posted March 05, 2008 12:05 AM           

It seems that a friend of mine has ingeniously found a loophole within the system...

He owns a trailer in the mountains and there is no access to electricity where it's located so he has purchased a gasoline powered generator in which to run power for heating/cooking, etc.

Well with the winter storms he discovered that he sometimes get's trapped up there and cannot come into town for resources that he may need such as "gasoline" in order to survive...

K, here's where it get's good, LOL!
He wisely brainstorms this uncomfortable situation and decides that he should be better prepared for times like this. If he had a larger supply of gasoline on hand perhaps he could go longer without access to town?

He then goes to a local gasoline provider and asks alot of questions about the legalities and such of having a large supply of gasoline on your property... blah, blah, blah...

Before you know it he's purchased a huge 200 gallon above ground gasoline drum with intent to get another the same size in a month, as well as has set up a service in which the gas company comes to his home once a month and refills his tanks at the beautiful price of $2.16 per gallon There are no delivery charges what so ever and no maximum in the amount of gas he can use. The tanks have traditional gas hoses connected to them (the kind that fit into your car)...

The way this deal was accomplished was simply by signing an application form to become an independent private contract gas supplier. The only catch is that if the pumps are used by the general public the gas company that supplies the gas to him has the right to set the price in which he must sell it at.

The gas is essentially for his "personal use" only.
heeee...heee....

$2.16 a flippin' gallon!!! LMAO!!!

*shaking my head

Only "he" could have imaged this thing to reality...

in CALIFORNIA no less!

posted March 05, 2008 12:41 PM         

Anyways, that guy should really be sure he knows what he's doing with the gas tanks, YFIS. Are there lisencing laws in California about handling that much gas? I only ask as my honey is an LP tech, Journeyman Oil tech and he would freak if I told him that story!! He's always telling me about the laws... LOL...

posted March 12, 2008 05:30 PM           

People are just too caught up in material pleasures and comforts to make a stand I believe.

I hope I'm wrong...

Living in California it is already common practice to carpool and use other means of transportation when and if at all possible. Simply to cut down on the smog and costs associated with driving. Sometimes just to avoid traffic, LOL!

I grew up in Santa Cruz and can remember 3 months of the year that locals just did not drive. Each summer tourists from around the globe would clog up our streets and we would ride bike, roller skates, skate boards, etc. to get to where we needed in order to get there on time and with less stress. This in the 70's, 80's and 90's...

I look back and now feel blessed that these were my experiences...
I'm all for this change in todays way's Bring it on!

posted March 12, 2008 09:33 PM         

I do need to fill up right now, I am almost empty, and as I drove home tonight the lowest choices were $3.54 cash or $3.59 credit.

On a similar note, there's an article on the front page of my newspaper today discussing the urgent need for levees in my county; They say the SF Bay water has risen 7 inches in the past 100 years, and they expect it to rise 3 feet in the next 50 years. I totally agree, as my entire area got flooded on the map in Al Gore's movie...... *sigh*

posted March 13, 2008 10:26 AM           

Record gas prices push energy spending to near 1980s levels
Tuesday March 11, 2:04 pm ET

By Steve Hargreaves, CNNMoney.com staff writer

So gasoline prices are at an all-time high. But after adjusting for inflation, rising incomes and better fuel efficiency, how bad are they really?
The experts' answer: Bad. Nearly as bad as they've ever been, and not likely to get better anytime soon.


Adjusted for inflation, gasoline at $3.227 a gallon, according to AAA, is still about 18 cents below its peak of $3.405, set in March 1981, according to the Energy Information Administration. And Americans are spending about 6% of their total disposable income on energy, down from about 8% in 1982.

But prices are higher then they have been at any time in recent memory. In 2002, when many people may have bought a vehicle they are still driving today, Americans spent just 4% of their income on energy. Gas prices, adjusted into 2008 dollars, were at a near all-time low of around $1.30 a gallon.

"It really hasn't reached a level it did in 1982, but it's approaching it," said Kay Smith, an economist at EIA. "It's becoming a burden."

Moreover, Americans haven't spent this much of their income on energy since 1986. Except for a few months, inflation-adjusted retail gasoline prices didn't cross the $2 a gallon mark anytime in the 18 years between 1986 and 2004.

