Just curious to see how bad it is outside of Detroit. I know gas prices (for unleaded regular, the cheapest of the three) here have gone up more than 25 cents in the last week, so:
Detroit (Royal Oak to be specific, but it's only 5 miles from Detroit)
$2.37 a gallon
[ May 22, 2008, 04:47 PM: Message edited by: Lyrhawn ]
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
$2.08
Just outside Nashua NH
[ April 04, 2005, 10:09 PM: Message edited by: Dragon ]
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Bloomington IN
$2.39, they were $2.19 yesterday, and had been for a couple weeks.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
$2.17 here in Oregon, Wisconsin.
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
wow, and here I was bummed... looks like I've got it pretty good...
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Gas here on the island has been $2.69 since last year. When gas prices go up on the mainland, they go up here, but they seldom go back down.
Oh, I live on Maui.
(and despite what you may read on CNN or USAToday, Honolulu does NOT have the highest gas prices in the nation. We are consistently 0.40 more per gallon than they are and Molokai and Lanai are even higher) Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
Baton Rouge, LA between $2.07 and $2.21
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
$0.916 to $0.845 per litre. Greater Toronto Area.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
*does mental liter-to-gallon conversion* Yowza!
Los Angeles, $2.43-$2.47 is the current LOW end.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
2.05 in Manchester, NH
Posted by Jonathan K. (Member # 7720) on :
that's insanely hight, but in Europe it's like $4 or something
Posted by VĂ¡na (Member # 6593) on :
$2.27 in Rockford, IL
Posted by chel (Member # 7674) on :
$.895 per litre (I think that's $3.39 per gallon)(Canadian $s) in Loydminster Alberta /Saskatchewan. I'm in Edmonton, AB right now but that's the news from home.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
2.26 in Westmont IL (western suburb of Chicago) 2.47 within the city limits
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Gas Price in SLC (yesterday) $2.07/gallon
Posted by dread pirate romany (Member # 6869) on :
Federal Way, WA (just N of Tacoma)
between $2.19-$2.40 per gallon
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Ah! I forgot about the funny-money issue. I was thinking it was over $3 in real money. Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
$2.36/ga. - Germantown, WI
Posted by chel (Member # 7674) on :
Funny Money?!?!?!? What are you calling funny money? Posted by urbanX (Member # 1450) on :
Gas prices from around the world
quote: Netherlands Amsterdam $6.48 Norway Oslo $6.27 Italy Milan $5.96 Denmark Copenhagen $5.93 Belgium Brussels $5.91 Sweden Stockholm $5.80 United Kingdom London $5.79 Germany Frankfurt $5.57 France Paris $5.54 Portugal Lisbon $5.35 Hungary Budapest $4.94 Luxembourg $4.82 Croatia Zagreb $4.81 Ireland Dublin $4.78 Switzerland Geneva $4.74 Spain Madrid $4.55 Japan Tokyo $4.24 Czech Republic Prague $4.19 Romania Bucharest $4.09 Andorra $4.08 Estonia Tallinn $3.62 Bulgaria Sofia $3.52 Brazil Brasilia $3.12 Cuba Havana $3.03 Taiwan Taipei $2.84 Lebanon Beirut $2.63 South Africa Johannesburg $2.62 Nicaragua Managua $2.61 Panama Panama City $2.19 Russia Moscow $2.10 Puerto Rico San Juan $1.74 Saudi Arabia Riyadh $0.91 Kuwait Kuwait City $0.78 Egypt Cairo $0.65 Nigeria Lagos $0.38 Venezuela Caracas $0.12
[ April 04, 2005, 10:49 PM: Message edited by: urbanX ]
Posted by urbanX (Member # 1450) on :
As you can see from the list America's gas prices are acttually on the low end of the list.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
chel, it looks funny to me.
quote: As you can see from the list America's gas prices are actually on the low end of the list.
That's rather frightening.
Posted by LTC DuBois (Member # 7661) on :
It looks to me like almost all the nations with higher gas prices don't have domestic oil deposits.
Posted by Coccinelle (Member # 5832) on :
This morning when I left home, gas was 2.07, this evening gas was 2.17. What happened today?
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
I paid 2.18 this morning in Portland...last week I paid 2.28 in the Dalles and almost cried. Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
Richardson, TX (North Dallas area), $2.05-$2.12 (but why would you buy it that expensive when there's always a cheaper place around?)
Posted by HesterGray (Member # 7384) on :
I saw $2.19 today - Youngstown, OH.
Posted by Ela (Member # 1365) on :
The last time I looked it was in the $2.20's (and higher, some places) in Miami. I paid $2.19 a week ago, but I had to hunt for it at that price.
Posted by TheTick (Member # 2883) on :
Buffalo NY, about $2.29. If the Senecas hadn't raised their prices too, it would almost be worth it to head out to the res.
[ April 04, 2005, 11:44 PM: Message edited by: TheTick ]
Posted by BotaLadyG (Member # 7053) on :
Clay Center, OH (about 20 mins south of Toledo) $2.29/ gallon
I hear its higher in Toledo proper though.
Nicole
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
Last Wednesday when I left town, gas was about $1.97 a gallon. When I came back on Saturday it was up to $2.11 a gallon. (I'm in SC)
"They" are predicting gas prices to go from $55 a barrel up to about $105 a barrel sometime soon; which means $4-5 a gallon. If that happens I'm going to ride my bike to get places.
edit:
quote: Venezuela Caracas $0.12
Dude, I want to live in Venezuela.
[ April 05, 2005, 12:12 AM: Message edited by: Eruve Nandiriel ]
Posted by FoolishTook (Member # 5358) on :
Stupid Stupid Stupid
Who are the people responsible for raising the prices? They go up as soon as there's news that gas supplies are running low. However, wouldn't that take some time to actually reach us?
I mean, a news guy reports that the price of crude oil is at a record high at 10:54 a.m., and at 11:30am that same day, suddenly the price per gallon is raised two dimes. Surely oil--or lack thereof--doesn't move that fast.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Who the hell are the "they" who said oil was going to double in price? That's silly.
Production isn't really down that bad. Refineries are keeping up relatively well, there isn't a gas shortage. If Iraq would hurry up and stabilize we could get something out of it and lower the price even more, but their production is already at pre-war levels.
I don't see it going higher than $65, if that high. Also, part of the reason price is high is that Bush is siphoning off a goodly amount for the Strategic National Reserve (that's the name right?). Which I think is a smart idea, but if this gets much more out of hand, he'll need to cut back on that.
On the other hand. I hope gas in America does hit 3 or 4 dollars a gallon. It's about time this country gets a friggin wake up call about oil, the huge gas hogging SUVs they drive, and the environment. When Hummer drivers have to start shelling out a grand a year for gas, maybe they will change their minds.
Posted by LilBee91 (Member # 7475) on :
I think the last time i actually looked it was at $2.10, which is surprisingly low. I live in Wasilla, Alaska.
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
It's gone up to $2.19 in Fort Dodge, Iowa. That about 20 cents in the last month, I think. The price has gone up five cents twice in the last week.
I live about 10 miles from Fort Dodge. I work and go to church in FD. I don't want to move back yet for various reasons, but may have to change my mind.
Posted by Joldo (Member # 6991) on :
1.93 a gallon at some stations around Atlanta.
*points and laughs maliciously*
Posted by Uhleeuh (Member # 6803) on :
quote: On the other hand. I hope gas in America does hit 3 or 4 dollars a gallon. It's about time this country gets a friggin wake up call about oil, the huge gas hogging SUVs they drive, and the environment. When Hummer drivers have to start shelling out a grand a year for gas, maybe they will change their minds.
I agree with this in theory but in reality, it would hurt a lot of families, like mine, where money is very, very tight, where there aren't any reasonable alternatives to transportation, such as buses, and where walking the 10-12+ mile distances to work is highly unlikely to happen because of temperatures ranging from 90-120 during the summer.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
some of us DO drive small compact cars that have some decent fuel economy.
Posted by Uhleeuh (Member # 6803) on :
And I'd just like to clarify that no one in my family drives an SUV/Hummer/moster truck. It'd still hurt my family financially to have to pay twice as much to fill up.
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
quote:1.93 a gallon at some stations around Atlanta.
*points and laughs maliciously*
And where around Atlanta would this be? I paid 2.20 yesterday in Decatur. Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
$2.19 for the cheap stuff. Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :
$3.78US a gallon in New Zealand (that's as accurate a conversion as I can make from $NZ1.35 a litre). Thats for Super, Regular's about .5c cheaper per litre. It costs me about $NZ70 to fill up my car once a week, from which I get about 220 miles. I'm thinking of buying a horse...
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
$2.19 in Hanover, PA this morning. I drive 32 miles to work. I average 32 miles per gallon.
Posted by dawnmaria (Member # 4142) on :
$2.15 in No. Virginia. I got it as they were changing the sign to $2.23! And that's for the cheap stuff! It felt so good! I saved 8cents! They'll just get it out of me later! Posted by Mr_Megalomaniac (Member # 7695) on :
Outside of Atlanta, Ga.
$2.10 a gallon, Huzzah I don't feel so bad now
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
My hybrid purchase is looking beter and better It sucks that people in minivans and the like are going to feel this worse, especially considering that the car companies have been slow to roll out, at the minimum, hybrid versions of all their models, at prices closer to regular models.
Goldman Sachs said the price may reach 105 in the "near future". That could mean several years.
The price at the pump has always been very attuned to price per barrel, and to a certain extent expectation of continued supply. You don't raise the price of gas when it is actually scarce... You lose gross profit that way. You raise it ahead of the shortage, more money made.
-Bok
Posted by Erik Slaine (Member # 5583) on :
$2.48
Glad I have a Saturn.
I've noticed that more people seem to be driving that "second car" instead of their gas guzzling SUVs.
Serves 'em right!
*envies Bok's Hybrid*
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I need to fill up today - and I should have done so yesterday. I know it went up overnight because they were talking about it on the radio.
But I don't know the exact amount at the moment to post here. At least I usually burn a 10% Ethanol blend which is cheaper. (and wish I could burn the 85% Ethanol choice).
Farmgirl
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
$2.57 in Union City.. and I have to fill up today... I'm hoping the Valero station down the street has it a little cheaper.
The nations with higher gas prices than ours are mostly socialist nations. Just one more reason to fight socialism tooth and nail.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
I think i woke up to a $2.57 here in San Diego, CA
Posted by Cor (Member # 4295) on :
It's around $2.19 in central Florida.
Posted by DavidR (Member # 7473) on :
$2.29 for the cheap stuff in Champaign Illinois.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Current low in the entire Chicago area is $2.16 <shudder> The highest in the area is $2.65 in the north Loop <even bigger shudder>
And I have to fill up tonight too, I have to drive to work tomorrow so I can get to a wake and viewing in Arlington Heights after hours. Blech.
Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :
We have 4 main oil companies operating in New Zealand: Shell, Mobil, Caltex (which I think is Texaco), and BP (British Petroleum). It is ALWAYS BP which tries to jack prices up first, and they occasionally have to back down when the other companies don't put their prices up as well. Just yesterday they slapped another .5c a litre on the price, but had to back down because nobody else followed suit. Why anybody buys fuel from BP I can't figure out... My question is: In the US, how do the oil companies decide to put up prices? Is there one company that takes the lead and the others follow (or not)? Is there much/any difference between the prices of one oil company and another, or do they all sit cosily on the same price? In New Zealand it's virtually impossible to find any price differentiation from one gas station to another.
[ April 05, 2005, 03:42 PM: Message edited by: Cashew ]
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
Other countries tax gas more heavily, which accounts for most (not all) of the price difference.
I just got gassed up, the prices for regular in Metro Boston seem to be 2.08-2.17.
-Bok
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Prices today that I saw ranged $2.25-$2.29 today for the lowest octane. I would imagine it's a little cheaper (gas tends to run as much as $.10 cheaper) down by my house, since I don't live in the metro area.
[ April 05, 2005, 04:10 PM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
About $2.60 here, Montgomery Village, MD.
