Price of gas, cost of living...

Oh yeah, there's always more than one thing affecting anything! I made friends with a Shell Oil gas station owner, and he's shared much of what the ones who are suing Shell out in CA with... how no matter what, they have to have their price xx cents above what the guy across the street or down the way (predetermined who) has theirs at... and the owners don't get any of the increase percentages etc... such a racket!

But, imo, even the House of Saud would take notice if we lowered our usage...

BTW I grew up in a house built in the early 1900s and it had water heated by SOLAR on the roof!!!! Why didn't we stick with that? I recently used the online questionaire with Florida Power and Light, asking how much I would save by replacing my 40 gallon hot water heater with an inline tankless one... they said NOTHING! How is that? I wouldn't save any electric??? Gotta believe they don't want me to so I keep buying alot of their electric.

I think we should lower our usage and let them rot on their oil, but we have to develop alternatives, the sooner the better.

I don't have outside lighting, but if I put it in there's plenty of solar lights to buy... and solar powered objects for the garden decor, patio lighting etc.

The property I grew up on also had a windmill! We used it for the horse's water. ( But we had a well and electric pump for house water.)

Another tip for saving... use the dishwasher! Don't prerinse your dishes. The dishwasher only uses about 1-2 gallons of water, whereas if you rinse them first, or just wash them by hand, you use much more than that!

Use vinegar to clean with...rather than all those chemicals. Baking soda cleans things nicely too... both inexpensive products.

Use reusable cloths/rags to clean with, and line dry them (or hang up to dry.)

You don't need to buy those expensive, fancy vegetable and fruit washes, nor run the water a long time to wash them... use apple cider vinegar instead. I use about one capful for a whole bag of apples. It removes all the chemicals etc from the produce, safely.

I want to add one more reason the cost of gasoline (and oil) has risen so much: the amount the producers get for a barrel is denominated (I believe) in DOLLARS. Since the dollar is falling rapidly in value, at least partly due to the miserable way the U.S. is managing its financial affairs, for the producers to get the same value in "real" money (with which they can buy things from elsewhere than the U.S.) as they did before, the cost in dollars has to go up.

So if we in the U.S. want to blame someone, one of the places to look is close to home. In several ways.

Well, I can kind of agree that most Americans don't understand economics totally. I can vouch that I was "economic stupid" until I took two economic classes in college. It was a real eye opener and just as we have to have poor people, welfare, and generic products in order to operate - the cycles will come - regardless.

I have taken a few steps to lower costs in my household and my vehicles. I have an 04 Honda Civic that gets 32-38 MPG and a 96 GMC 4x4 pickup that averages 15-19 MPG. I only use the truck to haul off my trash about every other weekend and I go down and get my mom's too. (We live in a rural area and there is no trash pick up).

I put energy saving bulbs in every light in my home. Suprisingly - this lowered my electric bill by about $10.00 month. Also, I use fans as much as possible. It's hard in the dead heat of summer in Florida but I certainly try. Open windows and nice sea-breeze days are a good time to turn the AC off.

I put ams oil in my car about 2 weeks ago. I think I am getting about 42 miles to the gallon in city traffic. The oil change costs $60.00 but a regular oil change costs $30.00 and this oil change lasts for 7500 miles instead of 3000.

I wash all my clothes in cold water except for whites.

The electric company told me anything that runs on a 220 unit is what eats your electricity. This would include: hot water heater, dishwasher, washer, dryer, a/c unit, furnace. SO - I try to run all of those as little as possible. (Totally agree with using the dishwasher though. I live alone and there's no reason to waste that extra water for small loads when I can do one big one.)

Those are some small things I do that add up. Since my changeover, I have added about $60.00 a month to my pocket.

I don't think we should per se be "scared" but watchful and mindful of our economic surroundings. Just pay attention and watch your pennies. Save a little for a rainy day.

Oprah says one of the ways she created her wealth was that for many years she lived BENEATH her means. Wise words.

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Oprah says one of the ways she created her wealth was that for many years she lived BENEATH her means. Wise words.

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So very true. No matter what the economy is like, you can ride it out if you plan right and spend wisely. So many people confuse "needs" and "wants". Ten years ago we didn't have cell phones or the internet, but now they are a necessity? Not always. Find simple ways to cut costs and you can survive in any economy. And don't forget to save.

gas is 3;59 here

What the current recession, sub-prime meltdown, and inflation problems mean to an individual depends on their circumstances. If you were doing pretty well a few years ago, you'll weather whatever is coming just fine. If you were paycheck to paycheck before, you're likely feeling the squeeze now.

