Anybody notice all other prices going UP, while fuel is coming down!...for example FOOD!...now that makes no sense, since fuel costs to transport and manufacture food have dropped...thats Wall ST and Big Business in action!...U really don't believe this temp fuel price drop is saving ya anything!
"U really don't believe this temp fuel price drop is saving ya anything!"
Well it depends on where you shop. I was never one to believe in the whole idea that the more you pay for something the better it is. Not that it refers to gas but I can go to Acme or Shoprite and pay $2.39 for a loaf of bread. Yes $2.39. Go to my fav outlet and I pay $.59 a loaf. That hasn't changed. Milk, eggs, pet food, dry goods, cheese, butter, even bottled water all much cheaper at the outlets like Aldi or Savalot. To me bread is bread and eggs are eggs. Why should I pay 3X's the price because they have carpet on the floor? Even fruit and fresh veggies are so much cheaper. Why do they charge so much for their groceries at these supermarkets? Advertising $. I've never seen a tv ad for Aldi or Savalot and I'd like to keep it that way. I see nothing wrong with paying for something for what it's worth, not after all the blah blah blah is added to the price.
"yeah here its dropped 70 cents in past month...but thats nothing to the drop on Wall ST and the national economy!...if it hits $2.00, you better be prepared to be standing in the breadline , waiting for food to feed your family!"
At this rate we'll be under $2 just after the election. Then our new president will have to explain to the country what the fluck we do next.
Drill? Conserve? Dive into renewable energy? Attack illegal immigration? Revamp our health care? Encourage this country's industries to keep the jobs here? Address the situation in Iraq? Salvage America's homes from foreclosure? (Currently 10,000 homes are foreclosed on every day!)
Down to $2.49 around SD. Here is the latest report:
Prices at the pump: how low will they go?
Sunday, November 02, 2008 - Houston Chronicle -- Amid the recent avalanche of bleak economic news, one small bright spot has emerged: Gasoline has gotten a lot cheaper. After topping $4 nationwide this summer, pump prices are down more than a dollar a gallon in the past month alone and even have fallen below $2 in parts of the country, including some stations in Houston. Prices are likely to decline further in coming weeks as plunging oil prices, a seasonal drop in demand and a historic pullback in consumption by U.S. motorists this year continue to weigh on prices. Yet cheaper fuel may not be enough to lure Americans back to their old gas-guzzling ways. Even as prices plummeted in recent weeks, U.S. drivers continued using less gasoline than they did a year ago. The trend reflects not only the hard economic times, but fuel-saving changes made by some Americans in response to record fuel prices. Whether it holds, however, may depend on where gas prices settle.
I have to say the trend is following like predicted. I myself have begun bringing in my lunch to work instead of going home every day. That alone has cut my fuel cost in half. Even if it were to go back down to even $1.50/gal I don't think I would go back to my ways. I like only stopping for gas once every two weeks. Not to mention the $$ saved on lunches. It REALLY adds up. On the side of $300/month. That's my truck payment! All from a little conservation.
With some dealers here charging as little as $2.29 and some others charging $2.99, I think we can safely throw the old "gas station owners only make 2-3 cents a gallon" story out the window.
When my father was alive and I was young... I remember he would drive right past the stations near our house and go all the way across town (3-4 miles) to fill up at the cheapest gas station in town, Thrifty.
I would ask him why, and he would always say: "This is the way that we show them that we don't accept their high prices, and that we will buy from the honest people that charge a fair price -- and that in turn will eventually force the greedy owners to lower their prices and compete or be shut down".
I never understood why he did that, or what competition in business meant, until the last few years when I actually slowed down to really think about things.
Agreed Brad. In just a 5 minute drive I can find a gas station charging $.20/gal more for their gas. Yet they are busy. I just don't grasp the logic in some ppl. I really don't. Ppl shop online for hours to save a measly $100/year on car insurance but fail to see the savings in driving an extra few miles to save them 10% per fill up, when compounded over that same year is astounding.
Over the past few, ok, 10 or so years I've seen many ways of saving money that normally went right out the window. Simply switching my light bulbs over to CFL's has dropped my electric bill by 20%. Bringing my lunch to work has cut my fuel bill in half! I recently looked into recycling my own aluminum cans (instead of putting them out to the curb) and can get as much as $.75/lb for it locally. Price will go up with the economy. There's so much we all can do to help ourselves yet we choose to take the easy road and live life as its' been lived, only hurting ourselves in the end.
I haven't even touched the subject of alternatives like solar and wind.
I'm a huge fan. The fact that some ppl live in their homes like the rest of us and are completely independent of local electric service is such an awesome thing.
Of course the oil companies are going to freeze production to try and stablize the price. Coupled with America's troubled economy it may not make a difference anyway.
But my IRA mutual funds (30 year 401k savings) which are very diversified in low risks, have dropped from $60,000 to $15,000 ...and food bills have doubled in past 2 months...so I really don't care about pennies at the pump...