--j_k
Posted by Mike (Member # 55) on :
I think it's around $2.10 around here for regular, on the low end. Where here is Rhode Island. I don't pay a whole lot of attention to gasoline prices anymore, since I buy diesel these days. Which, sadly, is up to $2.41 at the cheapest. I remember only a year ago when diesel was a good 20 - 30 cents cheaper than regular gas.
But then, I still end up paying less on fuel than all of you jokers. Except for Bok, of course. Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
Birmingham Alabama area.
Ranges from 2.05/gal to 2.18/gal.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Round 2 people. If you had a post on here from before, state what your gas was then (April 5), and what it is now, and again, what your location is:
Royal Oak, MI (Metro Detroit) Then $2.37 April 5
Now $2.49 August 9
It's hard to really say Metro Detroit when it comes to gas prices. Neighboring Troy pays well over 2.50, and in Birmingham they pay over 2.60. Over in Grosse Pointe they pay into the 2.70's. Depends on how rich the area is around here.
[ August 09, 2005, 04:27 PM: Message edited by: Lyrhawn ]
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
Just filled up for $2.63 for regular unleaded in Union City California (near San Jose)
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Oops, I forgot to specify, all prices should be for regular, not the more expensive stuff.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
Filled up this morning and was appalled to see $2.49/gal. That's the highest I've ever personally seen it, I think.
edit: I'm in Bloomington, IN.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
It's around $2.30 here in Utah Valley.
When they make a hybrid minivan, we'll buy one. I'd love to have a hybrid, but they don't make them our size yet.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Honda has 10 hybrid models planned for the next 5 years. Toyota and Honda want 25% of their American exports to be hybrids by 2015. You shouldn't have to wait too long. Ford, GM and Daimler are nipping at their heels.
Side question, Stray, what do you do in Bloomington (occupation wise), I have a friend heading back there in a week for school.
Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
is anyone making a hybrid that will carry 7 people?
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
It was 2.69 when I posted in April. It's up to 2.92 now, and threatening to go higher. I'm leaving tomorrow for a week, and have been advised to gas up before I leave.
I'm planning on buying a new car this fall, and I'm definitely considering a hybrid. I drive about 15 miles each way to work and back, and I'm hesitant to go anywhere else. It sucks to not be able to drive to the beach because of the price of gas. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Toyota Highlander hybrid seats seven and is currently available. I think the Mercury Mariner (Ford's sophmore hybrid car) also seats seven.
The Saturn VUE is being released as a hybrid this year. The Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon, and the Dodge Durango are all in the works too as hybrids.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
I'm a software programmer at the IU cyclotron facility, or at least I am for the next two months. Not sure what I'll be doing once this project winds up.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Current low in the entire Chicago area is $2.16 <shudder> The highest in the area is $2.65 in the north Loop <even bigger shudder>
Current average prices I see in Dupage County is 2.55. In the past week, I've seen as high as 2.80!!! And I haven't been downtown or North Loop to tell just how bad THOSE are.... The site I posted before shows lowest at 2.34 (out in Will County) and highest at 2.83.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
My friend goes to IU, but I doubt you'll ever see her in the cyclotron facility. Unless there's a keg in there.
Posted by Gryphonesse (Member # 6651) on :
just paid $2.21 to gas up yesterday.
this BITES. $25.00 gets us a half-tank.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Where are you at Gryphonesse?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Dayton, Ohio prices seem to mostly be around $2.49 today, or so my coworkers who went out to lunch reported.
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
$2.51 (Regular) at the Gallows Road Exxon in Fairfax, VA
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I'm going to start saving.
Posted by Jim-Me (Member # 6426) on :
review says you have to drive about 125k miles in the toyota to break even on gas compared to non-hybrid version at $250 a gallon
That's a long way before it starts paying off...
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
That doesn't factor in the value of the lack of pollution. And the less-polluting-than-thou smugness.
$2.23-$2.35 in atlanta. $2.92?? Yikes, mauibabe.
Posted by The Silverblue Sun (Member # 1630) on :
Houston Texas, 2.42
Yippeee, sure pays to have Oil Men running our country.
Posted by Starr R (Member # 8361) on :
For the midrange it's $2.45, just outside of Tampa, FL.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
$2.49 here in Oregon, WI.
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
Around $2.25 in Sussex, NJ (tippy tippy top of the state)
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
CDN$0.905 per litre here in Sarnia, Ontario (Canada). That's US$2.82/gal.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
ALso doesn't include the tax incentives from the government for buying hybrids.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
$2.27 in Central New Jersey. We have plenty of oil refineries in the area, so it cuts a few cents off a gallon of gas, due to decreased shipping expense.
So, it is well worth it.
Posted by socal_chic (Member # 7803) on :
An hour north of San Diego in the middle of nowhere...(well not really but sometimes it feels like it) it ranges between 2.57 and 2.63... I go broke trying to fill up my truck.... Posted by MandyM (Member # 8375) on :
I paid $2.26 this morning in Central Texas.
Posted by Fusiachi (Member # 7376) on :
$2.39 in Central Pennsylvania. The highest I've ever seen it.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
$2.44 here in Dallas.
I am moving closer to work in August, and the price of gas makes me very happy about that.
Of course, I then start commuting to school two days a week, but I'd have to do that anyway. Maybe I could even ride a bike to work. Once I buy a bike.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: ALso doesn't include the tax incentives from the government for buying hybrids.
That's a tax rebate on the price of the vehicle, though, not a rebate at the pump as far as I'm aware.
Gas prices in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Quebec were in excess of CDN$1.00 per litre when I was driving through them last week.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Gas around here seems to be about $2.47-$2.75/gallon. Icky (and not the cool one from Florida) - it's not unusual for me to drive 100 miles in one day.
[ August 10, 2005, 04:09 PM: Message edited by: ludosti ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:That's a tax rebate on the price of the vehicle, though, not a rebate at the pump as far as I'm aware.
Yeah but, the original post was that you have to drive so long until your gas savings equals out to the increased price of a hybrid. But that doesn't include the tax incentive, which means it really is more cost effective to buy a hybrid, it doesn't just equal out after a long time.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
Oh, I see. I wasn't aware that there were similar incentives in the U.S. in any case. How big is the rebate?
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I thought the US discontinued the incentives for purchasing hybrids earlier this year. That, combined with the high cost of replacement batteries (every 2-3 years), really dampened my interest in a hybrid.
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
The Chevron near where I work in San Francisco just hit $3.10.
Luckly, I commute via public transportation.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Those incentives were discontinued yes.
New ones were created under the recently passed Energy Bill that Bush just signed.
The amount you get is based entirely on the fuel economy of the vehicle you buy. The better the MPG, the more you get back in incentives, up to 3 grand I think.
Posted by stacey (Member # 3661) on :
Cashew, where are you getting your petrol for that price? Its averaging $1.39 here in Christchurch. And I've heard of it being around $1.44!!!! in Dunedin. Owning a car is expensive
Edit: oh I see that was in April. Well I am paying $1.39 for just regular petrol and not super. Petrol has gone up lots since then.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Okay -- since oil prices on the stock market went through the roof today (66.65), the price at the pump jumped 20 cents per gallon just since I got to work this morning!
Now at $2.49/gallon.
Farmgirl
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
holy............... moley Farmgirl!!! I'm afraid to wonder what I'll get home to.
Posted by ProverbialSunrise (Member # 7771) on :
97 cents a litre (Canadian Dollars). I don't really want to do the math to convert to gallons and American. Sorry.
Posted by Peter Howell (Member # 8072) on :
How about 104.5c per litre (again, CAD)? I guess it's my own fault for living on this rock in the middle of the atlantic. I am so glad I don't own a car.
Posted by Chungwa (Member # 6421) on :
94.5 cents a litre.
Without doing any math that'd be aroung $3.50 a gallon. I think.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Yeesh! I passed one of the places I usually get gas from on my way home today. $2.73!!! I'm glad I still have half a tank, although I wonder if I should wait . . .
Posted by Cashew (Member # 6023) on :
$1.49 (New Zealand, with the NZ`dollar worth $US.70c) a litre. Work it out, somebody stole my calculator, so I can't.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I knew I was going to hate it when I saw Farmgirl's post... the cheapest station near my house jumped to 2.47.
(edit to clarify: this station was at 2.33 over the weekend...)
[ August 12, 2005, 12:43 AM: Message edited by: Goody Scrivener ]
Posted by Starr R (Member # 8361) on :
Just since I last posted, it's gone up to $2.54! yikes. (West/Central Florida)
*edited cuz my fingers aren't behavin'*
[ August 13, 2005, 03:52 AM: Message edited by: Starr R ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Mine jumped to $2.56 today from $2.49 yesterday.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
It's jumped to $2.56 in Dayton, OH.
You know, if everyone would post their location every time they post the latest fluctuation in gas price, it would make the thread more useful.
Posted by NinjaBirdman (Member # 7114) on :
$2.38 in Mays Landing, NJ. Up from like $2.20 a week ago.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Well, don't you all feel better about the fact that one of the Bush Administration's priorities this year was passing a bill that hands several billion dollars in subsidies to oil companies and builds a $900m bridge -- larger than the Golden Gate -- between two Alaskan communities with a total population of 2000 people?
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Tom, I believe that was more than "Bush Administration" that you love to blame. Do you want me to cite how many Democrat congressional people voted for it? Not everything done by the House and Senate, and passed, is "Bush Administration". Wow, you really give him more power than he has.
quote: Do you want me to cite how many Democrat congressional people voted for it?
Too many, sadly. The Democrats are not yet focused enough on not giving Bush anything he wants, no matter how reasonable it seems. j/k
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
But Tom, those poor oil companies NEED that money, it's the basics of a free enterprise economy silly.
And I don't blame the Administration directly for the wasted 900m being used for that dumb friggin bridge, but he certainly didn't life a finger to stop it before signing the bill did he? The Democrats and the Republicans also get blame for that. Much of the highway bill was just utter crap.
I don't see why people were arguing that 13 billion dollar energy bill was too much, but a 250 billion dollar highway bill is perfectly alright. If we spent even 50 billion dollars on energy, I don't think we'd have half the problems we have now with shortages and a failing national power grid. And YES, this is one of those problems were funding counts for more than anything else. Funding and time.
Evil...flourishing...good men doing nothing..
Posted by Starr R (Member # 8361) on :
Sorry if you guys have seen it before; seems I'm always a bit behind when it comes to news.
Posted by Jess N (Member # 6744) on :
This morning I bought gas for $2.47 a gallon at my local BJs, but the going rate around my area (metro Atlanta) is $2.49.
My son cracked me up yesterday as we passed a gas station. He commented that he remembered the days when we payed $1.39 for gas and complained. Sounds like a gas war veteran already...
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Three days ago, the station near me (an off brand, and the cheapest I've found anywhere near me) was $2.23.
Yesterday when I filled up, that gas station was $2.35.
Today when I drove by, it was $2.41.
This is in central New Jersey, btw.
Now, having just traveled up to Canada and talked with folks from around the world in hostels, it seems a bit unfair to complain. I mean, the rest of the world is paying 150-200% what we are.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
$2.49 here in the suburbs of Kansas City. Varies a little bit, within 5 cents.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
We're up to $2.59 on average around here.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
$2.52, but our county also has higher gas taxes than just about anybody else in Fl. Head over the county line and it drops about 5 cents.
Fortunately I don't live near the tourist-heavy areas (like, say, Daytona, where I work), where you can add another 10 cents per gallon. I'm very careful to get my gas near my home.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Teres and I were talking this morning when we went out for breakfast -- why aren't bicycle stores advertising like crazy?
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Here in Madison, they are. Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
quote:Originally posted by Goody Scrivener: I knew I was going to hate it when I saw Farmgirl's post... the cheapest station near my house jumped to 2.47.
(edit to clarify: this station was at 2.33 over the weekend...)
Same station, when we came home last night, was at 2.56.... this is really getting disgusting.
