Nothing but I cringe everytime I go to the gas station. I drive a gas guzzler and get terrible mileage. Thankfully I don't have to do too much driving and most of it is fairly close to home.
Karyn

Not a dang thing.. Ya just learn to take care of your business while your out or wait till next time.. I hate going anywhere anyway... This really works out perrrrfect for me..LOLOLOL
Kylie

I'm like Kylie, hate fighting the traffic jams with all the construction going on in our area so I stay home. With not running the roads much it's not really that bad to put gas in my guzzler about every 4 or 5 wks. I've been doing a lot more shopping on the internet rather than drive to my favorite stores which does help.

I have started car pooling with a gal at work. I work 3-4 days a week and she only works 2 but it helps it is almost 35 miles round trip. I also pay someone to take my daughter to her play rehersals, which is cheaper than me taking her myself.(Anybody else have a 17yo that doesn't want to drive???) We have been eating in a lot less but when I get a hankering for something I don't let it stop me.(I just drove 20miles for my fave chinese takeout) I just have a postage stamp sized yard so I don't worry about the gas to cut it. In fact I was thinking about going and mowing my neighbor's yard something must be up I haven't seen her in the last week but she has always paid someone to mow her's and it is really tall right now (sorry just thinking outloud)

Mary

Bob works out of town & we have a part time mobile DJ business so we can't cut back on gas. The only way I save money is less junk food, eating out (lunch when it's cheaper) down to twice a month, no movies (original Star Wars remake was last one), no TV (for 3 years), no newspaper (10 years), used books, used DVDs, used clothes, freecycle has been a Godsend, big garden & I can everything I can get my hands on, we're not above eating Bambi (or Thumper), generic everything, I color my own hair & cut everyone else's, & no vacations. We have also changed our diet & are fast becoming vegetarian (even if we don't want to) & cooking from scratch (homemade instead of convenience or take out). It is a personal challenge to me to see how cheap I can get what I need on ebay.

To top it off, we have another teenager living with us. Bob's youngest daughter (17) moved back for the summer. We're hoping she'll stay. We had her here for a year & a half until she moved back home to take care of her mother (long involved story). Then Bob's oldest son moved in after splitting with his wife (again & again). I have 2 17 year olds who don't have learners permits yet (insurance goes up if they get licenses) & I can't see to drive. Thankfully we live 1/4 mile from the mall & markets & we are walkers (even if we don't want to be). My oldest son will be 21 in Aug & still doesn't have a job. The spot of grass left in my front yard is smaller than most people's living room & they still can't keep it mowed with the electric mower. I'm getting rid of the grass this year & putting in more brugs.

Linda

I confess, I have a gas guzzler also. I just can't go back to a "car". I have to be up in that SUV.. LOL I have tried to not run around as much as I am used to :( The last gas I bought (2days ago) was $3.92. The way the pumps are set up here, you can only get $50 @ a time, so that means you have to swipe the CC twice ! What a pain. What is sad, I think it's going to get worse before it gets better...

When we leave the house I make sure to take care of everything in one trip.

Rigo:0)

Food and Water. Lol, just kidding. I'm not really doing without anything, I just don't go out as much but it doensn't feel like I'm doing without. Plus if I'm not out at the stores as much I spend less $.
Shawn

Try to stay off ebay, away from the nurseries and garden centers and use hubby's truck when mine gets low on gas, lol. I only usually have to fill up about once a month unless I have a lot of doctors appts. fall around the same time which is this week. I will use hubby's truck in the morning and hopefully he will have to take my suburban to pick up a customer or something and will fill it up, lol. I already gave up everything else last year to buy plants, lol. Now that summer is here and the electric bills are double I will have to cut back on something else. Probably eat out less at lunch time and try and cook enough for leftovers more. I don't really feel like I am doing without much either yet but if everything keeps going like it is I will. I am broke til I get paid Friday because I just paid all the bills. Get one of those rolling blade kind of lawn mowers and you can cut grass all you want if you like to walk. I used to hook the push mower to the 4 wheeler, drag it behind and cut about 10 acres like that one summer when the tractor was broke in Louisiana. If I see something I just have to have I get it but I try to not look as much as I used to so I won't know what I'm missing.

Edna our stations will only allow you to spend $75 if you pay at the pump but if you go into the cashier you can spend any amount. I got gas yesterday and the cheapest around here was $4.09. I don't fill my tank very often anymore. The last time I filled it from empty it cost me $120.
Karyn

I have to agree things are going to get much worse and I think that alot of people are going to be ill prepared. We are growing everything we can and putting it up either in the freezer or canning.

I have been picking blackberries and strawberries until I'm black and red in the face. But they sure are good. Hope no one notices I pick 1 and eat 1 pick 2 and eat 2 and so forth.

