You Tell Me: Sticker Shock at the Gas Pump
Posted by Lynnae on May 23, 2008
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Gas prices keep going up, up, up. When will it end?
I had to fill up my car yesterday. I pulled into the local gas station and almost cried when I saw the price. $3.99 a gallon. It cost $50 to fill up my small SUV. What I wouldn’t give for an economy car right now.
I could have gone to the one other local station, which listed gas at $3.97 a gallon. Unfortunately, that price is only for customers with cash. The credit/debit card price is 14 cents higher a gallon. Apparently I’m not the only one who has come across this new trend. I’m not changing my habits and carrying cash just to appease the gas station. I just won’t buy gas there anymore.
I’m rebelling against the high gas prices by trying not to leave my small town. Sure, the grocery store is more expensive, but paying an extra dollar for a gallon of milk is still cheaper than the $4 in gas I pay to make an extra trip into Medford. Walking is my new method of transportation, now that the weather is nice. I’m giving myself one trip into Medford and one trip into Ashland a week. That’s it.
We’ve also decided to stay in-state for our upcoming vacation. Originally we thought about heading into Washington or California, but now heading to Bend, Oregon is sounding pretty good.
I know that somehow we’ll survive the high cost of gas, but it sure is hard coughing up the cash to fill the gas tank.
You tell me: What is the price of gas where you live? Have you made any changes to deal with the prices?
Photo by Andrew Baron.
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The price of gas in the country we live is $13 a gallon. Yup, $13.
We don’t have a car, and we use public transportation everywhere. Fortunately for us, public transport is much more efficient and popular than in most US cities. The US really needs to get acquainted with that idea.
That said, high gas prices still affect us. Taxis are outrageous, it’s hard to afford leaving the city, and I’m sure bus fares are affected by it.
Last night I got regular $3.65 a gallon, but it is suppossed to be .08 cents higher today, so $3.73 a gallon of regular.
I live in central NJ. I am worried as for the first time in 5 years I will be working outside the home in Sept. (I have been doing in home daycare) and I am not sure how much it will cost me to drive to work everyday. My gas budget is only $30 a week, but I doubt that will be enough now and I will not be making more money at the job, it is just less hours than I work now (currently I work 60 hours a week with my in home daycare.) I guess we will not go anywhere other than work and church. -Becky R in NJ
i think gas is about $3.75 here in memphis. i usually fill up at kroger since we get a discount there. and i try to limit my driving as much as possible. fortunately all the places i usually go are within a five mile radius.
we do have two car trips coming up. one is for a friend’s wedding (my husband is in it) and one is for my brother’s wedding. we are just biting the bullet and driving. we can’t not go, so we’re making the best of it.
I have to put premium unleaded in my car so I am now paying $4.12/gallon. I have also come across the cash vs. debit price hike at a station and didn’t even realize it until I was paying 12 cents more and already filling my tank. I was mad! I am cutting down my trips out and about and we’re considering going down to a one car family and making that car a hybrid. We’re also seriously considering moving just to be in the historic downtown area and be able to walk to most everything we need and just have to take the car occasionally.
It now costs us almost $40 to fill our economy car. Augh! And, last time we filled up our minivan at around $3.95 a gallon, it costs us $82 to fill it.
Gas just hit $4 a gallon in my town in WV. My husband and I work from home, so we don’t have a commute, but getting to church is a 50 mile round trip. We usually do that once or twice a week, occasionally three, though we are trying to avoid that many trips anymore. We’ve always been careful about combining errands, etc., so there’s not a lot we can do, but we have been walking more when possible. We just have one car, a minivan, and it cost $65 to fill it up last time.
well i live in canada we buy gas by the litre..and right now the high price is about $1.23/litre where i live I dont know the conversion rate from litres to gallons so i dont know how that compares to $3.99 a gallon.
Gas prices here are at 3.65-3.79. I’ve tried not to drive as much, combine errands, and use my fiance’s car for all joint driving (I drive a Jeep, she has a car). Although they price increase doesn’t’ effect as much as some people, I strongly believe in voting with my wallet and I try to give as little to the oil industry as possible. Are the gas prices a conspiracy to get us to buy hybrid/electric cars?
We are paying 3.74. We fill up when we can, and let it ride. I have done everything to cut back. We have a 1/2 ton truck for the farm, that we need. So cutting back to an economy car is not really something we can do. Our Toyota gets great gas mileage and we all use it when we can. I am thinking of making our own biodiesel for the 1 ton and the tractors.