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
I paid $2.39 in Richardson, TX before coming home. I think my parents filled up my car here in Kingwood for my return trip and it was $2.29. In the last day or two though, I think it's jumped around here and it may be in the $2.40's. Not sure.
Posted by sarcasticmuppet (Member # 5035) on :
It's between 2.39 and 2.45 around Little Rock, Arkansas.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
Gas war veteran... hehe.
I remember just about six or seven years ago when gas was $0.84 per gallon in north NJ.
Posted by ricree101 (Member # 7749) on :
2.69 in the Chicago Suburbs. City itself is usually a bit more expensive
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
I've drove the kids around so much this summer that my husband is considering grounding us until school starts. I immediately started to search for the perfect hybrid for our family. At this point I don't care if the kids have to sit two to a seat and share a seat belt.
We'd walk if we didn't live so far from civilization.
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
The gas prices near me (Sussex, NJ - northern)have jumped from $2.20 to $2.56 in about a week. I was also in Ridgefield, CT yesterday (near Danbury) and they were about the same there.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Another Chicagoan!! Which area are you in, Ricree? I'm in Downers Grove.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
I remember when I was a kid and NOT driving that gas was less than a dollar a gallon.
Here, signs are running at $2.44.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Goody, have I ever told you that my mom grew up in Downers Grove?
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
No, Rivka, you didn't!!
And Mack, we had a minor gas war going here a couple years back between a couple stations. For about a month I could routinely get gas for under a buck... too bad that didn't last. I was still driving the Neon, so that would have been 2000 or so...
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Ah, somehow I thought I had. Well, she did. Several years in Downers Grove, and several in Joliet. Her dad was working at Argonne.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
$2.56 today in southern Indiana. Ouch! It took about $50 to fill our van up.
space opera
Posted by Theaca (Member # 8325) on :
My mom is from Western Springs/Hinsdale. My grandparents are still there. Lovely area.
Posted by MyrddinFyre (Member # 2576) on :
$2.69
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
$2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15
Went up 20 cents just this morning.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
What is going on??
Posted by Eruve Nandiriel (Member # 5677) on :
Gah! It's up to $2.45 here! I just filled up two days ago at $2.25, and I thought that was a lot!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
One of my coworkers reported $2.70 in Dayton, OH, but I haven't confirmed that myself.
Kat, the official word from oil companies is that a confluence of events is driving oil prices to record levels. Take that for what it's worth.
Food prices in my area seem to be going up a little bit, which I'm sure is attributable to higher gas prices. It's especially noticable at Trader Joe's, where the savings aren't nearly as good as they used to be compared to bigger grocery stores.
So, have increasing gas prices caused anybody to drive less? There is a small town I like to visit about 20 miles or so from my house, and there have been several times in the last month or so when I've chosen to do something closer to me rather than driving out there, but that's been about it so far. Well, that and the fact that I briefly considered buying a place in that town earlier this past month and rejected the idea in part because of how much more it would cost me to drive to work every day from there.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
$2.43 in Central New Jersey
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Part of the reason I am moving at the end of August is to be near work so I can drive less. I will still drive a lot, since school will be 30-40 minutes away, but I would be doing that drive anyway, and it's an hour from where I am right now.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I don't drive any less. I can't. I still have to get to work and school.
Eruve, where are you at that it's only 2.45?
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
The cheapest within a 5 mile radius of me is $2.37 ( for regular), going up to $2.55.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Theaca, yes it is a wonderful area. I'd love to move to Western Springs, in large part so my kids can go to LTHS (I was a 1990 grad myself), but I don't honestly see a way of affording the housing costs to do so. Brookfield (where I grew up) is within reach financially but the town is falling apart, so I don't want to do that. And LaGrange is becoming hit-or-miss. So we'll probably stay where we are, or close enough where we don't have to change schools.
Posted by Space Opera (Member # 6504) on :
$2.69 now.
Noemon, we haven't been driving any less. Granted, we are out in the country and don't have much of a choice. The grocery store is 15 miles away.
Mr. Opera says we should start riding horses everywhere. I told him goats would be more of a challenge. We own neither animal, by the way.
space opera
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Yesterday around noon, we passed a Hess station selling gas for $2.45. We made note to fill up the tank on the way back. That afternoon, around 3:30 when we headed back home and to said Hess station along the way, the price had gone to $2.56.
wtf?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Goats would be good. You could get a coat of arms featuring a saddled goat, and insist that all family members wear t-shirts or sweatshirts emblazened with it. Everyone would know you as "those crazy goat people".
I realized last night when I was at the grocery store that I hadn't been there for quite some time. I hadn't been doing it intentionally, but I've been making fewer trips to the store than I did when gas was cheaper.
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
$2.68 at a station I pass on the way to work. Sheesh! They said on the radio that prices traditionally fall after Labor Day. I hope that doesn't mean they are going to rise until then.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
Yep - it jumped another 10 to 20 cents yesterday while I was at work.
So last night I went to the Farmer's Co-op to get gas. They traditionally don't raise their prices until they actually get their next "load" of fuel for their tanks -- whereas the convenience stores raise prices on futures, not on the cost of what they currently have underground. So I paid $2.50 (bad enough) while all the stations were running $2.60 and up.
Farmgirl
Posted by NinjaBirdman (Member # 7114) on :
quote:Originally posted by NinjaBirdman: $2.38 in Mays Landing, NJ. Up from like $2.20 a week ago.
$2.50 now at the same gas station.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
I was thinking on the way to work this morning....
.... if things get as bad as the oil embargo days of the 1970s, when you couldn't BUY gas because the pumps were dry...
..then I would really like to have a reel-type mower like ElJay uses. Do they still sell those anywhere?
I wonder how long it would take to do 15 acres with a walk-behind reel mower..
Farmgirl
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
I used to have a reel mower (picked up at a garage sale), but trying to mow even a tiny patch of lawn in Phoenix in the summer with a reel mower was unbearable, so my husband gave me an electric one for Christmas. I love my electric lawnmower!
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I got one at Lowe's this past spring. They had two different models to choose from, so there isn't a whole lot of selection, but they are available. Mine cost somewhere in the $90 range.
I shudder to think how long it would take to do 15 acres with any kind of a push mower, powered or not. When I was a kid I had to mow 3.5 acres with an old motorized push mower (the type that doesn't provide any motive power of its own), and it always took *forever*.
I don't think that we'll have a 70s style oil shortage though; the problem right now doesn't seem to be supply. As long as people are willing to continue paying what they're paying, the oil companies are going to be happy to make sure that gas stations have plenty of supply (in the relatively near term--I'm not talking about the availability of gas in, say, 20 years or anything).
Posted by KarlEd (Member # 571) on :
I have an electric mower. I'll buy you one, Farmgirl, if you can come up with a practical way to haul around a 15 acre-long extension cord. Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
What I'd *like* to get is a mower that is powered by fermenting grass clippings. I read about someone developing one of those a few years back, but nothing seems to have come of it.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Farmgirl, why not just get an electric mower?
My mother loves her cordless electric mower. It's made by black and decker.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
I have a gas and a reel mower, but really want electric.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
quote: What I'd *like* to get is a mower that is powered by fermenting grass clippings.
Noemon -- you mean Like This?? Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Farmgirl
Yeah, something like that, but all metalic looking.
Posted by Mama Squirrel (Member # 4155) on :
I just paid $2.82 in Camarillo, California.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I love our electric mower. We have an electric (Cordless!!!!) weed whacker/edger too, which seriously cuts yard work time in half, and it's fun too. Automatically feeds the line too.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
YEEEHAAAAAAA!!!!
I'm watching the CBS news at the moment - and they just showed a BP station somewhere within the Chicago city limits selling regular for $2.95 a gallon!!!!
(edited to add city for those who don't know where i am)
[ August 16, 2005, 11:40 PM: Message edited by: Goody Scrivener ]
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
Creeping upwards, ever silently. (I just checked, and I last posted 2 days ago in this thread.)
Up .10 to $2.59 here.
I'm talking unleaded, regular. None of that snooty premium stuff; that's even more expensive. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
$2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
$2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30
Nice.
All taken from the same Mobil station.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
2.89 at the sHell station today. Union City California.
(The Valero station was 2.73 yesterday. didn't look today.)
Posted by Parsimony (Member # 8140) on :
$2.44 here today. Good to live in one of the cheaper states for gas. Although thinking of 2.44 as cheaper is sad.
--ApostleRadio
Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
There isn't much gas to be had around here. Most stations are completely sold out due to the massive evacuation in the area. I'm trying to limit my driving - I've only got about half a tank left. Most stations that still have gas only have premium or ultra or whatever the highest brand is called. That's selling on average for about $2.70 a gallon. Prices haven't changed dramatically since the hurricane struck, it's just availability that makes buying gas difficult.
Posted by NinjaBirdman (Member # 7114) on :
I filled up this morning for $2.53 for regular. At lunch it was $2.57. I'm going to check it on the way home from work too. (mays landing, NJ)
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
You don't really think Katrina's going to post here, do you? She's in such a hurry.... Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
She's a blowhard anyway
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
Gas jumped 27 cents here in KC since Katrina. Sunday, I could have paid 2.59. Today, I paid $2.83, after a 3 cent discount at Hyvee. I'm expecting it to pass $3 this week or next.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Parsimony where are you at?
Yeah, I expect it to pass $3 dollars a gallon here over the weekend as well. But I also expect it to fall 30 cents in the next month.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
2.65/gallon in Boston Metro (Somerville) ---
When honeymooning in Victoria, BC, the price was 1.01/liter!
-Bok
EDIT: Of course, at ~45 MPG, and only ~120 miles into my 12 gallon tank, with my commute I won't be filling up for another 2-3 weeks... By which point gas will be at 3.12 or something. Sheesh.
[ August 30, 2005, 04:34 PM: Message edited by: Bokonon ]
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
$2.99 just outside of Milwaukee, WI.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Gas here went up .08 a gallon on Monday to $3.19.
I filled up yesterday in anticipation of what will happen next.
I sat down with my girls last night and had them figure out our gas mileage, based on the latest fill up. Then we figured at the current price of gas, we pay about 13 cents for every mile driven, so at $3.20 a gallon, I pay about $4 a day to get to work and home. We talked about some things we could do to cut back in other areas to ease the burden a bit.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
2.69 in town, 2.59 at the cheap places. There's no difference, as far as I can tell.
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
$2.99 in Hartland, Wisconsin.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
$2.99 for premium. $2.799 for regular unleaded. Kansas
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
$3.35 in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
Posted by NinjaBirdman (Member # 7114) on :
Well, today the same gas station(Mays Landing, NJ) is $2.70. Up 17 cents from just yesterday morning when I filled up.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
It's been hovering around CDN$1/L here recently. That's US$3.18/gal. In the eastern part of Canada it's up as far as CDN$1.20/L in some places, which is US$3.82/gal.
(These calculations are based on today's exchange rate.)
Added: I live in an area that is also home to two refineries. Gas is cheap here compared to other parts of Canada.
Posted by ludosti (Member # 1772) on :
Gas prices have gone up here since yesterday morning. The biggest example was a place that was at 2.59 on my way into work yesterday and 2.79 on my way home. I was able to fill up yesterday for 2.63 (I saw 2 other stations also at 2.63 on my way home). I didn't pass those same stations on my way into work today, but I would suspect they've jumped up to the 2.70ish range (since thats about what everything else was).
There have been reports of shortages at a few (independent) gas stations in the Phoenix area.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Dayton, OH
I got gas last night for $2.46 a gallon. The first gas station I went to was out of the cheapest grade of gas, however, so I had to go to a second station to get it at that price.
This morning it is $3.09
Posted by graywolfe (Member # 3852) on :
$2.80, going down to bay area which is normally 15-25 cents more than Carson City, Nevada. Goody!!!!
Posted by John Van Pelt (Member # 5767) on :
Sharpie just called from Maine (Portland area), saw regular for $3.17. They drove on and found it for $2.66 closer to town, but there were LONG lines -- around the block, regulated with orange cones.