In my particular case, it almost seems like a run of bad luck. We were paycheck to paycheck and then we got pregnant. That pushed up our debt quite a bit and added to our childcare costs. This too, we decided, was manageable if we just cut back. And it was until we lost our (very affordable) babysitter and one of our cars died. Both my wife and I work full time outside of the reach of public transportation so we need two cars. We got the cheapest one we could but now we were also having to drive way out of the way to get our kids to my parent's house (on days when we couldn't find or afford a babysitter) and all the while prices on everything were going way up. Desperate our debt load continued to increase as we searched for ways to pay bills. The pressure of it all was literally overwhelming as my wife cried and asked me what we were going to do.

And this is roughly when I lost my mind, went back into therapy, got a new pdoc, and had my meds increased. This was a smart move but it all costs money.

So who do I blame? Myself? I work full time plus freelance work (basically making for two jobs). My wife? She never stops either. The economy? It certainly hasn't helped us any. Oil cartels? Private industry? Government? Neo-conservatism? Bear Stearns? NAFTA? Green peace? Those two Japanese actors from the Wii commercials? Christmas? Allah? Jesus? Scientologists? Who?

The truth is, I feel like it's all my fault. It seems like it would have to be. But my wife and I do, and have done, everything we're supposed to do to live a decent life and we're still losing. So who's to blame?

It will be an interesting year. Either we'll start making progress or we wont and we'll be just another failed family. I know my marriage wouldn't survive that and so essentially I'll lose everything.

And this is who the current economy is hurting. Those of us who were already struggling. People without time, equity or security nets.

So here's hoping. Good luck, everyone.

Cyran0

And sorry about the long post but damn it all if this hasn't been an emotional topic for me lately.

This is really an interesting thread, and I wasn't sure it would receive any responses when I started it. I'm single, age 57, and work as a teacher. I've worked really hard over the past 4 years to complete my M.A. for the teacher pay raise, so, hopefully, I'll be benefitting from that increase in pay next fall. Also, 1.5 years ago, I sold my big house and bought a small 900 sq.ft. one to downsize, downprice, knowing that my living from paycheck to paycheck was only going to get harder as time progressed. I"ve done a lot to make this place more energy efficient...having insulation installed in the attic and a new more efficient heating/cooling system. Still, I haven't been that "green conscious" nor aware of the things I do which are frivolous. At the same time, I don't drive anywhere that isn't absolutely necessary, nor do I spend on such things as clothing or expensive foods. I suspect I'll still be marginally paycheck to paycheck. It worries me when, in about 5 years, I face retirement. For 8 years, I lived in the town in which I also worked, a minute from the school, and gas consumption was not a concern for me. Now it is and I hate filling my tank! If I could sell my little house and move back to near work, I would, but nothing is affordable there...ridiculous prices for property, so I will have to deal with it.
One expense that annoys me is my "bundle" of TV cable, high speed internet, and phone. It's just about $135 monthly, but it still annoys me, since I rarely find anything on TV worth watching, never use the cable phone(I have a cell phone which I use rarely as my primary phone), and the high speed Internet. I like the high speed, but could probably do with dial-up if I didn't have to also go with the regular phone service, which is ridiculously high. They get you whichever way you turn.
Two incomes in a household seems to be better, but I gave that up 11 years ago, and thankful for the peace, despite the financial cost.
Patty

I agree...many people get their wants confused with their needs. To me needs are food, shelter, and clothing...beyond that everything else is something we can live without (not counting meds as I see that as a necessity as well). I'm sure things will get tight enough for me that I will have to do without the internet if things get bad enough but I'm hoping it won't come to that.

Oh...another thing I thought of that I do... I spin all my wash loads TWICE! (The above comment about 220 reminded me.) This practically dries many of the light weight clothes, but even with jeans, it saves much time in the dryer, which of course is costly.

IMO those who are not careful right now will find it easiest to cut back, because once educated, they will find many things they spend money on that they really don't have to have (soda, brand names, etc). It is those who aren't reading this, those who are living barebones as we speak, who don't have computers, don't have cars, don't have televisions some of them... etc who will find it most difficult to "find" the extra money that their electric costs etc.

to all!

the problem is, the global economy is getting worse as fossil fuels become more and more scarce; it's been evident in europe for some time, but having lived in america I think it's a new thing. Personally I think the situation will stable out as new technologies are coming into the public conciousness that will alleviate the problem, but not solve it completely. I certainly think the rising prices are a major argument in favour of a unified global currency though.