 dollars a week on gas, and that was riding several hundred miles on pure leisure travel.

I dont know where in CT your parents live, so I way overshot and measured philly to providence, which is 275 miles, or about 6 bucks in gas on the bike. So a round trip would cost you 12 bucks. So basically what it amounts to is this: you take two trips in your jeep and it costs you 160 bucks. Even making the monthly payment on the bike, you could take 10 trips on the bike for LESS than it costs with the jeep. Plus, comprehensive coverage on a motorcycle is about 300 bucks a YEAR if you get a good rate.

05-10-2008, 09:54 AM	#1 (permalink)
kin3 Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: Mobile, Al Age: 62 Posts: 1,254	What have you given up to buy gasoline? With a $50.00 or more fillup, what are you giving up to buy gasoline? Me not eating out as much as we used to. Not buying movie dvd's. etc. __________________ The Old Guy kin3

05-10-2008, 11:26 AM	#2 (permalink)
CingularDuality Join Date: May 2003 Location: Dallas/Ft. Worth area of Texas, USA Age: 33 Posts: 17,061	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? Nothing has changed for me, except I hear more people whining and I'm tired of it. I try to point out the difference in the price of, say, a gallon of milk, or a Whopper from BK, or a bottle of water, compared to the price of gasoline over the last ten years, but nobody listens... Last year it cost me $40 to fill up, this year $50. <shrug> No big deal... __________________ Become a supporting member! -- Shop at the Tactical Market! Take the world's smallest political quiz! "I was touched by His Noodly Appendage." TacticalGamer TX LAN/BBQ Veteran:

05-10-2008, 11:38 AM	#3 (permalink)
Ferris Bueller Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Orlando, FL Age: 26 Posts: 5,144	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? Not a damn thing. I ride a motorcycle which gets close to 80 miles per gallon. So unless gas shoots up to around 30 bucks a gallon, it probably wont hurt my wallet much. __________________ \|TG-6th\|Ferris Bueller Important TG Reading \| Support TG - Become a Supporting Member \| TacticalWiki - Your TG Guide Kicked/Banned? READ THIS FIRST! \| Complete list of TG Admins \| Think Someone Did A Good Job? Nominate Them For a Ribbon! Report Problem Players/Appeal Your Ban \| Learn TG - The TG Mentoring Program __________________ "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." -Lazarus Long

05-10-2008, 11:48 AM	#4 (permalink)
TheBigC Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Around Age: 36 Posts: 3,077	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? I haven't given up anything. I don't like paying that much, but there is nothing I can really do about it. I did modify which vehicle I drive to work. I have a Pilot and a Passat. Since I have a 50 mile commute to work each day, I simply take the better gas mileage Passat to work versus the SUV. __________________ The Meek shall inherit the earth..... after we're through with it! The Wounded Warrior Project, help support my friends

05-10-2008, 01:22 PM	#5 (permalink)
ScratchMonkey Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: San Pablo, California Posts: 4,565	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? I hate driving, so I've always been "frugal" as a side effect, saving shopping trips until I must. Lately (last couple years), I've been able to work from home a lot of days, and I've had to fill up less. I write software for robotics, but more the framework that ties it together for customers than the parts that make it move. My boss does the clever things to make it smooth and fast. So I'll churn out code at home and he'll test it for me on the actual hardware, and I may have to go in 1-2 days a week for hands-on stuff. __________________

05-10-2008, 01:28 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jimmy Jammer Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Northampton, MA Age: 48 Posts: 204	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? Nothing, as between my wife and I its a little more than $80.00 a week. One has to eat, put a roof a families head and pay the bills. One of those bills is Comcast and in the bill is Internet. I'll give up nothing I say. Nothing. Now I may have to get a second job as a bag boy at the local market but I'm sure we are all in the same boat to one degree or another...JJ Bonus: Hotties shop...alot.

05-10-2008, 01:54 PM	#7 (permalink)
msdz Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: WV Age: 36 Posts: 925	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? Well, I just went out and bought a diesel truck and then switched the gear ratios in it to get better MPG. The truck is an older model('86) and it had 4:10 gear ratio and I dropped it down to 3:08's which the truck originally got 18MPG loaded(4ton on trailer) or unloaded it didn't matter, now it is getting closer to 29MPG. Plus I have 33" tires which also increases the overall gear ratio making it higher still. Most people can modify their own vehicles gear ratios and get better fuel economy for about $400 depending on the vehicle of course and whether or not they have actual differentials to make this easier to do. A buddy of mine put larger tires on his front wheel drive vehicle to increase the ratio and he added a few MPG by doing so, larger tires increase the ratio which then keeps the RPM's down at highway speeds. This probably won't help city drivers cause it takes more power to get the larger tires to move or highway drivers that have a lot of hills but would help for people that drive flat or almost flat highway a lot. Just remember that increasing tire size also means you will need to get the speedometer re-calibrated to have the right speed readout and odometer readings. I had read about people modding their Toyota Prius's so much they are getting over 100MPG!!! Hyper milers or something like that they are called. They strip these cars down to just the bare essentials, removing seats mirrors, and any other part that may cause wind drag. They drift behind other vehicles so close that it is no way they could ever get stopped in an emergency situation and other techniques are used. Just surprising people will go that far. __________________