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
I just heard from a coworker who went out for lunch that it's $2.99 here. I passed a gas station on the way to work this morning and it was $2.79. So that's a 20 cent jump in a couple of hours.
I live about an hour away from Atlanta, Georgia.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
3.19 here, Detroit, MI. Up 20 cents from yesterday.
Posted by Swampjedi (Member # 7374) on :
Gas prices do not matter here in small town Georgia, as all the stations are bone dry.
Fights were reported earlier at the local Super Walmart.
Posted by TheHumanTarget (Member # 7129) on :
$2.99 for regular unleaded at the Exxon in Herndon, VA...
Posted by Mama Squirrel (Member # 4155) on :
I didn't have time to stop on my way to work this morning. I saw it was $2.87. When I went at lunch the same station was $2.92. I guess I should have just been late to work this morning. This is in Camarillo, CA.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Well, that's only 5 cents difference, Mama Squirrel, so you probably only would have saved 60 cents or so (assuming you weren't wanting to fuel up some gas guzzling SUV with a mammoth gas tank or something). I'd probably pay 60 cents not to feel stressed out about getting to work late, myself.
Posted by Altáriël of Dorthonion (Member # 6473) on :
$3.19 at the Shell near me, I'm at San Diego, CA.
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
3.099 3.159 3.219
Three stations near here; one of them held 2.999 for a few days before the storm.
--j_k
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
Looks like North Carolina's having some issues. Here in Greensboro the gas supply is drying up left and right. I've heard reports of $3.50 a gallon and higher (as of about 7 p.m.) and police officers at most gas stations.
Apparently, two of the pipelines for gas supplying our state are down for the near future. The report from the governor's office said as much as 90 percent of our resupply is gone. Gone.
Whew, strange days indeed.
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
There was report on WTOPnews earlier:
"With the refineries in the Gulf shut down, how long will it take until there are lines at gas stations?"
"Oh, about a week or so."
The most disturbing thing about it was the deadpan, matter-of-fact way he said it.
--j_k
Posted by stacey (Member # 3661) on :
In New Zealand it is $1.53 per litre for normal petrol and $1.59 for ultra.
As far as I can work out that is $4.04 per gallon in American dollars.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Stacey, have gas prices down there been steadily increasing for the past while? They've been increasing in the US for some time (as you can tell from this thread), and I've been wondering whether that was a global trend or an artifact of the US oil market.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Apparently, two of the pipelines for gas supplying our state are down for the near future. The report from the governor's office said as much as 90 percent of our resupply is gone. Gone.
quote:With the refineries in the Gulf shut down, how long will it take until there are lines at gas stations?"
"Oh, about a week or so."
What most people in the US don't realize is that almost all gasoline is distributed by pipelines which go from major refineries to regional facilites and then they are trucked for very short distances to gas stations. So for example, the large refineries in Billings Montana supply gas into a pipeline that runs west to Seattle and Portland. They can delivery gas to the Pacific Northwest through this pipeline, but they can't sell gas to California or Georgia. They have no way to delivery it to those places. This is one of the reasons that gas prices can vary so much between different regions in the US.
What that means is that if gas in your region comes from one of the refineries that is shut down from the storm, it is going to be very difficult to get gasoline to you until those refineries aand those pipelines are back up and running. There may be a only 2 or 3% shortfall nationwide, but that could mean a 90% shortfall in your area, with no easy way to share the burden.
Posted by Treason (Member # 7587) on :
Well, I finally saw my area break $3.00 a gallon. sigh.
Posted by mackillian (Member # 586) on :
Nathan just got back from 7-11 where it's at $3.08.
>_<
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
$3.19 here.
Posted by J T Stryker (Member # 6300) on :
My gas tank is empty and I live in the same town as Megan...
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
How do we find out where our gas is supplied from?
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
It's wacky today. Some stations are selling a gallon of regular for $2.59, others for $3.19, and everything in between. One station was selling midgrade and premium for less than the regular. Pandemonium!
And I saw this evening, for the first time since, what, the Nixon administration, lines at the gas stations. Stretching out of the station and into the streets.
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
I'm really glad I don't drive. But hopefully this won't make them increase bus fare, because then I'd be screwed.
Posted by Treason (Member # 7587) on :
Yeah, there were lines at every gas station I stopped at, and a few with no gas at all. I should have waited since I only have 1/3 of a tank left but I just got off work and I'm tired.
Posted by Eaquae Legit (Member # 3063) on :
*weeps* $1.27 per litre, Canadian. With the exchange, it works out to about $4.05 per US gallon.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
My wife and I have been seriously discussing how to make either the bus or carpooling work. We've already calculated distances we regularly drive. Just getting into the car anymore is starting to feel like a luxury.
Posted by The Silverblue Sun (Member # 1630) on :
Gas started out at 2.65 when I went to work. Was 2.79 when I got home from work.
So I went to the Gym.
It went from 2.79 to 2.99 in less than 2 hours.
.34 cents in one day.
REMINDER
Gas was at 1.20 when Bush took office in 2000, and Exxon/Mobil is his #2 campaign contributor, and Exxon/Mobil just posted an 8.8 million dollar profit for the last quarter, a %35 percent increase from their profit last year in the same quarter.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Really? We're going to turn this thread into a Bush conspiracy/gas prices thing?
I blame him for not doing more for the future, but he has little control over the price of gas as it stands now. Katrina is to blame for the last 50 cents or so in rising gas prices. And gas most certainly wasn't $1.20 where I live when he took office. It was more like $1.50, and that's a big difference.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Eaquae Legit, s that higher than it has been? If so, by how much? Has the price of gas in Canada been rising steadily for the last 6 months or year or so?
Posted by NinjaBirdman (Member # 7114) on :
Ok. 48 hours ago I filled my tank with unleaded for $2.53 a gallon. Today, the price is $3.10 at the same station. I was not expecting to see a 40 cent jump overnight. That's crazy. (Mays Landing, NJ)
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
$3.11 now in Metro Boston.
-Bok
Posted by Wowbagger the Infinitely Prolonged (Member # 7476) on :
I saw $3.25 in Glenside Pa. (near Philadelphia).
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
As far as I can tell (the Indiana gas price's website server is dealing with too much traffic) it's 2.68 in West Lafayette. Even though that's better than most places, I'm still glad I filled up my tank at 2.60.
Posted by The Silverblue Sun (Member # 1630) on :
There is no BUSH conspiracy on this issue.
It is public record that W took and is still taking millions and millions of dollars from the companies that are raping us.
Bush and Exxon/Mobil are profiting and growing in power, while we are being screwed time and time again.
Posted by Wendybird (Member # 84) on :
It went from 2.79 for regular unleaded to 2.88 in a few hours yesterday. The same station said 2.88 this morning on my way in but I'm afraid of what it will be when I go home. This station had its pumps closed the day before when I tried to stop for gas. Its really getting crazy.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I filled up Monday morning at 2.78/gal. Today ChicagoGasPrices.com is reporting that the same station is at 2.95. [EDIT; My mother came by tonight and told me that as of about 6:30 pm the same station was now at 3.25 - and one of the cheapest in the area!!]
However, another nearby station has multiple entries on the same site (based on how people report the location), showing 2.85 yesterday just after noon, then 2.99 at 3:14 pm, 2.89 at 9:56 pm, and back to 2.89 at 9:30 this morning.
Oh, and in the sidebar it says that one year ago today, the average price in Chicago was 1.93 with a national average of 1.835. Today it's 3.139 and 2.95, respectively. (and 3 years ago it was 1.65 and 1.47 respectively - so we've fully doubled in three years....)
[ September 01, 2005, 10:18 PM: Message edited by: Goody Scrivener ]
Posted by Jay (Member # 5786) on :
Went to a Chevron and somehow put 14.5 gallons in my 13 gallon tank. I know people will say it's a little bigger then 13 gallons, but I never get any more then just right over 13 even the one time I pulled in and had to push my car the rest of the way in.
Posted by martha (Member # 141) on :
Our car runs on Diesel -- and we recently bought 30 gallons of 100% biodiesel. It's more expensive per gallon, but in general (and especially right now) far cheaper per mile. Also, for long-distance driving there are almost no environmental repercussions.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
As I said, we had reports of $3.50 a gallon locally, but when I left work last night I was able to fill the gas tank for $2.99 a gallon at my local station.
Still, I've never seen that much traffic or that many people at service stations here at 11 pm. There's nothing like panic buying.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Jay, did you happen to get a receipt? If so, report the station to the police and perhaps the Better Business Bureau, submitting the receipt as proof. If not, get a five gallon gas can, fill it at that station, and use the receipt from that purchase as proof when talking to the authorities.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Up another 10 cents here, to 3.29 in Detroit.
Posted by T_Smith (Member # 3734) on :
I saw 2.83 today. Perhaps I should check it on my way home and see if I could fill it up.
Posted by stacey (Member # 3661) on :
quote:Stacey, have gas prices down there been steadily increasing for the past while? They've been increasing in the US for some time (as you can tell from this thread), and I've been wondering whether that was a global trend or an artifact of the US oil market.
Yeah, they have been rising like crazy this year. And then our Government went and added another 5c to apparently build more roads. And now they won't take it off lol. It's the election in a couple weeks so you would think one of the parties would offer to take it off but so far noone has. I'm guessing they don't have to pay for petrol or get paid so much they don't care. *Sigh* It's not fair!
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Our state legislature instituted a statewide gas price cap for wholesale prices. It went into effect today, based on the price of gas last week in LA, SF, and somewhere in the south... Atlanta maybe, so no "hurricane" rise yet... Prices have been leaping up - between 4 and 8 cents at a time over the last several weeks. This morning, all the local stations were charging $3.25. A couple of my co-workers have said that prices went up $1.00 today, but I'm still at work, so I can't verify that.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
President Clinton warned against a gas cap. He said it might work for a short period of time assuming there is a supply to back it up, otherwise you risk running out if people run on the low price.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
quote:That cap is set once a week based on wholesale prices in Los Angeles, the Gulf Coast and New York. The wholesale cap is an average of those prices plus a margin to account for the costs of shipping, distributing and marketing gasoline in Hawai'i.
Posted by andi330 (Member # 8572) on :
Greenville, SC 3.29 for the cheap stuff and still rising.
At least 2 gas stations in the area ran out of gas completely this week and had signs saying "no gas"
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Those islands are tiny, how far away from work can people possibly be?
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
I live 15 miles from work... "tiny" is relative, I guess. I live upcountry, about 1000 feet up Haleakala. I could ride a bike to work, no problem, but I'd never be able to ride one home.
I actually have a fairly short commute for Maui. Many of my neighbors work in the resort hotels on the westside and drive 40-50 miles one way to work. Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
Up to $3.59 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Sorry Maui Babe, forget I said anything. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
$2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01
$2.39 October 23
That's a nice 90 cent drop in the last two months. I still miss it being below two dollars, but I certainly appreciate it being under 2.50.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Now I am far less concerned about the price of gasoline than I am about heating oil and gas. Cutting back on gasoline consumption is within reach for most of us. But there is only so low that I can set my thermostat before my family suffers.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
My mom is steadily knitting warm blankets in preparation for the winter. We can't afford a 50% rise in heating costs.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
$2.59 yesterday in Greensboro, NC.
I'm just not expecting us to ever see it below $2.00/gallon ever again.
Posted by Shawshank (Member # 8453) on :
About $2.56-2.66 around here in Nashville. I have to agree with Sopwith, not expecting it to go down that low, ever again.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I miss the days of $.89/gallon.
Driving to Tampa is going to be horrible.
-pH
Posted by pfresh85 (Member # 8085) on :
$2.65 when I filled up yesterday here in Richardson. It was like $2.25 or so in Norman, OK though when I left.
Posted by dawnmaria (Member # 4142) on :
$2.29 when I filed up today in Northern Va. It's the 1st time in awhile I didn't break $40 at the pump!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
$2.69 in Orlando, FL...
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
$2.44 Bloomington IN, was 2.69 yesterday
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I went out to fill up tonight, after posting the last price I had payed, three days ago...