Stocks HAVE tumbled and for those near or in retirement my condolences. My folks are feeling it also, badly. I too lost thousands in all three of my 401k's. I'm not locking in my losses though by cashing out. I fortunately have some time left to build it back up.
I really haven't seen the food bill doubled yet around here. Again I shop at wholesale stores and outlets. NEVER in carpeted supermarkets where they have two employees per isle.
And who's talking about pennies lol? The price of a fillup has just been cut in half the last two months alone. My fuel bill went from $40/week to $20/every week 1/2 with some conservation.
Paul ...thats ONLY $1000 a year less ($40 to $20 week)...and ONLY if ya drive 400 miles a week to work (80 miles a day, 40 miles each way)...and thats not common mileage to work or local store, so cut that $1000 to $125-$250 (5-10 miles each way) a year in savings for necessities, is more realistic...so to me thats peanuts compared to the losses in the 401k's and IRA's (which we can't touch until 59 1'2 without incurring a 30% tax and penalty)...and FOOD has doubled in Mass and Florida, for meats, breads, produce, milk, potatoes etc, and no matter if using Superwalmart or Price Chopper or Save-a-Lot or the local butcher and produce shop..so to be simple and modest priced, say food weekly has gone from $50 per week to $100 per week...now thats a $2500 a year increase, compared to a paltry $125 yearly gas savings
So gas savings are nothing and far outweighed by our losses in our savings for childrens educaton and our retirements... and our tremendous food increase costs, since August/September..
Also please explain why food costs have doubled when transportation costs have lessened along with personnel layoffs and cheaper overhead...
BIG BUSINESS and WALL STREET are picking our pockets daily, with CEO salaries, and price settings, while people smile and think "wow, gas is so cheap now"...and not even goin into that $700 billion bailout..
At least for me my food costs haven't risen yet. Then again it's only me and the boy. I'm thrifty so I can get by on the essentials for $60 every two weeks. Yes, $60 every two weeks for food. Now, b4 the gas drop I was putting $40/week in my truck just to get to work and back. Now I'm at $20 every week and a half. Putting the food costs aside that's big money to me. Imagine those who travel for a living and don't get fuel reimbursements.
And to say food has doubled again I just don't see it. A gallon of milk is $3.59. Close to what it always was. I don't see any store in my area selling it for $7. Same with eggs, cheese, bread.....it's all been pretty stable.
Oh, and it's up to $800 billion.
That's $800,000,000,000.
Citibank is getting what, $20 billion?
My credit score is 752. (For those who don't know that's not bad, it's actually pretty good). I NEVER miss a payment and have an excellent history dating back 10+ years with the same credit card. Yesterday I get a notice that my interest rate will now change to 18% above prime, when it WAS 4.99%!!!
Oh yeah, that balance is getting transferred.
Why are all the honest ppl shouldering the burden? Because they roll with the dice and see who isn't paying attention first, then offer a lower rate to get my business back, still much higher than it was of course.
They get $20 billion and STILL quadruple my interest rate for NO reason except to bail themselves out??!!
Paul ....1 example of food increase I noticed just tonite...SuperWalmart...August/Sept...$6.49 for 5 pounds 80/20 hamburg (ground chuck)....tonite its $10.99
Thats over a 59% increase on 1 item...multiply that times 50 -100 items usually bought and thats a HUGE part of most peoples incomes, compared to fuel costs!...that turns a $100 food bill into a $159 food bill...Food, always is more costly annually than fuel anyways ...and more of a necessity....
So I think that $125 average annual fuel savings is chump change compared to the rise in food costs and 401k/IRA and retirement losses...but people don't pay attention to food costs like they do gas prices..or notice how the food companies have all downsized their cans and containers etc, as well as raising their costs..
Gas prices are so publicized with HUGE signs...BUT nobody ever reads the small print and price per 100 counts or price per ounce, posted with every store item..
So most people are fooled into beliving things are better when they don't realize they have been conned all along...like a magician who has your attention with 1 hand, while he picks your pocket with the other!...Big Business and Wall ST execs have pulled off the biggest THEFT in history!...and continue to do so, while people keep smiling, and not really paying attention to the big entire picture!
Media plays a huge roll in the mix. Politics, economy, you name it. What America SEES is what America believes. If you control the media you hold the strings.
We say these things about mainstream products and such as well. Marketing over engineering. That is a sad (yet profitable) way to produce any product. If you and everyone around you believe it's superior it MUST be, right?
Play that into the presidential campaign and you have another mess lol.
Highest state tax: California, 48.7 cents a gallon.
Lowest state tax: Alaska, 0 cents a gallon (Note - Alaska's 8 cents a gallon gasoline tax suspended from Sept. 1, 2008, to Aug. 31, 2009, but 8 cents would still be the lowest gasoline tax nationally).