The last time I paid for gas it was $3.79/gallon for good regular Shell. I wasn’t too empty, but it still cost me $29.75 to fill up the tank, and that’s for just under eight gallons of gas. I nearly cried the first time it cost me more than $30 to fill my Miata… I remember when she only took $25’s worth.
Our other car takes premium and we’re rather loyal to Shell gasoline, so no doubt we’ll be paying over $4.00/gallon for her soon.
I suppose it’s fortunate for me to have such a tiny car with a tiny gas tank that still manages to get a reliable 30 MPG.
Most people tell me how jealous they are that I’m still paying less than $35 for a full tank… When they ask why I drive with the top up on my convertible most of the time, my only reply is that I’m trying to save gas. 
I’m in Canada, like Erin, and gas here is $1.35/litre. I believe that there are approx. 4 litres to one of your gallons, so that would put us somewhere around the $5.40/gallon mark. Yikes.
For the past 6 years I’ve driven my children back and forth to a school across town - this year, we’ve decided will be their final year there. They’ll be attending the local school, that has a district supplied bus system. Between gas prices and time restraints, it just becomes not worth it.
Another Canadian here. It’s 4.54 litres/US gallon so our $1.319 per litre at the pump works out to $5.99 per US gallon. (A good chunk of that is tax.)
My husband carpools to work. I try to consolidate trip as much as possible to reduce how much we use our vehicle. We’ll be curbing out of town trips to visit family as well.
It’s around $3.70 here in Austin, TX, and it costs us around $45 to fill our Honda Accord. DH and I carpool to work now instead of both driving. We have to fill up about once a week.
when he was driving to the park & ride and riding the bus to work it cost us nearly twice that because we had 2 fuel inefficient vehicles plus the bus pass, but my old car died and we replaced it with the (very) fuel efficient Honda (when gas was $2.85) and we are extremely happy we did.
*sigh* I live in CT and we’re about 4.17 most places, and up to about 4.35 in the western part of the state - the closer you get to NY, the higher the price.
I was listening to an NPR story the other day about who benefits from rising gas prices, and how it impacts Gas Station owners, and it’s tragic. They’re not the ones benefiting. The gas stations that are able to stay in business are the ones who also have convenience stores or car repair shops as part of their business. The premium mark-up for electronic transactions is because of additional FEES the owners have to pay. Not FLAT fees, but fees proportional to the cost of the gas sale. Percentages. So if gas prices rise, station owners shell out more in fees for those credit and sometimes debit transactions. They’re not trying to stick it to you, folks, they’re trying to keep their heads above water, just like you!!
Pay cash, give ‘em a break, I say. I see how hard these people work. And I’m not keen on further lining the pockets of the credit card company execs and shareholders, ew, think about that!!
I’m currently driving a ‘93 Toyota Camry with over 145k miles on it, fairly fuel efficient, and it still costs over $50, I think closer to $60 to fill the tank now. I do a lot of driving and its just shocking to see the costs add up.
I really want a moped and/or a motorcycle, but unless I wanna be like that guy in the Doonesbury cartoon with his little kid strapped onto the bike, I don’t think I can get away with it! Won’t do!
3.99 and up here in the Detroit suburbs today, probably 4.15 by tomorrow (saturday) Consolidating trips, or not going at all, is the best way we have to conserve. We’re spending the holiday weekend writing our government officials asking what they’re doing regarding public transportation!
if you are planning to head to Bend, Oregon for vacation, you may want to consider stopping by the Crystal Peaks Youth Ranch in Bend. Kim and Troy are the most incredible people, and they are doing wonderful work.
http://www.crystalpeaksyouthra.....73390.aspx
I bought gas Thursday at $3.99.
But the prices are popping up so fast they are taking people by surprise.
Even the commonly known tricks in our community of “gas is always cheaper here than there” don’t necessarily apply right now - I blogged about once such situation this morning.
By the way, Cindy B, I just noticed you said “Detroit suburb.” We’re neighbors. I’m in Monroe, Mich.
Gas is close to $5.00 a gallon here in Canada where I live, but I’m avoiding it by using public transit.
The gas station pays the bank a fee everytime you use your credit/debit card. They’re not cheating you: they’re passing on their savings to you if you pay them cash. I think that’s really nice of them.
Ours is $3.89 though I managed to save up credits at our local grocery store (the one that is too expensive so I only go there when we need something only they carry) and got 50cents off per gallon and since I waited until the light was on I only paid $40 for gas. Since we both work at home and are staying home as much as possible that should last us about a month in our little Mitsubishi. The kids complain about how cramped it is but it is SO worth it with gas prices.