And I saw $2.57! Still high, but a step in the right direction... Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Gas had fallen to $2/gallon in the Dayton area, but in the last two weeks it's been rising again. Today $2.49 seems to be the going rate. Day before yesterday I filled up for $2.25
Posted by Silent E (Member # 8840) on :
I filled up for 1.99/gallon last week. It was a joy to see it at less than two dollars, finally.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
$2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28 $2.39 January 05
It never seems to stay in place for very long.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Yeah, my prices are going up again too. Average I'm seeing is about 2.30.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
It's a great idea to keep track of mileage, not only for financial purposes, but for car maintenance purposes. I've got 8 months of mileage data analyzed now.
I'm going to post more information in a separate thread. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Just curious as to how everyone else is doing.
Detroit, Michigan -
2005 $2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28
2006 $2.39 January 05 $2.19 March 19 $2.49 March 25
Compared to last year, it's not much worse, but that's still not great.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
2.59 in suburban Chicago. I think I saw 2.89 last weekend within city limits. And they're already saying it's going to get higher as weather warms up.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
2005 $2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28
2006 $2.39 January 05 $2.19 March 19 $2.49 March 25 $2.69 April 10 $2.79 April 11
Reports say it's only going to get worse. The Department of Energy predicts an incrase of a percent and a half in fuel consumption after a zero gain last year.
And it's not even summer yet.
Posted by Narnia (Member # 1071) on :
We're at $2.49 or so here in Portland, OR. It's sad, back at the beginning of March we were down to $1.96. (I hear we have the cheapest gas in the country, which is really bizarre...)
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
It's $3.25 right now and I heard on KHPR this morning that the gas cap (on wholesale prices) went up 0.14 yesterday...
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
I was running on fumes a couple days ago, but when I saw gas was at $2.79 I couldn't bring myself to buy a full tank; I stopped at $20, which got me about half a tank.
Oy...
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
$2.65 in Lafayette, LA this morning.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Holy crap, how big is your tank Stray? $20 would almost fill me up.
maui - What's the point of having a gas cap if they raise it whenever the gas prices get high?
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Stray, where'd you get it for $2.79? It was $2.89 where I looked today.
Posted by JonnyNotSoBravo (Member # 5715) on :
quote:In the United States, concerns that the country's nuclear program could lead to a confrontation that would disrupt Iran's crude oil supplies have propelled crude oil prices.
Today, crude oil for May delivery rose 24 cents to settle at $68.98 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Crude touched $69.45 a barrel, the highest since Sept. 2.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn:
maui - What's the point of having a gas cap if they raise it whenever the gas prices get high?
The idea behind the gas cap is to keep prices down, I guess. At least the idiot who sponsored the bill (and is still defending it despite it being an unmitigated disaster) seems to think so. In practice, it has led to the highest gas prices in history. The cap is based on an average of mainland prices in three markets (NYC, LA and the gulf coast, I believe). Of course, the wholesalers are not REQUIRED to charge the maximum of the cap, but they always do, and who can blame them, when they have no idea what the cap will do the next week. It's disgusting. Gas prices on Maui have gone up $0.38 in the last month alone.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I filled up on Friday at the same station as above, and it was 2.69. Today (4 days later) it's 2.73. 14 cents in about as many days.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
$3.09 this morning! For premium, though. So that makes regular, what, $2.89?
The day before yesterday, it was $2.9something for premium.
I should just go out into the Gulf and build my own damn oil rig.
-pH
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Good luck. The Gulf is reaching peak output soon, and then will only drop from there. And Florida won't let anyone drill in their coastal waters.
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
I'm going to build a pirate ship with death ray cannons and make Florida let me drill by force!
Who's with me?
-pH
Posted by Tinros (Member # 8328) on :
$2.80 in suburban Ohio when i gassed up today.
Posted by RackhamsRazor (Member # 5254) on :
$2.75 in Morgantown, WV Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
Why do the prices go up in the summer? Do they have to compensate for the fact that no one is buying heating oil or something?
I got 10 gal at 2.59 here in New Hampshire this afternoon... I never know if I should fill up because it's the lowest it'll be for a long time or if I should get like, a half tank because the price will drop tomorrow and I'll regret it if I don't. Though, it hasn't gone down since the end of last month so I guess it's all uphill from here.
I can't wait to go to college in the city where I can take public transportation!
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Gas prices go up in the summer because demand skyrockets in the summer when people start driving more.
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
$2.75 is the lowest I've seen in Daytona Beach, and I think one place is already over $3.
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
$2.79 here in Greensboro, NC. Premium at 2.999.
Posted by Earendil18 (Member # 3180) on :
2.76 here in Spokane,WA for the er..."medium" selection. Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
breyerchic, I think it was Thursday that I last bought gas, so I'm sure the prices have gone up since then. FWIW it was at the BP at 3rd and Indiana.
I'm seriously considering not driving to work anymore. It's less than two miles from my house, plus the bus runs within a few blocks of both my house and my work, so I could walk one way and bus the other if I don't want to walk both ways in the 90-degree, 90% humidity Indiana summer weather. Lord knows I could use the exercise, hell, I could cancel my gym membership and save some money that way too Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
2005 $2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28
2006 $2.39 January 05 $2.19 March 19 $2.49 March 25 $2.69 April 10 $2.79 April 11 $2.89 April 19
Oil is at an all time high. Get ready to break the $3.00 barrier again.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Yesterday in Birmingham, Alabama, at one pump it was $2.8999, at another it was $2.7999.
Posted by Kristen (Member # 9200) on :
In Chicago, it's a disaster as usual. I think the news anchors are pointing people to $2.80 stations.
But: I'm still super excited about having a car this summer. I just, uh, won't be able to drive it Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
$3.06 here in Seattle.
<sigh> and it was $1.89 back in November.
Posted by socal_chic (Member # 7803) on :
Um....I'm in between san diego and la. and the price I'm paying is 3.19 today....but it's been going up everyday.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
It's $2.89 here. This is actually a blessed relief, as it was $3.11 last week.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I'm seein $2.779 in Dayton today, which is down a bit from $2.849 yesterday.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
3.17 on thursday in San Jose' (That was the cheaper place...)
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
3.17 for the cheap stuff.
Posted by socal_chic (Member # 7803) on :
Wow..it's 3.25 and rising at our chevron station
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
$3.09-$3.19+ on Long Island...
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
$2.799 in Saint Louis Park, MN.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
2005 $2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28
2006 $2.39 January 05 $2.19 March 19 $2.49 March 25 $2.69 April 10 $2.79 April 11 $2.89 April 19 $2.99 July 24 $3.09 July 25 $2.99 July 27
Why is it always going up and down in increments of 10 cents? Either way, it'd be nice to see this go down by 50 cents or so. But that looks like wishful thinking at the moment. For some reason, American demand for gas has actually RISEN, despite the high price of gas, and skyrocketing price of oil.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
That isn't too surprising. I don't think you're anywhere near the price threshold beyond which significant numbers of people will alter their driving habits to conserve gasoline. Here, gas has been hovering around CDN$1/L, give or take ten cents (currently equivalent to US$3.33/gal), but despite the fact that gas prices were about CDN$0.60/L around here 3-4 years ago, people aren't changing their driving habits. Instead, they're complaining about gas prices.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Same thing here, twinky.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I had thought that $3/gallon would be the point at which people would really change their driving habits; when it first started creeping close to it a lot of my SUV driving coworkers started shopping around for more fuel efficient cars, and when it hit $3 briefly they seemed to have hit their boiling point, so to speak. The price dropped, though, and they cooled off and stopped looking. This time around the idea of paying that much, while still something to complain about, is something that they also have a context for; it isn't an unheard of thing. Because of that, I haven't heard any of them talk seriously about trying to either buy something more fuel efficient or drive less than they had been.
[ July 28, 2006, 08:48 AM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
Imma get me a motorcycle!
Posted by James Tiberius Kirk (Member # 2832) on :
$3.15 in Montgomery County, MD.
I'm just learning how to drive (I'm a late starter, don't ask) but even after I get my full license I doubt I'll ever use it.
My bro takes the bus and the Metro to work in the morning. Seems like a good plan.
--j_k
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
2.59 four months (almost to the day) ago. 3.29 yesterday at the same station. And in discussing this thread and a similar one in another group, I realized that my prices have basically gone up more than 50% in the two years since I got my car. It had broken the $2.00 mark just before Dad gave the car to me... and in the month or so before I knew I was getting the car, I had made comments about how glad I was that I didn't have to pay that kind of money on a regular basis, just when I borrowed someone else's car for errands that couldn't be done by bicycle.
Posted by theamazeeaz (Member # 6970) on :
$3.20s in Poughkeepsie New York as of about a week ago. 20 minutes west in New Paltz it's 15 cents cheaper. Meanwhile I'm going to go to Stop and Shop next week to buy some fruit and milk, but no way am I driving anywhere else before I have to fill up to get home.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
$2.86 for the cheap stuff.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Rs. 98/litre of the cheap stuff. That equals to... 0.942217 USD/litre, which is... $3.57/gallon.
Huh. Not as bad as I thought.
But prices are going up again soon. At these prices, the government's still running at a deficit.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
What exactly are the factors involved with pricing gasoline around the country?
I understand distance from pipelines and demand are big factors, but what else?
Posted by Flaming Toad on a Stick (Member # 9302) on :
In Leamington (Windsor area), the price is around 1.10 a litre. It just keeps going up, and I just got my license to drive this year. Grrr.
Posted by Juxtapose (Member # 8837) on :
Cheapest 'round here (just north of Seattle) is $2.97 a gallon. Good thing I take the bus.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
$3.03
Posted by Celaeno (Member # 8562) on :
I'm in Northern California. The cheap gas is just under $3, but we average about $3.20.
Posted by Jon Boy (Member # 4284) on :
It's about $2.85 in Salt Lake.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Anyone feeling a 24 jump because of the shut down at Prudhoe Bay?
I haven't been outside to look yet, but it was $3.05 yesterday, I'm guessing that has jumped 10 cents. Gas stations use any excuse or rumor to jack up prices a dime. Seems like it's never just a couple cents, it either goes up 10, 20, or not at all, around here anyways.
It's pretty much all of the oil that Alaska produces, this is on the heels of a 200,000 gallon oil spill on Alaska's north slope from the same pipeline they are worried about now. Just one more thing all the pro-ANWR drillers can keep in mind.
No one knows when the field will be reactivated. We're already hearing rumblings from the White House about tapping the SPR. I'd say that's fairly serious, Bush is usually very hesitant to even say those three letters together.
Posted by Nell Gwyn (Member # 8291) on :
Prices here on Long Island have been hovering around $3.25 for the past several weeks, no change today. If the Alaska thing is going to have an impact here, I'm guessing it won't go into effect for another day or two.
Posted by Marlozhan (Member # 2422) on :
3.09 here in Sandpoint, ID (that's the panhandle of Idaho). I guess I get the expensive end of the stick.
Posted by Bob_Scopatz (Member # 1227) on :
$2.85 for mid-grade gas with 10% ethanol here in SW Iowa.
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
I've seen 3.12 in eastern Idaho.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
No change today in suburban Chicago from Friday and weekend prices, but I'm fully expecting a jump in the not too distant future. The station I've been using as my benchmark throughout the thread - which is a BP - is currently at 3.19, others in the area are between 3.19-3.27 for regular grade.
I'm curious though... it was a BP field that shut down, right? Will that affect supply for the other names? I know it'll affect demand when BP can't produce their customary levels, but will Exxon or Shell also be short at distribution?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Considering the field is a joint venture between three or four different oil companies...Exxon included...
But I think it really effects everyone equally really. For the most part they all base their prices off the going rate for a barrel of oil, so that'll effect their bottom line, and then whatever the price difference they usually have will go on top.
I don't see BP prices going above the average. They'd get killed. I know plenty of people that would go one way or the other on a street corner based on which gas station had the cheapest gas, to the penny. BP has the money stashed away to maybe take a little hit, but decreased sales from charging too much would hurt more.
