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Archive through June 19, 2008

Reality TVClubHouse Discussions: General Discussions ARCHIVES: Apr. 2008 ~ June 2008: Free Expressions: Ideas for saving gas!!!: Archive through June 19, 2008 users admin

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Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Tuesday, June 10, 2008 - 10:26 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
We got lucky with the gas theft thing. We got siphoned when gas was only $3 a gallon, so we got the locking gas cap then. Unfortunately, it was siphoned from the elderly Bronco with the 32 gallon gas tank. They got about 20 gallons we estimate.

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 9:22 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
We have a Suburban and a pick up truck, both get terrible gas mileage. (The truck only gets driven for work though and hubby is self employed so at least it is a business expense.) I just put locking gas caps on the shopping list. We also have a small chevy that is much better on gas. Now that our oldest daughter grad high school and doesn't need that car to get to and from school, overall we should be buying a lot less gas. But with the increased prices, I doubt we will save much money. At least we will save compared to what we would have spent if school was still in session. (She went to high school about 15 miles away in a neighboring district.)

Here's an idea not many can do...fly those long distances! I just got tickets from Oakland to Virginia for only $238 per roundtrip ticket including all taxes and fees! ($99 each way without fees on Southwest.) Would have spent a lot more than that in gas if I had driven! (Even for four of us buying tickets, we would have spent more in gas!) I think they may be having a special where you have to purchase between June 10 and 12th, so it will end tomorrow or maybe at midnight tonight.

I have really been trying to look ahead and brake as little as possible, especially on the highway. I'm also never going over 60 mph because the mileage just plummets at higher speeds, from what I've read. I'm braking and putting my foot on the gas pedal as little as possible. If I were to spend much time on the highway, I would try to get behind a big truck. Mythbusters (an episode I watched just the other day) tested that and it really works, however, to get maximum benefit you have to follow so closely that it is dangerous. Still, I figure that any little bit I can do saves us money and is better for the earth.

Rosie
Member

11-12-2003

Wednesday, June 11, 2008 - 9:28 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Rosie a private message Print Post    
Prices $4.50's last night and over $5.00 for diesel. Time for me to fill er up again...

Happy, great airline find. Yay!

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Saturday, June 14, 2008 - 11:01 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
It was a great find! And on Southwest too, where we don't have to pay to check bags!

One habit I am trying to break is that of turning on the engine before I buckle up. In the winter when the windshield needs to defrost, I'll still have to, but I used to do it all the time. I still do sometimes, but every bit helps and I am trying hard to break that habit.

I also used to go around the block because I have to park on the street in front of our house. Now, I just go whatever way is shorter and turn around in a neighbors driveway.

Texasdeb
Member

05-23-2003

Saturday, June 14, 2008 - 3:27 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Texasdeb a private message Print Post    
On my way home today from my 3 day / 2 night trip I noticed the cheapest gas was $3.95. I was traveling I-20 from Ft. Worth to Abilene.

(that's in TX in case folks are wandering)

I made a 500 mile round trip & started out with a full tank that cost around $50. I still have over 1/4 tank left.

I love my "Freebird" (that's my car's name). I've had "her" since March 2007 & "she's" a 2007 Pontiac G5 sports coupe. My car looks sharp & gets great gas mileage - what more can you ask.

I feel for you parents who have to have vehicles large enough to tote your family around. Dang, they all are too gas hungry. I'm glad my kidlets are grown & I'm only carting my around these days.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 11:27 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
This is "dump the pump" week here and the OC transit authority put coupons in a couple of papers, so today I am taking the bus, for free, to and from the dentist. Round trip 21 miles. And I get some free walking, but not that much.. just have to get across the street from my complex (which involves walking a couple of blocks out of the complex and a couple of blocks to lights and back, and then across coast highway for the second bus and that route stops a block from the building with my dentist's suite inside..

So I get to save a gallon of gas (or more).