Tillamook, Oregon - rural NW Coast. Gas WAS $3.89 on Sunday. Monday it jumped to $3.99 and Thursday it jumped again - to $4.09…What fun!
Limited bus here and it doesn’t go anywhere near my work. Luckily my commute is 5 miles/day times 4 days a week - about 80 miles a week. (3 gallons of gas for my 8 year old Subaru Forester) And luckily, if it’s not storming, I can walk a 1.5 mile loop and go to the post office, library, and grocery store/pharmacy as I live in town.
Aside from that, I pay cash for gas, and most everything else. Keeps me on budget - out of cash? Don’t buy it. That simple. I don’t want any credit card surprises at the end of the month, even tho it would be paid off in full at the end of the month.
Price of gas has NOT affected my driving decisions yet. BUT - it has affected my grocery buying decisions - groceries are really jumping here in rural Oregon - and my decision was to just get the most garden possible out of my little 50×100 city lot. I already have the biggest garden I have ever done, and plan on expanding it more this weekend.
We own two cars and one is my husbands gas hog (15mpg). We have traded cars, since he is the one driving more. He now drives my 2000 Toyota Camry (25mpg). I plan out all my errands for the week and combine and route all trips to save gas and I go to a gas station that gives a discount for cash. We also have ordered a Prius to replace his gas hog.
I believe we will see $6 per gallon gas soon.
wow..i didnt realize COL was so high in CT. We’re around that too…$4.09 for the cheap stuff in California
To those of you converting Canadian $/Litre to US $/Gallon, here is the conversion factors:
1 US Gallon = 3.78 Litres
Today’s exchange rate is 1.00 CAD = 1.01215 USD
So at $1.279/litre (price at the station near my house this morning), you would have $4.77 US / Gallon.
It’s no wonder that Canadians are crossing the border to fill up when we save $.20 per litre. On a 50 litre fill up (13 gallons) that $10!
I only fill up in the US when I’m there for other shopping. You have to factor in the cost to get to a gas station south of the border, and the cost of gas you waste idling in the border lineup.
$4.17 for the cheap stuff here in the San Francisco (East) Bay Area.
We live in Idaho and most prices seem to be cheaper here. But, the gas prices have been rising pretty steadily. We tend to only buy gas here on base where it’s 3.75. To get gas any cheaper we have to drive over ten miles into town to Walmart and that’t not worth it to us. So, to save some money we have been trying to stay around base as much as possible. (Really, we could not leave base ever and have everything we need, but it’s really tiny :))Hopefully prices will even out or drop soon.
We live in Anchorage, Alaska and gas is $3.89 to $3.99 a gallon. It was $52 last time to fill up my SUBARU - yikes!! My husband drives his company truck and gas is paid for - this is a HUGE SAVINGS - and he stops by the store on his way home from work and does our shopping. I drive 8 miles roundtrip to work and I have a grocery store two blocks from my office - so again I’ll do grocery shopping on my way home from work also. If we do our shopping on our way home from it saves us gas $$ and we get our errands done during the weekdays leaving us more time on the weekends to do what we enjoy - spending time at home, biking, gardening, house projects… We feel VERY FORTUNATE living in the city (we love our location) but many Alaskans live in the smaller towns and comute long distances to work in the city (some 60+ miles one way to work).
Here in Hershey, PA today it is $3.89. Exactly a week ago, that same station was $3.69. I want to know how it jumped 20 cents in under a week. It also makes me want to cry! I am going to have to consider walking to work when it is raining instead of just when it is nice out! Geez!
$4.08. And it should be about $5 by the fall, so be ready!
I live in Northern California and our gas prices today are 4.35 for regular unleaded. These high prices aren’t going to end due to peak oil. There simply isn’t enough oil left to supplement our oil-dependent lives, and it’s not going to get better. My husband and I practice “hypermiling” and my husband has spent about $300 making aerodynamic, solar, and electric modifications to his ‘94 Honda Civic hatchback. He now gets 68 mpg. I only use my car to drive to work (which is in another town), but I’m trying to find a way to bike to work that doesn’t require being on the freeway. When we need things at home, we walk or bike to the stores that aren’t far from our house.
$3.99 to $3.98 here in Indianapolis. I have been cutting down on my gas consumption by riding the bus to work - it is relaxing and cost effective at the same time! Have already read 3 books so far since I have started riding a month ago!