Posted by ElJay (Member # 6358) on :
Gas was down here yesterday, from $309 - $3.15 over the weekend to $2.99 at the station I pass on my way home, which is usually on the high end.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
"...the Energy Department...said the Prudhoe Bay field in the North Slope would not return to full production until February 2007."
Shell's Nigerian oil production has been steadily decreasing (down about a third from the peak) due to political unrest. Mostly Shell's own fault: bribing the Nigerian kleptocracy in its attempt to maintain extremely HIGH profit margins through continued wasteful flaring (burning the natural gas which accompanies crude oil) instead of developing the infrastructure which would use that natural gas to provide electicity, cooking fuel, etc to ordinary Nigerians.
[ August 08, 2006, 03:39 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
The station I pass to get to work jumped from being cheep ($2.99) to average ($3.05) between my passing it in the morning and my return home at 5. I thought that was odd - when do they usually change the price? I would have thought at the beginning of the day...
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
From today's Chicago Tribune via Associated Press:
quote:Survey: Average U.S. gas prices hit another record high The Associated Press Published August 14, 2006, 4:13 AM CDT
CAMARILLO, Calif. -- A survey shows Chicago drivers pay the most in the country for gas.
A Lundberg Survey of 7,000 gas stations across the U.S. shows Chicagoans pay $3.29 per gallon for regular.
The national average for self-serve regular is at nearly $3.03 per gallon. That's up $1.06 since July 21st.
The lowest price for regular was $2.82 in Charleston, S.C.
A gallon of mid-grade gasoline averages around $3.13 and premium averages $3.23.
That's right, Chicago's average price for lo-test is higher than the national average for premium grade!
I found an amazing deal over the weekend. A lone BP station selling 89 octane for 3.06 a gallon when everyone else in the immediate area was at 3.22. Needless to say, there were lines at each pump, but they moved pretty quickly.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
I filled up for $2.91 yesterday here in NJ, and that's full serve. The expensive stations are around $3.11 or so, with an average around $3.03 or so, I'd say.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
An article on multinational oil companies creating squalor in Nigeria. Frankly, I don't why the reporters target the GatesFoundation. It ain't as if those companies are gonna collapse if the foundation sells its stock. Or as if FirstWorlders are gonna quit buying Nigerian oil. What would have helped and would help is for FirstWorld nations to impose ultra-high carbon(dioxide) taxes on the companies which produce oil by flaring/wasting methane, and an even higher import tax on oil produced that way.
Meanwhile, Dubya is selling off Iraqi resources for the next 30years to his buddies in the oil industry. Even though the multinationals have no intention of investing anything in the oil infrastructure until there is peace in Iraq. Given that to be true, what is the hurry to award those contracts before peace arrives???
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
....
Low end gas was $2.22 last night here in Ocala, FL.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
Brand X gas here in the low-end income area is $2.75. Chevron, etc., in the city is over $3.19.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
2005 $2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28
2006 $2.39 January 05 $2.19 March 19 $2.49 March 25 $2.69 April 10 $2.79 April 11 $2.89 April 19 $2.99 July 24 $3.09 July 25 $2.99 July 27
2007 $2.14 January 7
edited to add on previous lists for the sake of perspective.
[ January 08, 2007, 05:55 AM: Message edited by: Lyrhawn ]
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
$2.14?!
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
2005 $2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28
2006 $2.39 January 05 $2.19 March 19 $2.49 March 25 $2.69 April 10 $2.79 April 11 $2.89 April 19 $2.99 July 24 $3.09 July 25 $2.99 July 27
2007 $2.14 January 7 $2.85 April 17
So Spring is here, and for the last couple years, Spring has meant massively increased fuel prices. We hear how refinery capacity is ridiculously low, and how the squeeze will mean massive profits for oil companies, and ridiculous prices for us.
I read an article that says refinery capacity is stymied by local government/organizers and government, it's a big investment and no one seems to want them in their backyard. But we are seeing an increase in capacity, because existing refineries in the south and midwest are expanding capacity. In the midwest they are working on Canadian tarsand oil. But the West is screwed for the next few years, sorry.
Anyway, estimates are for a spike to the three dollar level, but it will settle down around August to $2.60. That's the guess from the experts, how are you fairing locally?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Well I also did say that the West is screwed for the next few years .
I didn't realize you guys were paying that much already though, wow.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
I'm back up to 2.95-3.10 a gallon depending on the station. All in the western Chicago suburbs, all for low grade. I'm afraid to wonder what city prices are like.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: Well I also did say that the West is screwed for the next few years .
Yeah. *sigh*
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: I didn't realize you guys were paying that much already though, wow.
California always has among the most expensive gas in the nation. The additives required by state law cause a drastic price difference. (Oddly, the other liquid sold by the gallon that has state-law-required additives which cause the price to be much higher than in other states is milk. Pretty sure those additives have nothing to do with smog reduction though.)
Posted by anti_maven (Member # 9789) on :
$4,92 more or less for 95 octane unleaded. The 98 is about $5.64. One of the reasons my MG is in the garage on a semi-permanent basis.
We tend to be quite dependant on the car as we live in a tiny village and the bus only runs twice a day, which makes it difficult for us to use. When the weather improves, and I switch to sumer hours, I cycle commute which saves a lot!
[ April 18, 2007, 05:50 AM: Message edited by: anti_maven ]
Posted by brojack17 (Member # 9189) on :
Tulsa, Ok. $2.65/gallon I guess I should stop complaining.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
3.39 here in san jose.
Maven, you just be in europe.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
The cheapest gas you can get here in Vancouver, WA right now is around $2.92 at Costco. Even Arco, the cheapest gas for non-Costco members, has gone up to $2.98. Over $3.00/gallon is typical for most other gas stations.
Posted by Mr.Funny (Member # 4467) on :
I just filled my tank for $3.00/gallon here in Corvallis, OR. I think it's down a couple of cents from a week or two ago.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
2005 $2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28
2006 $2.39 January 05 $2.19 March 19 $2.49 March 25 $2.69 April 10 $2.79 April 11 $2.89 April 19 $2.99 July 24 $3.09 July 25 $2.99 July 27
2007 $2.14 January 7 $2.85 April 17 $3.45 May 21 $3.59 May 22
BP shut down a major Alaskan oil pipeline, we've used up our entire stockpile of gas from the winter because of a colder than usual April and increased driving, and refinery production is at 80%.
I went to get my bike fixed today, I plan to bike to work whenever I can from now on.
Posted by Launchywiggin (Member # 9116) on :
*gulp*
That's just scary. We're at the lower part of the nat'l average in SW Virginia with the lowest at $2.85 and highest at $3.10.
No bike for me Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Pixiest: 3.39 here in san jose.
Maven, you just be in europe.
Same price here in Sacramento Pix. I didn't realize you were only 2 hours away! Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
I've been considering biking to work. It's about 7 miles, and I'm not a biker. But my wife filled up the car today and it cost $50 for 15 gallons. Eek.
We need to get a bigger car to hold the family. We want to get a hybrid. But the only one I can find that could seat 7 is the Toyota Highlander. Apparently, Toyota is bringing the Sienna hybrid to the States in 08, but that's not for certain. I wonder if it's worth the savings on gas for the premium pricetag a Sienna hybrid would have.
Posted by erosomniac (Member # 6834) on :
Seattle's been at $3.49 to $3.69 for cheap gas for the past couple of weeks now.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
My normal gas station, the one I've been posting all along, is selling at 3.52 today. Yesterday there was a story on the Tribune home page showing the pylon sign from a Shell in the city with regular gas at 3.99. Yep, you read that right. 87 octane at FOUR DOLLARS.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Reports I just read say it should start dropping off a bit in June, peak on ID4, and then drop off again before leveling below $3 by Labor Day weekend.
Stockpiles in Europe and America are starting to rebound, and stoppages are ending. Looks like relief is in sight...ish. I work 5.5 miles away, give or take, and I'm not a biker, but I took a test ride today to try and gauge how it would go and it wasn't bad. An extra 20 minutes of commute and 11 miles of exercise a day, can't beat that.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
I've been biking to work for the past few weeks. Aside from the fact it's uphill in the morning, and into the wind the majority of the time, it's not too bad. A little over a mile, which takes a little over 10 minutes. The ride home is easier and faster.
Now, if only I could get out of driving to Kansas City every month, which is a one-way, 3 hour (220 mile + ) trip.
Ya know, compared to the gas I was spending to live in Kansas City, I can afford that trip once a month. All told, I racked up the better part of 200 miles per week when living in Kansas City. I had to drive just to get anywhere in KC and that really racked up the miles. Now, in my new job and city, I can bike almost anywhere; the savings in mileage is huge.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Only 20 minutes longer is definitely not a bad thing, Lyr. My concern for you is weather complications.
I'm so very glad I live so close to the commuter train station and can walk to the office from the downtown stop without much difficulty...
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
quote:An extra 20 minutes of commute and 11 miles of exercise a day, can't beat that.
If that were all it was, I'd do it. But the sweat - that I can't abide.
And I can't carry clothes to change into on my bike, so showering at the office isn't really an option.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
Most everywhere around Tucson is at 3.05/gal. There are a few of those cheap places still under $3.00, but not many. And they're rather shady.
Good thing I walk... except it's starting to get real close to 100 degrees out every day. That makes life gross.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
I live about 10 blocks from where I work, I just need to get/ride my bike from my parents condo to my apt and thats a 30 minute ride. Meh Ill do it this weekend. It was $3.10 a gallon to fill up my car last week, and frankly that bothers me.
BP did indeed shut down a big pipeline in Alaska as apparently it was leaking pretty badly and they need to repair it/check the other pipelines for similar damage.
I know this because its my job to notice references to this event in the periodicals I edit, this job is having VERY strange effects on me.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Gas dropped 10 cents to 3.49, hooray! Guess it's time to fill up.
I did a test run today to get to work, on my day off, to see how it went. It took me closer to an hour to get there, but I made some adjustments to my path, my gears, and the music on my mp3 player and made it back home in 40 minutes. But, I discovered I really, REALLY need to get a new bike seat. My goal is to be able to make the ride in 30 minutes, but I need to not be totally beat by the time I get there. It's still a good idea, I just need to work it out a bit better before I actually implement it. I might get gloves too, my hands are killing me.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: Gas dropped 10 cents to 3.49, hooray! Guess it's time to fill up.
I did a test run today to get to work, on my day off, to see how it went. It took me closer to an hour to get there, but I made some adjustments to my path, my gears, and the music on my mp3 player and made it back home in 40 minutes. But, I discovered I really, REALLY need to get a new bike seat. My goal is to be able to make the ride in 30 minutes, but I need to not be totally beat by the time I get there. It's still a good idea, I just need to work it out a bit better before I actually implement it. I might get gloves too, my hands are killing me.
This might surprise you but if you keep riding your threshold for anaerobic respiration will increase and sweating should be pushed back somewhat. As a missionary by the end of my mission I could bike for quite a distance and at a very good pace without my heart rate even increasing.
I really wish I would kick myself in the butt back up to that point.
Posted by Mabus (Member # 6320) on :
Gas was 3.12 this morning, if you buy the cheap stuff. I haven't been out and about (work night, sleep day...) since then, so I don't know what it is now.
I tried for years to learn to ride a bicycle, but I never could. I just couldn't manage to balance, steer, and pedal all at once somehow. My parents were dismayed that I would never be able to drive, but it didn't work out that way.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dagonee: And I can't carry clothes to change into on my bike, so showering at the office isn't really an option.
I have a makeshift closet at my work with 5 freshly pressed outfits and a couple of sets of work shoes. I take laundered clothes in when we are shopping on the weekend and using the car anyway. This way, I can bike, walk, or bus and not get sweaty or rumpled.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Dagonee:
quote:An extra 20 minutes of commute and 11 miles of exercise a day, can't beat that.
If that were all it was, I'd do it. But the sweat - that I can't abide.
And I can't carry clothes to change into on my bike, so showering at the office isn't really an option.