05-10-2008, 02:05 PM	#8 (permalink)
=DdogG= Join Date: Nov 2003 Location: Ennis, TX Age: 31 Posts: 1,763	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? I have an Isuzu Axiom that is supposed to get 19 and 25 mpg. I get 16. 30.00 worth of gas lasts me almost a month. Wal-mart and my bank are within 3 miles, and I go once a week. my work is 1/2 mile from home and I make 2 round trips a day. My 02 Axiom had 61000 miles on it in Dec. 06. I just rolled over 66,500 My wife has a dodge caravan and 30.00 lasts her 2 weeks. she drives 6 miles round trip three times a day. Gas prices do not DIRECTLY affect us in any way. I know other costs are rising b/c of it, but we drive so little, there is no impact on us by the fluctuations. When Katrina hit and prices spiked to 3.50 (from 2.25) we filled up both cars in the morning, then did not have to fill up again till prices were back down to 2.40 - 5 weeks later. We both worked in the same building then and drove the 8 miles one time a day... alternating cars to stretch it even further. __________________ Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity, and I'm not sure about the former. -Albert Einstein The two most common elements in the universe are Hydrogen and stupidity. -Harlan Ellison If all else fails: "rm -rf /"

05-10-2008, 08:38 PM	#9 (permalink)
Evo<^\|SiNz\|^> Join Date: May 2006 Location: Alexandria, VA Age: 28 Posts: 1,225	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? Nothing... I take public transportation for most needs. BTW, saw gas in D.C. off of Rock Creek Parkway for $4.09 for regular driving my wife's car today... so I guess $4 dollar gas has officially hit the east coast. __________________ "No bastard ever won a war by dying for his country. He won it by making the other poor dumb bastard die for his country." - Attributed to General George Patton, Jr.

05-10-2008, 10:04 PM	#11 (permalink)
ScratchMonkey Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: San Pablo, California Posts: 4,565	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? And gas has much higher energy density than Coke or milk. How does an internal combustion engine compare to the human leg for conversion efficiency? __________________

05-11-2008, 12:42 AM	#14 (permalink)
thegreatnardini Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Philleh Posts: 1,772	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? I've been driving back and forth from Philadelphia and CT quite a bit. My Jeep gets about 17-18 mpg and it's killing my wallet, a one-way trip takes up about 3/4 of my tank, or about $40 worth of gas with the prices they are right now. I'm seriously considering buying a cheap motorcycle to use this summer to go back and forth from work and around town. Yeah I'll end up paying $400-500 for it but I'm sure by the end of the summer it will have paid for itself. __________________ lTG-6thl TheGreatNardini Happy Easter \| Battlefield 2 SOP's \| Kicked? Banned? Click here!!! \| Need an admin? PM me \| XFire

05-11-2008, 01:04 AM	#15 (permalink)
Ferris Bueller Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: Orlando, FL Age: 26 Posts: 5,144	Re: What have you given up to buy gasoline? Nardini, if your credit is good, you can get a 250GZ or Rebel (250cc bike, cruiser style, top speed of about 80, close to 80mpg) brand new for around 30 dollars a month. They're 3100 bucks brand new and with financing it's insanely cheap to buy one. On my 250, I used to spend around 8 dollars a week on gas, and that was riding several hundred miles on pure leisure travel. I dont know where in CT your parents live, so I way overshot and measured philly to providence, which is 275 miles, or about 6 bucks in gas on the bike. So a round trip would cost you 12 bucks. So basically what it amounts to is this: you take two trips in your jeep and it costs you 160 bucks. Even making the monthly payment on the bike, you could take 10 trips on the bike for LESS than it costs with the jeep. Plus, comprehensive coverage on a motorcycle is about 300 bucks a YEAR if you get a good rate. __________________ \|TG-6th\|Ferris Bueller Important TG Reading \| Support TG - Become a Supporting Member \| TacticalWiki - Your TG Guide Kicked/Banned? READ THIS FIRST! \| Complete list of TG Admins \| Think Someone Did A Good Job? Nominate Them For a Ribbon! Report Problem Players/Appeal Your Ban \| Learn TG - The TG Mentoring Program __________________ "Never underestimate the power of human stupidity." -Lazarus Long

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)

Sponsored links

Sponsored links

Sponsored links

Sponsored links