Our gas just went up from 3.67 to 3.73 since last night. I cried when I saw that this morning. We are a “cash only” family so we don’t have to worry about the extra cost for using your card. All of the gas stations around here are doing it now and I think that its a “trend” that will only increase, so you may want to take out gas money from the bank once a week while you are out running your errands. DH is now taking the train so we are saving on gas in that aspect. So far last week, we saved 110 dollars by him taking the train and me only running errands once a week. Since we have to go to Ohio for our vacation in July(DH’s family is in OH) I have been saving up for that trip. I know gas is almost 4 dollars there already so thats going to be an interesting trip.
Well, here in Los Angeles we’re paying around $4.00. It was $64 to fill up on Wed. this week. We’re getting extreme with our plans to save; We’re selling one of our V6 trucks and paying cash for a late-model Honda. Also, we’re moving into a MUCH smaller place next month in hopes of saving almost $1000 a month in rent! Combined with errand consolidation,coupon shopping and all the other frugal things we all do, we hope this makes a big difference in our budget!!
We live 22 miles from any town or services in the mountains of Montana. Gone are the days we just made a quick trip to town, a town of 1500 people, for lunch or to visit. Forget our once a week trips to a larger town for groceries, Costco, now we try to go once every month to six weeks. Where does it end?
Gas just hit $4.09 here in NW Indiana.
Rochester, MN $3.89 for regular. We just bought a scooter to get around town as it gets 123 mpg. I will be going everywhere on that scooter this summer. Otherwise, we are combining trips, staying in, or going on the motorcycle which gets 50 mpg. This fall, my husband is commuting to college over 1.5 hours away, luckily, his brother lives where he is going to college. He may just end up staying over there for the entire week to help with gas costs.
Reading interesting research at http://www.mpgresearch.com about using boric acid and boric acid component additives to boost gas mileage. All sorts of ideas here on ways to try to boost mileage!
I live in the Chicago suburbs and I have seen anywhere from $4.07 to $4.14 today. On Wednesday both my husband and I filled up our cars and it cost over $100! I nearly got in a wreck pulling across traffic because I saw a gas station with $3.94. It was a pleasant surprise since I saw over $4 everywhere else. We traded in my very fuel efficient Toyota Corolla for a Subaru Forester last year when we found out we were pregnant and while I still get decent gas mileage, and better than a lot of my family members with big SUVs, every time I fill up I long for my little Corolla!
As far as cutting back on travelling, etc…gas prices are one of the many factors included in my decision to be a stay at home mommy. My commute to work was 30 miles a day round trip, and in my Forester, when you figure in other errands (and that is the car we have to take because it has the car seat) it meant a fill up about once a week. While I have been on maternity leave, I have only filled up maybe twice a month, saving about $80 a month. So between gas prices and daycare costs, staying home is becoming a better and better financial decision!
My Jetta TDI gets 50 mpg pretty reliably, but it takes diesel. I’ve been paying well over $4 for some time now and about cried when I saw it almost hit $50 to fill my tank the other day. I’m heartsick over this. I love my little black car and am grateful it gets the mpg it does. We live 25 miles from “town” and now that summer is here and I don’t have to take the kids to school we will be staying in most of the time. Luckly husband drives a work van so his gas is covered.
The other day I paid $3.87 I think, in western WA, but now it is up to over $4 a gallon here. What is even more depressing is that the bank cut me off at $60 b/c of some new gas rules they have. I would probably spend about $80/90 just to fill it up. My mom wants the kids to come up and visit (northern WA) this summer and I can’t see how I can justify spending so much gas for one weekend, plus I would have to get a hotel etc etc.
I live in the UK and petrol is £1.14 a litre it seems to be going up every day. In a way i think it is a good thing in one way as it will help people to realise that we can’t keep using our resources the way we are. Perhaps car sharing will start to catch on more it is here in the UK i think as there have been a few reports in the news lately of more and more poeple doubling up in their cars to go to work.
It was $3.99 today here as well (Ohio). Ouch! I didn’t fill up. I notice the prices tend to have a pattern and drop slightly Sunday-Tues and then start climbing again.
It’s funny to think how I sort of took gas for granted, in a way. I never really paid too close attention to gas prices a few years ago, but now I check them all the time and plan my trips with greater detail! I guess it’s a reminder to me to not take things for granted - to always be thankful for the blessings I’ve been given.
Gas is $4.05 a gallon here in Southern California. Pretty crazy I think- do you think they’ll continue going up? It seems to me like they will hit $6 before anything changes. That is my prediction anyways. Hopefully that won’t be for a while, but at the rate they are rising, it could be as soon as August or September! Good luck in Medford surviving the gas prices, I know I am having a challenging time here in LA.