Yeah I haven't really figured out yet if that'll be a problem. I think it won't, as I can change when I get to work, plus generally I sweat a lot during work anyway what with the giant flame in front of me (I work in a kitchen).
Do you watch The Office? Your predicament reminded me of the episode where Jim decides to ride his bike to the office because his boss did and forgot to bring a change of clothes, good times.
Posted by IanO (Member # 186) on :
Here in Northern New Mexico, we're at $3.35 for the 87 octane.
Just last week, I started biking to work. Bought a commuter bike last year (the seat is wider and cushioned and the handlebars are positioned so that you are sitting up more.) It's about 8 miles (half uphill), and I can do it in 30 minutes. I have a large backpack into which I put my laptop and my clothes. I strap it to the rack on the back of my bike with 4 straps. It's been working well. And I feel like I am finally sticking it to the man.
of course, that's offset by the fact that I have been having to go up to Grand Junction, CO (about 5 hours away) to see my son every week or two. At least I have a Toyota Corolla. But still...these prices are riduculous.
I love the fact that when the price of oil goes up, so does the price of gas, usually that day. But when the price of oil goes down, it takes quite a while for that to trickle down to the gas prices. What a joke.
[ May 24, 2007, 01:49 PM: Message edited by: IanO ]
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
The regular stuff is $3.69 here in the desert. But, who's keeping track. I've been riding the bycicle to work for 23 years now. If pressed, I would have to admit that it takes be about a minute and a half to get to work on the bike. It's longer to get to Safeway close to seven minutes. A gallon of milk, 18 eggs, and several regular things fit just fine in a small Coleman day pack. Church takes close to 15 minutes. Now if I could just do something about the 1,200 mile weekends when I go home to visit my beautiful bride. (Edit to correct a stutter)
[ May 24, 2007, 04:46 PM: Message edited by: Artemisia Tridentata ]
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
Man, it Oregon it's been around $3.39 for regular unleaded for about a month. It's been costing me $50 per tank, which, thanks to my commute, means about $50/week for gas. GAH!
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
At some point, we’re going to be working full-time so we can pay to get to work and back.
Posted by BandoCommando (Member # 7746) on :
Too true.
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
$3.49 for the last few days in south eastern Wisconsin.
$43.69, AT?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by advice for robots: We need to get a bigger car to hold the family. We want to get a hybrid. But the only one I can find that could seat 7 is the Toyota Highlander. Apparently, Toyota is bringing the Sienna hybrid to the States in 08, but that's not for certain. I wonder if it's worth the savings on gas for the premium pricetag a Sienna hybrid would have.
They said the same thing about 2007. Don't hold your breath. Also, the first model year of a hybrid often has problems. I will probably be buying a Sienna soon -- not a hybrid.
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
Hovering at 3.09 a gallon here. Sadly, my wife's job has changed and has her commuting an hour and a half each way daily. While the job is excellent and the benefits are good, she's not getting mileage. It's costing us an arm and a leg right now (not to mention the time spent on travel). She's already looking to change jobs away from a really great company just because of this one factor.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
2005 $2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28
2006 $2.39 January 05 $2.19 March 19 $2.49 March 25 $2.69 April 10 $2.79 April 11 $2.89 April 19 $2.99 July 24 $3.09 July 25 $2.99 July 27
2007 $2.14 January 7 $2.85 April 17 $3.45 May 21 $3.59 May 22
2008 $2.89 March 9 $2.99 March 10 $3.19 March 11 $3.39 March 12
Yeah, I'm thinking that the higher end is more likely too.
I'm seeing $3.45 at most of the stations I frequent today.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
I filled up at 3.15 yesterday, but it was a 7-Eleven (with a disclaimer that this was not Citgo gas) and it was the bottom grade.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
We've been hoving around $1/L lately, plus or minus $0.05. With the Canadian dollar more or less on par with the Greenback, that's $3.79/gal.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
$3.19 here. Of course, prices vary by state in part due to state taxes, as well.
I should look up how much state tax is imposed on our gas locally.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
I paid $3.95 yesterday. I wasn't completely empty, but some stations raised their price to $3.98 and the others are sure to follow within a day.
One of the Honolulu papers' headlines yesterday read "Maui gas hits $4"... but the higher octanes have been above $4 for a couple of months now.
quote:Originally posted by twinky: We've been hoving around $1/L lately, plus or minus $0.05. With the Canadian dollar more or less on par with the Greenback, that's $3.79/gal.
What were gas prices in Canada like a year ago? My impression is that while your gas prices have been going up as well, they haven't been doing so as quickly as ours have. Is that accurate?
How high is your gas tax, by the way?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
According to this site, the US's federal gas tax is 18.4 cpg, with the states each collecting an additional tax that varies from state to state. Ohio's tax is 26cpg, which looks to be on the high end of things. Looks like Alaska has the lowest gas tax, at 8cpg, and New York has the highest, with 31.9.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
Here's a good summary link Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
Noemon, thanks for that. It's a nice reminder, because periodically I run into someone who insists the price of gas is mostly because of taxes. Posted by Pegasus (Member # 10464) on :
In Maine today we had a low of 3.15 and a high of 3.45. I paid 3.22.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: According to this site, the US's federal gas tax is 18.4 cpg, with the states each collecting an additional tax that varies from state to state. Ohio's tax is 26cpg, which looks to be on the high end of things. Looks like Alaska has the lowest gas tax, at 8cpg, and New York has the highest, with 31.9.
And there are other costs. California's local taxes (state, county, and city taxes) are less than NY's, but our laws require various anti-smog additives that raise the per-gallon cost quite a bit.
Current "low" price here is about $3.59, but there are plenty of places charging $4+ for the lowest grade.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
I drive through the less-than-nice parts of town to get some $3.07/gallon. I can't imagine paying $3.50 or more for gas. As it is I find myself picking up every coin I see on the ground.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shanna: I can't imagine paying $3.50 or more for gas.
You will.
Posted by Samprimary (Member # 8561) on :
Still at $3 here.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
3.39 today at my normal station. It was 3.44 yesterday, and I saw one station west of me while running errands at 3.51.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Detroit, Michigan -
2005 $2.37 April 04 $2.49 August 09 $2.56 August 14 $2.76 August 15 $2.66 August 21 $2.59 August 23 $2.62 August 27 $2.66 August 28 $2.79 August 29 $2.89 August 30 $3.29 September 01 $2.39 October 23 $2.19 December 28
2006 $2.39 January 05 $2.19 March 19 $2.49 March 25 $2.69 April 10 $2.79 April 11 $2.89 April 19 $2.99 July 24 $3.09 July 25 $2.99 July 27
2007 $2.14 January 7 $2.85 April 17 $3.45 May 21 $3.59 May 22
2008 $2.89 March 9 $2.99 March 10 $3.19 March 11 $3.39 March 12 $3.49 May 1st $3.59 May 6th $3.85 May 7th
There was a station nearby that was still selling for $3.59, cash only, with a line out into the road that went on for a block. I'm glad I just had some work done on by car that gave me a huge boost in fuel economy. For us here in the north, Summer is just around the corner, and the price of gas is already where they told us two months ago that it'd be during the HEIGHT of summer. $5 a gallon by the end of the year? Any takers?
Goldman Sachs is saying $200 a barrel in 24 months and $7 a gallon.
Posted by Tstorm (Member # 1871) on :
$3.659, Northern Kansas. Rumored to be rising a bit more tomorrow.
$4 per gallon is pretty psychologically devastating for me. At that price, it's about $50 per tank, and let me tell you, there aren't many places that appeal to me enough to spend $100 (or more) to get there and back.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
What's going to suck is the rapidity in which these prices are climbing. A lot of people say "well they'll just have to take public transportation," but America is rife with sprawl, and PT just isn't available to a lot of people. I might consider riding my bike the seven miles to work that I have to go and back every day for awhile, but it'll depend. Riding seven miles at night after working for 12 hours sounds like a nightmare. Seven miles is maybe a quarter of a gallon for me, so, at four dollars a gallon a ride to and from work costs me two dollars if I use my car.
If gas really hits six or seven dollars in a couple years, and knowing America, we won't prepare for it, because that's just how we are, we don't prepare for things until the last minute, it's going to be rough while we try as fast and expensively as possible to switch over to a more sustainable transportation system. A lot of stuff is going to change soon, and I think our use of cars as we know them now is going to radically alter in the next 24 to 36 months. I'd say to look for OPEC to yank the floor out from under us and bottom out the price, but with China and India's ever increasing demand, they can deal with America having a dropoff in consumption, others will make up for it and keep the price high.
Posted by DarkKnight (Member # 7536) on :
quote: Goldman Sachs is saying $200 a barrel in 24 months and $7 a gallon.
quote: NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- With $100-a-barrel here for now, Goldman Sachs says $200 a barrel could be a reality in the not-too-distant future in the case of a "major disruption." Goldman on Friday also boosted by $10 the low end of its 2008-2012 projected range for crude to $60 a barrel -- significantly lower than current prices, to be sure, but a possible mark for oil if "normalized" trends return to the marketplace.
quote: Goldman also reiterated its view that oil prices could fall as normal market conditions return over the next four years. "The core of our 'super-spike' view is that oil prices will keep rising until demand declines globally on a multiyear basis, resulting in the return of excess capacity and a lower cost structure," Goldman's analysts said. "Given this view, once excess capacity returns, we think prices can move sharply lower."
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Honestly, I hope that the prices don't fall. It's hurting, right now, having to pay so much per gallon, but high gas prices are the only thing that's going to motivate us to move, as a culture, to more fuel efficient vehicles and develop viable alternatives to oil. If we were a species more given to looking to the future we wouldn't need the stick that is high fuel costs to drive us to the carrot, but we're just not.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Huh, well that's what I get for reading news second hand and not the full article. Thanks for the clarification DK.
Noemon -
Completely agree. It's why I support many movements that are pushing for a higher gas tax and for a Congressionally mandated floor on the price of oil so it can never get low enough to kill renewables and fuel efficient cars.
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
Wow, that is an entirely different take than what I got from NPR. Paraphrased, it was something like "Goldman Sachs predicts $200 per barrel in near future." And NPR is the only source whose summaries I generally trust.
To be fair, it was a "coming up later" segment, not the full news story. But generally they're much better at summarizing than this.
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
Well, I finally hit 80 mpg yesterday. I guess the bike's broken in.
Posted by DarkKnight (Member # 7536) on :
quote: It's why I support many movements that are pushing for a higher gas tax and for a Congressionally mandated floor on the price of oil so it can never get low enough to kill renewables and fuel efficient cars.
I would bet if Republicans pushed this we would get flooded with 'women, children, and the poor hardest hit' and stories. If Democrats (or Gore) proposes it then they will be our saviours. Yes, that is kinda snarky and jaded on my part....
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
My same station that I've been using all thread.... THREE EIGHTY NINE for regular. It was 2.26 on page 1 of the thread. Nearly a 75% increase in about 3 years if I'm doing my math right?
I'm more and more seriously contemplating a scooter. If only I didn't need to transport kids and parcels virtually every time I'm out.
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: (04/04/05) Who the hell are the "they" who said oil was going to double in price? That's silly.
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
quote:Originally posted by DarkKnight:
quote: It's why I support many movements that are pushing for a higher gas tax and for a Congressionally mandated floor on the price of oil so it can never get low enough to kill renewables and fuel efficient cars.
I would bet if Republicans pushed this we would get flooded with 'women, children, and the poor hardest hit' and stories. If Democrats (or Gore) proposes it then they will be our saviours. Yes, that is kinda snarky and jaded on my part....
Well, at least you recognize your snark and jadedness.
I don't know where the women & children part comes in exactly, but "the poor are hardest hit" is exactly the argument used against these proposals already, no need for republicans to be the ones suggesting it.
I think raising the gas tax right now would be pretty bad. But a price floor, or raising the tax when the price comes down a bit in the winter, would probably be alright.