Now there are some studies that say it's not really that bad.

In 1980, the average American had to work 105 minutes to buy enough gas to drive the average car 100 miles, according to Beth Ann Bovino, a senior economist at Standard and Poor's. Now, the average American needs to work only 53 minutes, thanks to better fuel efficiency and higher wages.

"Even though it certainly doesn't feel so good at the pump, we're a bigger economy and we make more money," said Bovino.

And some people, usually Europeans, like to point out that gasoline is still far cheaper in the United States than it is in Europe, where it can cost upwards of $8 a gallon.

Others argue that's it's not fair to compare the United States and Europe, as Europe's high prices are largely due to taxes, which are then used to fund public benefits such as mass transit or cheaper health care.

Either way, most economists agree that these current record gas prices are beginning to take their toll.

For each penny increase in the cost of gas, U.S. consumers pay an extra billion dollars a year, said Dean Baker, assistant director at the Center for Economic and Policy Research. So to go to $3.22 a gallon from $1.74 a gallon in March 2004 is costing an extra $148 billion dollars this year alone.

"There's definitely a hit," said Baker. "It doesn't explain the recession, but it certainly adds to it."

Falling home prices and the loss of jobs are the main reasons behind the economic downturn, economists say.

But food prices have also risen with gas prices, as the economy worsens and investors of all stripes pour money into commodities as a hedge against inflation and the falling dollar.

Food prices rose nearly 5% in January, the highest one-month gain since December 1990, said John Lonski, chief economist at Moody's Analytics.

"It's a drag on consumer spending," said Lonski. "Consumers right now are suffering from a double whammy."

For those hoping things will get better, there may be a while to wait. EIA predicts gas prices will remain above $2.70 a gallon until at least 2010.

posted March 18, 2008 02:20 PM           

Over the weekend Diesel prices rose to $3.82/gal!!! My friend, who drives a diesel who bought it cause prices of diesel were cheaper than gas said he about hit the ditch when he was driving by and saw those prices.

skips off singing ... I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride my b-i-k-e!

posted May 11, 2008 04:31 PM           

I just had a guy ask me if i could spare a dollar while i was leaving a store. he said his car ran out of gas somewhere. i said, 'here's 5. that'll get you a gallon.'

posted May 13, 2008 01:14 PM           

Randall - I feel the same way!!

I've got friends who are subsidizing with bio-fuel. Only problem is they can't run straight biofuel up here year round. They must cut it in the winter months with diesel. I've got anther friend who is living off the land and collecting natural coal to heat his house. I think this fellows on the right track. With the cost of fuels on the rise, it's only a matter of time before we see that cost reflected on our energy bills, (natural gas, electric, etc) (anyone who attempts this ... it's very important that you have a coal burning stove ...... you CAN NOT put coal directly into your wood stove or fireplace!! Thats a big NO-NO. Unless of course your trying to collect the insurance on your house. lol)

Edited to add:

posted May 13, 2008 04:38 PM           

Yes, I think it's getting very hard for a lot of people. People are cutting back in many areas of life. I'm not driving as much for one thing. The restaurant I work at has been extremely slow. I noticed people down here rarely tip 20% like was the norm up north. Even though they say 'everything was great! great service' etc, most are tiping 10% which really doesnt leave us with much, especially because it's been so slow. Servers down here make a little over 3.00 per hour. Better than up north where I'm from, but we live off our tips so it's tough.

posted May 14, 2008 08:03 AM         

Link to find the cheapest gas in your city:

http://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasStations.aspx?m=1&l=1&zip=48116&x=11&y=13

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~
What we do for ourselves dies with us. What we do for others and the world is immortal"~

posted May 14, 2008 10:10 PM           

I had to fill up today and it cost me a little over $40 at 3.77 per gallon. I was on empty so had to stop somewhere close. Glad I kept driving past the station charging 3.85 and found gas a little cheaper up the road.

posted May 16, 2008 12:50 PM           

Diesel: $4.59/gal

It seems each time I drive by the gas station the prices are going up and up and up. It's not happening slowly ... it's going up on the average of $0.10 every 3 days!! (during the last month or so)

posted May 16, 2008 10:46 PM           

Do you think we will eventually see 10 dollars per gallon?