Had a watermelon the other day and seriously thought about makeing watermelon rhine perserves for this winter. I have got to where I waste very little of anything. (Except water for watering all my plants and flowers LOL) Thank the good Lord up above it has been raining here a couple of times a week. But then my yard looks bad, cause I'm not mowing as much.

This sounds awful but I've even been reusing tea bags. I'll make a picture of tea, then I'll add 2 new tea bags to the 6 I just used and it taste about the same strength to me. I've got to get every bang for the buck I can get.

We don't take the newspaper (It only comes out once a week here anyway) Nothing worth reading in it! We do have cable t.v., but maybe cutting back on it any time now. Maybe cut back to the min. package and just have it in the living room instead of the living room and bedrooms. That's an extra $10 a month for those two extra boxes. May get rid of the internet too so I can work more outside in the gardens and so forth and when inside clean the house instead of playing and gardening all the time on the computer. LOL (yeah like that's going to happen)

Might get a wagon and start hitching the horses to it to go to church and town. A couple of people have already started riding their horses and lots of people that live and work up town are actually riding bikes to work. I'd fall off or get my toes cut off in the spokes. I nearly did that when I was growing up. I learned the hard way you don't ride a bike with flip flops on. LOL

I guess I'll have to STOP doing any plant exchanges and switch to seed exchanges. I think I might be able to afford a couple of stamps. But I should probably switch to veggie seeds instead of flower seeds.

Any of ya'll have some different kinds of veggie seeds you want to share with me? Does anyone have any melon seeds? I'd love some of those Isreal melons, honeydew, cantalope, or some different kinds and size watermelons. I looked for some of those little watermelons that 2 people can eat at one sitting. Couldn't find any. Didn't see any yellow meated ones either.

I do have some watermelon and cantalope coming along fairly well. But I'd like to plant another crop for a little later in the year.

I have tomatoes, squash, okra, peas, peppers (hot and mild)corn, cucumbers, and the melons. Can ya'll think of anything else I should have planted to eat out of the garden? Onions do not do real well here. Seems as though the DATURA don't either. I still don't have ANY coming up anywhere. (frown)

Oh, another thing I'm doing is running the grey water out from the tub and washer to use on the plants. I'm trying to cut corners where I can and save on the water bill too. At least I haven't got as bad as my 90 something year old aunt did bless her heart. She got to where she would only flush the toilet once a day unless she did #2. Then of course she flushed it. LOL
That's just tooooo gross for me.

IF I didn't delete this one email I'm going to go find it and send it to some of ya'll.

Did I send ya'll the one about BP?
Happy Gardening, Marian

I forgot to mention I keep all the lights off except for whatever room we are in. I think when you start cutting back on alot of things it gives you a deeper appreciation for stuff. Think about it! We really are wasteful and take so much for granted until we don't have it it use.

I have never used much gas but that was by choice. I did tell my son in college who lived on campus that I was going to take him off my credit card. A 300.00+ bill from him and he drives a ford ranger. Did a little math that is a little under 3,000 miles in a month.I told him to get a job since he has so much free time on his hands.LOL

I saw something that stuck me as strange. There were quite a few people using bicycles to go to work in the morning. Kind of reminded me of the times I had spent in 3rd world countries.( these were 40+ years old people )

Then on my way back from a doctors appointment I saw 2 elderly men on old riding mowers without hoods or mower decks riding along the highway. I did give the doctor a list of Walmart's new generic prescription prices for the fixed income elderly.

I love to just walk to the end of the driveway. My camaro gets 30+mpg on the highway even better at 85 it is too stressful to drive fast. So 75 it is. Not real comfortable by a good commuter car.

I do not know if any of you seen or know about all these little hints what you can do about pumping gas etc, but here it is. DH send it home in a e mail one day. Even though HE always has to gas up the cars lol

> TIPS ON PUMPING GAS
> > I don't know what you guys are paying for gasoline.... but here in
> California we are also paying higher, up to $3.50 per gallon. But my line
> of
> work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to
> get
> more of your money's worth for every gallon..
> > Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose , CA we
> deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru t he pipeline.
> One
> day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium
> grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000
> gallons.
> > Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the
> ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have
> their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more
> dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so
> buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not
> exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the
> temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other
> petroleum products plays an important role.
> > A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business.
> But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the
> pumps.
> > When you're filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a
> fast mode. If you look you will see that the trigger has three
> (3)stages: low, middle, and high. In slow mode you should be pumping on
> low
> speed, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are
> pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are
> pumping on the fast rate, some other liquid that goes to your tank becomes
> vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the
> underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.
> >
> One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is
> HALF FULL or HALF EMPTY. The reason for this is, the more gas you have in
> your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates
> faster than you c an imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal
> floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the
> atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here
> where I work, every truck tha t we load is temperature compensated so that
> every gallon is actually the exact amount.
> > Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the
> storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up--most likely the
> gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might
> pick up some f the dirt that normally settles on the bottom. Hope this
> will
> help you get the most value for your money.

what are you guys paying where you live? here in CT a gallon goes for between $4.30-$4.60. it's all completely absurd.

huh... I'll remember those tips, thanks!