Dfennessey
Member

07-25-2004

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 11:37 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dfennessey a private message Print Post    
Some busses around the Boston area are offering free rides one day this week.

Dipo
Member

04-23-2002

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 11:52 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dipo a private message Print Post    
I think we are having free public transit tomorrow.

Dfennessey
Member

07-25-2004

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 12:06 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dfennessey a private message Print Post    
Some busses around the Boston area are offering free rides one day this week.

Tess
Member

04-13-2001

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 12:52 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Tess a private message Print Post    
My DH has been telecommuting now for nearly a year. He goes into his office maybe once every month or two.

I no longer drive at all. My car still has its full tank of gas from February. I let my driver's license lapse and we've been saving a ton of money by cutting down on our driving.

I also do about 99% of my shopping online so I'm not driving to the mall where ever.

We're still hovering around 4.00/gallon here in MN but we're getting ready to hit the road visiting relatives. Fortunately, DH will be doing all the driving. He actually pays attention to the speed limits more that I used to so he gets better mileage than I did.

Wargod
Moderator

07-16-2001

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 1:21 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Wargod a private message Print Post    
I put in 16 gallons last night (sigh...$74.) Was $4.59 a gallon.

It's been a little over two weeks since I filled up, and that included a trip out of town Darren took weekend before last. Since then til yesterday I went through 1/2 a tank of gas which I thought was kind of good, though not great. Then yesterday blew through 1/4 tank driving all over freaking town and back again. I went to my aunts, then drove out to the county clerks office all the way across town only to discover they had moved....to right down the street from my house. Then drove across town the other way to pick up my nieces from bils brothers (sis and bil were at the dr office with our friends who just had the motorcycle accident) and went back to my aunts a few hours later to drop them off then had to take Kota to practice and pick her up. I don't think I've done that much driving altogether since the kids got out of school! Hopefully I'll have no more days like that.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 5:18 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
It sure adds up.

I had a delightful bus trip!

I still have another potential pass (well I could use today's until midnight tonight, but I think I'm in for the day).

Gas on our corner has actually dropped a little bit but is still over what I paid for my current tank.

I'm going to a concert at House of Blues in Downtown Disney on Monday and that will require my driving there and back..

Pamy
Member

01-02-2002

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 7:28 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Pamy a private message Print Post    
my carpool of 4 ppl is going to turn into a vanpool of 6 ppl and we will get a 400.00 a month incentive! So we will be paying 1/2 of what we are spending!!

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 9:11 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
That is great, Pamy! CSC did start up vanpools to El Segundo back in the 80s but I could never force myself to get up early enough, or to leave work so early as they did.. but they did get some good benefits. And certainly these days it would be more important to pool..

Juju2bigdog
Member

10-27-2000

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 9:24 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Juju2bigdog a private message Print Post    
I would actually get a monthly bus pass and ride the bus all over the place in this town, but the bus stop is at the bottom of the steep freaking hill, and it is 3/4 mile down there, and it rains all the time here.

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 - 11:50 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
That would be a deal breaker for me..

I've only gone two places so far recently and it has been amazingly convenient (but time-consuming)
I've managed to ride for three FREE two of the three days, too.

ETA.. lol, no I'm not carrying twins.. just a typo.

Serate
Member

08-21-2001

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 6:12 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Serate a private message Print Post    
I had to take hubby to work this morning so I paid attention to regular unleaded gas prices as we normally get the kind that has 10% ethanol. What we get is down to $3.74 but regular unleaded is $3.92. [And so glad we use the ethanol.]

When we went to Kentucky last week we ended up paying $182.00 for gas round trip. A bit in the wallet, but the $328.00 we were expecting to pay for our hotel rooms was paid for so the gas didn't hurt as much. And the fact that we had 2 $25 BP gift cards so all we actually paid was $175.00. I love the fact that my dad uses his BP card all the time and won't use the gift cards they send him, but I really need to show him how easy they are to use. The highest we saw for regular unleaded was $4.19. The highest we paid was $3.92, the lowest we paid was $3.83 which is also the lowest we saw for regular non-ethanol unleaded gas. [We filled up at home for $3.74 but that was ethanol.]