I paid $4.09 in Santa Cruz, Ca. yesterday. I’ve seen it up to $4.35 in other parts of the S.F. Bay Area. It cost me $52 to fill my Volvo.
I live in San Jose, CA. and gas is $4.07 for the cheapest regular unleaded. It is amazing. In the bay area, you can’t help but drive everywhere. It definitely makes me rethink when I have to drive anywhere now.
Remember that thing in your shed or garage? The thing with two wheels? It doesn’t need gas! There are millions of bikes sitting around in American homes that are too often used for recreational purposes. Now is the time to dust it off, pump up the tires and go grocery shopping on your bicycle. It’s a way of life for many people around the world. If more people in the States embraced their bicycles it would become a lot safer and easier. Where I live, everyone rides their bicycles, even to go shopping at the mall. I have a basket on the back of my bike and I’m planning on investing in a cargo trailer soon. It’s been years since I’ve bought any gas, and that alone makes everything worth it. I’m not trying to be all “cyclist high and mighty” but I encourage everyone to give it a chance. Oh, and don’t worry about the kids - kids here complain about riding in cars (seriously).
As a European I`ve been always wondering why people in America use such big cars ?
Do you really need them ?
If you don`t care about environment, it`s time to think of your wallets.
Gas is now a real burden on everybody`s budget.
As of yesterday, gas was at the 3.89 mark, so I’d better fill up this morning on my way to the grocery store. And as for all y’all with public transportation and/or bicycles, be grateful. I am a housecleaner, and I have to use my truck to work.
Getting ready to start my junior year of college in the fall, and at least I will be able to go to part-time work and park my truck on class days.
Wow, this DOES look strangely familiar. Coincidence?!?? I’m betting on telepathy.
My own changes haven’t come up yet. I’m deciding on whether it’s better to get a new job and get rid of the commute or just ride out (pun intended) the gas prices.
Just a note: The British gallon is 4.54 litres, the US gallon is 3.8 litres. Canada used the British gallon. That’s the reason for the confusion.
The British also use “Stone” (14 lbs 6 ounces) for weights.
But the foot (12 inches) is still the same.
Even Europeans, long accustomed to high gas prices, are starting to complain. Here in Madrid people with Vans are spending 80 euros a fill up. Insane!
The gas station I see everyday when I leave my house each morning is up to $3.89 for regular. Every morning I check to see what it has gone up to. Most of the stations in the area are now selling premium over $4.
Also here in The Netherlands, Europe, gas prices rising like crazy. I have double feelings about it.
One side of me tells me, this is a good sign, since oil is so expensive now, it forces everyone to find alternative resources or more efficient ways to burn fuel, which is okay for the environment.
On the other hand, my wallet is getting very angry, I can hear his stomach growling, since it’s getting emptier and emptier!
What I pay, for a gallon? Consider yourself lucky:
about 8,37 dollars a gallon.
This is an interesting article from CNN. The price still hurts, for everyone though, but it also puts things in perspective.
http://money.cnn.com/2008/05/0.....tm?cnn=yes
Gas prices are killing me. It ONLY 3.89 here in Virginia at most stations and today I actually found it for 3.79. I also saw a station right by the interstate that was 3.99. If you are traveling it really pays to drive a little further off the highway.
Here in the UK it’s £1.17 a litre, and rising. That works out at about $10.50 per gallon. Glad I don’t have a car!
My car takes diesel, so I’ve been spending over $4 for a while now… currently in my town, Diesel is sitting at $4.89/gallon. The 50 mpg is a nice trade off, but I just had my first $30 tank this winter, and my last fillup was $55
Lynnae, just wanted to add something about the credit card fees for gas–you’re right, its not a big discount. However, the gas station owners normally pay the fees when the price is the same, not pass it on to their customers.
My fiance works at a car wash/gas station and they are barely staying afloat. Last week the owner was selling gas at $3.89 per gallon–at a $.20 per gallon LOSS over what he paid for it. They’re probably going to wind up closing, and my fiance will be without a job in a market where he took that job just to get by after he was laid off! When I spoke with the owner yesterday he said that gas has never been a money maker for them-when they were actually making any profit on the gas, it was enough to pay one part-time employees weekly wages. Now they’re sinking fast since they have to sell at a loss to stay competitive with the other gas stations in town (an Exxon and a Mobil). Both of those stations are owned by oil companies, so they have more leway with their pricing.
Its sad, really.
In the Netherlands we pay $ 9,06 per gallon for low grade gas at the moment (that is 40 % for the fuel, the rest is tax).