I actually just finished paying off my 83 accord (yaaay!), so I should get decent mileage in the 30mpg range. I just have to roll my eyes when I see yuppies in town driving around shiny bright yellow hummers. is that "status symbol" really worth it?

Ria

Speaking of not wasting anything!With my kids pool which is one of those big round metal pools,we use the water when it gets dirty to water all the plants and flower beds in our backyard including potted plants.

Rigo

We are seeing the effects at the shop already of people on fixed incomes especially the elderly. Its terrible. People come in needing the a/c fixed in the car and look so sad when you tell them the cost. We help them out as much as we can and have gotten more into the barter system like the old days and trade work for work we need done when we can but we still have overhead costs to pay to stay in business. This one lady came in today and had paid someone $1500 to replace her entire a/c system and it still didn't work. She said it worked for about an hour. John checked it and they didn't put in a seal which caused a massive leak and she probably only needed one part to make it work to begin with and definitely not an entire system. I hate seeing people get ripped off. She had used her income tax rebate and stimulus money to fix what she had done already so we helped her out and she will come pay us later for the freon. I hope things don't get so bad that I can't continue to help the occasional person and that we don't end up getting messed over by people because they have to have repairs and just don't have the money. Its sad times and you are right going to get worse. I just went and read the thread about show yourself again and laughed so hard. That was a really fun thread. Sometimes if you think about it too much it makes it worse and you just have to find something to laugh about. I will look and see if I have anymore veggie seeds Marion. I need to plant another crop of squash as well since only one of Johns kind came up since the seeds are getting old. I sent most of the veggie seeds out at Christmas. I wish I could still have the energy for a big garden and to put it all up canning and freezing. I love fresh veggies.

Gas prices are the start. Everything else is being adjusted for fuel prices. Inflation rate is higher than the long term interest rate. I use propane at the house it has doubled. Natural gas prices are going to double along with heating oil.

The price of plants here went up 50%, fertilizer doubled, and in the City they are talking garbage pickup once a week. LOL With 14 hours of heat factors around 100 that has to be a real problem. The problem with this is it is not a supply problem but a weak dollar problem. So we will invest in alternate sources and then oil prices will drop again and we will put those people out of business.

It is time government run the country as a business. You cannot spend money you do not have. Our next president will have some real tough choices and a bad recession he did not make. So we will now have more people who cannot afford to work due to transportation and low wages and they will be even more welfare debt.

I feel so bad for the poor struggling person and my government will not listen. OOOps off my soap Box.

Here is a link that might be useful: National Debt

I agree Jim we need to produce more of our own oil look into alternate fuel sources and get our economy out of the dump. People who make minimum wage have such a hard time already just scraping by with no extras already that they can cut back on I don't know how they will survive if things keep going like this. I always live if you don't have the money for it don't buy it. Why can't the government think that way. The national debt is staggering.

I have two teenage boys and one teenage girl that just got out of school, and I honestly cant afford to have enough food here for them.. I have been cutting back anywhere I can but just got a letter from our oil company for the fall..and to heat the house, the oil is starting at 4.35 , and you have to pay COD for 150 minimum..How will people afford to pay this AND gas for cars this winter ?

I am hearing from a lot of people that they cant afford food or medicine..esp the elderly people that I know, I have been helping them contact the pharmacuticle(sp?) companies for help..

I hope it doesnt get much worse before it gets better !

If there is anyone here that cans, would you mind sharing info on how ? Id love to learn.

f4ever, email your phone to me, I have free long distance. I've been canning all my life & we haven't had food poisoning once! I really worried that I was serving my family death in a jar the first time I canned green beans (low acid) by myself after my mom died (88). I'd be happy to share how to's.

Linda

I used to make some good canned stuff but its been awhile. You can email me with questions as well and I will help or find out what you need to know.

I go without food somedays

I plan my trips and would rather spend the money to mow my yard. Heck whom can afford to work or buy food anymore??

There is a gal at work that was asking for suggestions on someplace close to take her 3yo and 8mo for vacation!!!! I said heck stay at home they would never know they didn't go anywhere!!!! There were so many kid friendly (for the 3yo) places in town she had never been. Or just fill a kiddie pool in the backyard, it's not worth it when they won't remember it. We have done the stay at home many times and gone to a different attraction each day, the kids loved it.

Mary

I'm trying to plan all my errands in one outing (cheapest gas here today is $4.53), but then either my GD calls me to take her to the mall (can't say no) or I get bored at home and blow it! BTW, it was 109 when I went out today -- another reason to stay in!