Jagger
Member

08-07-2002

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 6:41 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Jagger a private message Print Post    
Gas has dropped slightly in MN, I paid 3.86 a gallon last night.
I've noticed that if I leave work 5 minutes earlier or 5 minutes later I don't hit the traffic I would normally hit right at 3:30, so I spend less time waiting to make turns. It isn't much but every little bit helps.

Happymom
Member

01-20-2003

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 8:58 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Happymom a private message Print Post    
Tess, I really like your idea of online shopping! I even have many free delivery coupons for Safeway (a local grocery store). I hadn't really remembered about them, just not in the habit of having groceries delivered. I think I'll start Christmas shopping online early. Even if there is a fee for shipping, it will be cheaper than driving! Overstock.com usually has very inexpensive shipping and Amazon has free on many items if you spend at least $25.

I don't like shopping, I especially dislike grocery shopping and having to unload the car! I really like saving money and gas! So Tess, I really thank you for that idea!

Dipo
Member

04-23-2002

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 9:02 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Dipo a private message Print Post    
Happymom, I love Safeway delivery, but they have added a fuel surcharge to their deliveries, LMAO. I don't know if it is a percentage of what you order, or what but on my last order I think it was less than a $1.50. I think I save more on groceries since I can't really impluse shop.

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 11:06 am   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
Gas here is about $4.59/gal. When I was in Colorado a couple weeks ago, it was $3.85/gal. I find it interesting that I'm less than 200 miles from a refinery they pay 80 cents more per gallon than someone in a city that's hundreds of miles away.

FWIW, today is known as "Dump the Pump" day. Unfortunately, I did have to take a quick trip out in my car (to the eye doc).

Merrysea
Moderator

08-13-2004

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 12:00 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Merrysea a private message Print Post    
I used to go to an Exxon station that was right down the road (maybe half a mile) from the Exxon refinery. We used to stop and fill up when we were going camping; then we'd head up to Red Bluff, two and a half hours away, and the Exxon station there was always much, much cheaper. You'd think there'd be transportation costs involved or something!

Escapee
Member

06-15-2004

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 1:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Escapee a private message Print Post    
Hey, I just drove past that exxon refinery on Saturday, lol. Step dad used to work there.

Dipo, I wish we had a Safeway here :-(

Costacat
Member

07-15-2000

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 2:25 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Costacat a private message Print Post    
My point exactly, Escapee! How are we paying almost a dollar more when the thing is in our back yards?????? (Well, not exactly in mine, since I don't smell it! Hehehe!)

Seamonkey
Moderator

09-07-2000

Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 3:43 pm   Edit Post Move Post Delete Post View Post Send Seamonkey a private message Print Post    
Here it is dump the pump week. When I turned in my coupon for a free pass for the day yesterday, the pass code was DUMP D PUMP .. made me smile. I was just lucky that my trip to the dentist (every 5 mo for cleaning) was on a day with a free pass and that I could get there easily by bus so instead of using more gas, I used less and have clean teeth.

California has the highest TAXES of any state on gas and add to that we have different requirements for additives, I gather. I remember when I took my long driving trip, in many places I was pumping 86 octane for unleaded regular, while it is 87 octane here. At that time (1994 or 1995) there were few places with requirements for shields or nozzles that prevent fumes from escaping as you pumped.

So I think several factors contribute to our higher cost of gas, despite many areas being close to refineries and not way out in the boonies.

Oh one tip I picked up on TV was to turn off the engine if I have to idle for any length of time at a light or in a long drive through line. (I did think the other night I should be going into In n Out instead of driving through but I wasn't looking fit for being THAT public.