New York: 42.5 cents a gallon.
Connecticut: 47.2 cents a gallon.
Massachusetts: 23.5 cents a gallon.
New Hampshire: 19.6 cents a gallon.
Gasoline tax facts provided by the American Petroleum Institute as of Oct. 1.
justforhaha's Silver Member Username: Justforhahas
Post Number: 700 Registered: Jul-08 Posted on Saturday, October 25, 2008 - 10:24 pm:
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Anybody notice ALL other prices going UP, while fuel is coming down!...for example FOOD!...now that makes no sense, since fuel costs to transport and manufacture food have dropped...thats Wall ST and Big Business in action!...
I also stated previously...if it hits $2.00, you better be prepared to be standing in the breadline , waiting for food to feed your family!
Well, its OFFICIAL, a RECESSION has been declared..
Also...
RECENTLY noticed yesterday, my monthly 3 meds/prescriptions, from 3 different manufacturers ALL increased EXACTLY 50% since last months refill..
NOTICED last week with comparison shopping, that FOOD has risen 59% in past few months...
Thats Wall ST and Big Business in action!... The drop in fuel costs correlates directly with the INCREASE of all other costs, contrary to what you would expect..The GOV and Big Businesses are picking your pockets, one way or another..except this time , they're slick by keeping people happy now with fuel, while fukking ya everywhere else....expect more layoffs to middle Americans, and higher all around costs, and more taxpayers bailouts to BIG Business and their CEO's!...and there still ain't no watchdog for that $700 billion previous bailout being spent now..
economy will pick up paul. trust me. just give it a year. the banks are going to bounce back. with the cost of buying house dropping and the price of gas dropping, its just a matter of time before people go out to spend their money.
besides, alot of foreigners are depositing their money in to the us banks now. soon the dollar will surpass the euro.
^^^x2. I was paying about $4 dollars a gallon over the summer when I had a 35 mile trip to work everyday. It ate up a big piece of my check every week.
No wonder you're gas is so cheap if you're filling up at the local "Coastal" or arab market... I prefer using gas that doesn't have harmful additives so my car stays running rather than saving a couple bucks on gas.
"No wonder you're gas is so cheap if you're filling up at the local "Coastal" or arab market... I prefer using gas that doesn't have harmful additives so my car stays running rather than saving a couple bucks on gas."
My truck is running fine. Has been for awhile. (Past 6 months). No problems here.
It's a myth that different brand gas stations get different gasoline. It all starts out the same, from the same refineries. But... as Reece said, the difference is in the additives. Every brand has their own formula and some smaller companies barely put any at all, or worse, alot of a formula that has never been tested or proven. And some even allow water to seep into the leaky tanks and dilute the gas etc. But it starts out as the exact same gasoline. The major oil companies like Shell and Chevron are masters at additives. So good, that both actually sell them seperately at stores as gas treatment.
I read a story last week talking about the car companies and their yearly reports that they have to submit for mileage and horsepower performance, etc. on all their current models. The car companies in Japan, Italy, and Germany and some others I forget, had 92 octane Chevron Techroline shipped to them overseas by the thousands of gallons each. Reporters said it cost them a fortune.
Now think about that for a minute... these companies spent a major amount of money to have a specific fuel shipped in so that they can milk every last drop of mileage and horsepower out of their cars so that they can put their best scores forward. As far as endorsements go, that's pretty hard to beat. I use Shell and Chevron exclusively, have for years, and I switch back and forth every couple weeks so that one gas's additives will clean out whatever was left by the other.
Its been going down here in SW Florida...dropped today to $1.64 ...lowest in long time....but its not fuel costs that worry me..
Its the rising costs of food and medicines and this deep global and US recession that is of more concern..lower fuel prices are just eye wash and a bone thrown to us..and obviously supply and lessened demand by the people have impacted those prices...but you cannot lessen the demand on food and medicine...
i spend way too much on food. its crazy, i like to eat i mean shitt ramen noodles went from 11 cets to 19cents a pack, and milk back in jan it was like $3 for a gallon of milk now its like five
OPEC cut back oil production by 2 million barrels/day. Some analysts predict it won't be enough to balance this out. It may very well go down under a buck.
And even when the "average" American reduces their spending they still gouge themselves on the luxuries, just eased up a bit. So the elderly who have to eat kibbles and bits to live will have to settle for generic pet food. After all these ARE tough times.
No matter where ya live, gas is the cheapest its been in over 4 years.. Americans drove 100 BILLION miles less in 2008, pushing the "demand" down, therefore pushing down the "supply", and costs at the pump...
yes that is very tru Paul...almost hit 5 bux in the city and back then i actually drove a cab for a lil while too..if only these prices came during summer time lol
How can anyone let it go when it's one of the most influential family budget items? We're talking about the difference between spending $160/month for gas as a family compared to $400+/month not 3 months ago. That adds up.