--Enigmatic
Posted by DarkKnight (Member # 7536) on :
quote: I think raising the gas tax right now would be pretty bad. But a price floor, or raising the tax when the price comes down a bit in the winter, would probably be alright.
My biggest issue is that the government will become very used to this huge boon of our money. The less we use gas the more they will raise the taxes anyway. If we actually use a fraction of the oil we use now you can expect heavy taxes on it, plus many more new taxes to make up for the lost income.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Goody Scrivener: My same station that I've been using all thread.... THREE EIGHTY NINE for regular. It was 2.26 on page 1 of the thread. Nearly a 75% increase in about 3 years if I'm doing my math right?
I'm more and more seriously contemplating a scooter. If only I didn't need to transport kids and parcels virtually every time I'm out.
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: (04/04/05) Who the hell are the "they" who said oil was going to double in price? That's silly.
Eep! Don't quote me in ways that make me look ridiculous!
In my defense, the reasons I was using to make the prediction I made in that post were sound. What's driving up the price is a combination of the devaluation of the dollar and insane overspeculation of oil. Had the economy not tanked and the fed hadn't devalued the dollar via rate cuts, it never would have exploded like that, it'd be back in the 70's probably.
quote:Originally posted by DarkKnight:
quote: I think raising the gas tax right now would be pretty bad. But a price floor, or raising the tax when the price comes down a bit in the winter, would probably be alright.
My biggest issue is that the government will become very used to this huge boon of our money. The less we use gas the more they will raise the taxes anyway. If we actually use a fraction of the oil we use now you can expect heavy taxes on it, plus many more new taxes to make up for the lost income.
I wouldn't support raising the tax NOW. Back when prices were lower sure, but now we have to get used to this new reality. When it goes down in the Winter then yeah, I'd support an incremental increase. The Highway Trust Fund is seriously underfunded DK. It's why roads are in such a horrible state of disrepair around the country, and why bridges are way past their shelf life in many areas. An increase in the tax isn't just necessary to reduce demand, but to pay for the roads we use.
The tax hasn't been raised in a decade or more, I believe.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Sorry, did not mean to make you look silly. That particular one jumped out at me when I was going back to see what my first posted price was. And back then we (not just at Hatrack but everyone else I know as well) were sure that $4 gas was pretty much an impossibility. Now consumers seem to be counting on $5 and maybe even $6 gas in the not-too-distant future.
Posted by Pegasus (Member # 10464) on :
I can't remember if this had bee posted already. Kinda interesting and fairly well detailed.
Posted by Saephon (Member # 9623) on :
My initial response after seeing the map load was "Wow, there are a lot of states in the green!" Then I realized the lowest price on the key was still $3.47 Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Wow, I can't believe how wildly it varies on a state by state basis. Why does the West Coast cost so much? Is it all because of the states with a higher state gas tax?
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
We're at 4.05 in SF off and on, depending on the station. You can count on 3.80's most of the time.
This means, 80 dollars to fill my tank. Yes.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
It has been predicted that this increase in price will force people to be more conservation minded.
I don't know about everyone else but I am pretty much set now on moving to a new apartment, and a huge reason why I chose the location was that I could bike to work and school from there.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
I technically could bike, but I don't. It is 11 miles on roads with no bike lanes and fairly heavy traffic.
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
Re. the Map:I drove accross Mineral, Nye and White Pine Counties this weekend. The gas in all three counties was above 3.90. Mineral County, (we only have one town) was 3.96. Tonopah, in Nye County, had 3.96 on one end of town and 4.06 on the other. And, Ely, the town in White Pine County had the gas for 3.96. The map is at least 4 weeks out of date for our area. Today's Reno paper had 8 or 10 pages devoted to bicycling. Maybe the word is finally getting to the world of the F-350.
Posted by Ish (Member # 11579) on :
My only issue with the "Let them eat cake" Sentiment towards gas is while I would LOVE to drive a pretty hybrid or retro fit my car to electric, I am NEVER going to have the money to do that, pay rent, pay college fees, food and insuarance and pay my gas right now. At $40-$50 a week on Gas and making close to 1200 a month, it's hard enough as it is without trying to bankrupt myself with a financing of a shiny new car that really is just a band-aid fix on the problem.
Where is my teleporter? Where are the light speed jet tubes?
We shouldn't be asking for the next car, we should be asking for the next mode of transport!
All joking aside, while I wish I could own a more fuel efficient car, I'm driving a 1987 Chevy Cavalier that I pray wont break down because while I do have an emergency fund and I am trying to create a savings, it's just not in my budget righ now to "go-green".
Though, here in oregon we have HUNDREDS of incentives to do your "one thing". For instance, took a little survey on the Portland General Electric website and I was sent about 6 of those energy friendly lightly bulbs, FOR FREE. Those things aren't cheap either. And they have many more options too.
But, perhaps something like that could be done for retro-fitting cars to be electric! I know a guy who used to turn cars electric for real cheap!
By the way, Averaging at 3.55 - 3.69 a Gallon here in the Portland Metro, mainly in gresham is where I see it.
~Ally
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
Hybrids right now aren't economically advisable, this is true (I admit this as a hybrid owner). However the question is if you are willing and able (and one's ability is definitely contingent on their general financial shape) to put aside financial calculus to achieve different ends. I think everyone should look into hybrids, but I wouldn't advise everyone to get one. It all depends.
~$3.60 a couple days ago here in Beantown, and I filled up the tank for ~$36.
-Bok
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Seems to have settled down to $3.79 in Detroit.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
That's what I paid for it last night in Cincinnati.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Well, gas at the station I usually fill up at finally broke the four dollar mark for regular unleaded.
$4.09.
Sigh.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
$4.37 here. It went up 10 cents more on Monday.
I seldom go anywhere except to work (13 miles one way) and church (about 2 miles). I carpool with a coworker 3 days a week and try to run my personal errands on my way home on the days I'm by myself.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
I saw $3.85 yesterday (from the window of the bus...), and I think the Minnesota prices are lower than average.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
$3.899 here in the metro Boston area (with some variation). Over $4 for the premium stuff. Just had my first >$40 fill-up ($41-something).
-Bok
[ May 23, 2008, 10:43 AM: Message edited by: Bokonon ]
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
$4.17 in Danbury CT. $4.01 in Newburgh NY.
Posted by T:man (Member # 11614) on :
3.90 in chicago suburbs
Posted by theamazeeaz (Member # 6970) on :
3.89 in Southern MA
Posted by Fusiachi (Member # 7376) on :
Looking at the station out my window, about $5.50 per gallon in Săo Paulo.
Posted by Pegasus (Member # 10464) on :
$3.899 in Maine.
Today, for the first time ever, I paid more for a gallon of fuel than I did for milk. ($3.86 for milk)
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Paying $3.73 in Southern Washington, across the border from Portland, but that's at Costco- probably the cheapest gas in town. (I swear gas alone is paying for the cost of my membership this year!)
Posted by Temposs (Member # 6032) on :
$4.09 in central Illinois at a BP.
Haven't bought gas in a month, and glad for that.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
Gas here costs TT$2.70/liter which is about US$1.64/gallon.
There are advantages to living in an OEP.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
4.05 at the CHEAP place I usually go to.
A gallon of gas now costs as much as a pack of ciagarettes.
(No, I don't smoke, but I saw the price in the window of the store)
Posted by Temposs (Member # 6032) on :
Here's a nice visualization of gas prices across the country:
I was thinking the other day that while it's still cheaper for me to drive to and from work than take the bus, prices are getting high enough that I must be getting close to parity there. Just crunched a few numbers and it looks like I was wrong there; with my current car at its current mileage (which isn't even that good), and bus fares at their current prices, gas would have to be around $5.55 before it would cost me as much to drive as to bus.
I still try to bus at least a few days a week though, just to Do the Right Thing. And I'm sure I'll be doing it more come winter, since I only have street parking and it frequently gets cold enough that my car won't start.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
I noticed as I was coming in this morning that gas is up another 10 cents overnight at one station in Kahului... I'm sure all the rest will follow before the end of the day. Last Friday, I took a picture with my cell phone of a station that had regular at $4.27, and today it's $4.47.
Still cheaper than milk here though.
Stray, where do you live that bus fares are that high? There is a bus service here on Maui that is growing rapidly. It's still not efficient enough from where I live. I'd have to catch a bus about 3 blocks from my house at 6:30am, which would get me to my transfer point at 7:30. Then I'd have to wait until 8:00 and get to work at 8:42. My work day starts at 7:45. The service is growing pretty rapidly, so maybe soon it will be possible for me. I'd love to have that time to knit or read instead of drive.
Fare is $1 one way or $20 for a monthly pass.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
The dramatic change from state to state on that map has to be because of state gas taxes. I was wondering before why it was so drastic just across state lines. Look at the UP in Michigan and across the border in Wisconsin, it's crazy.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
I live in Minneapolis. The fares are $2 one way during rush hours, which is when I use them. If I can drag my sorry ass outta bed early enough (which is the real problem), I can catch a bus 2 blocks from my place at 7:40, switch buses downtown with about a 10-minute wait between, and be at my desk at work at about 8:15. Not too bad time-wise, but if I miss that 7:40 bus I miss the special rush-hour express route that goes right by my building and have to take a different one, which drops me farther away and takes considerably longer.
The route I drive between work and home is 7.2 miles according to Google Maps, and by my calculations burns about .7 gallons of gas for the round trip. So yeah, gas would have to cost a lot more before the bus became cheaper, but I try to do it anyway at least some of the time.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
When you are comparing the price of driving vs. the price of riding the bus, are you including wear and tear on the car or just gas?
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Taking public transportation to work costs about $8 a day. It is many good things, but it is definitely not cheap.
Posted by Jeorge (Member # 11524) on :
3.919 in Western Maine. That gas buddy page is nice. Whenever I'm taking a trip out of state, I always try to plan things so I can fill up in New Hampshire. Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Originally posted by katharina: Taking public transportation to work costs about $8 a day. It is many good things, but it is definitely not cheap.
Wow, that's about double what I'm used to.
I keep thinking that if the politicos really wanted to do something to help poorer people who are being hit hard by rising gas prices, they should make "fare holiday" for public transit. That's even been proposed in some state legislatures with minimal success. It seems free public transit isn't as great a campaign slogan as lower taxes.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
When you are comparing the price of driving vs. the price of riding the bus, are you including the value of your time?
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
The Central Maui bus route (a loop through Kahului & Wailuku, the two main towns) is free. It's $1 each way for all of the spur lines out to the more remote areas. You can ride a from Pukalani in upcountry all the way to Kahana on the west side for $1. It takes just about an hour and a half on the express routes (once a day morning and evening). It would take about 45 minutes to an hour to drive it on your own.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Not my normal station, but I spotted gas at 4.19 for regular in my town. And I do have to fill up, so I'm hoping I can find something under 4 bucks.
Edit to add: My normal station is at 4.09. But I found a Shell at 3.99 and filled up there.
[ May 24, 2008, 04:41 PM: Message edited by: Goody Scrivener ]
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Gas here was over $6 a gallon at least a half year ago. Not sure what it's at now, but it has increased dramatically since then.
Posted by Sachiko (Member # 6139) on :
$4.11 in Tri-Cities, Washington.
Not so bad for my husband's econobox. Scary-ish for Sherman the Suburban. The kids and I have been walking everywhere lately; thank heavens for double jogging strollers.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
My husband and I have been trying very hard to figure out some way to cut our driving needs. Buses are just not a solution (my city doesn't have buses and by the time I get to a bus, I would be almost at work anyway). We have erratic schedules, so carpooling is hard (two students raising a baby without any family around to help means we majorly take advantage of the flexibility of our jobs). It is very frustrating because gas is hurting our budget pretty badly. I drive a Corolla, so pretty good gas mileage and my husband has a smaller car too (but older so not as good). We do things to try to improve our mileage when we drive (not speed), but we really need to just drive less at this point.
Posted by The Rabbit (Member # 671) on :
quote:Originally posted by scholarette: My husband and I have been trying very hard to figure out some way to cut our driving needs.
Have you considered bicycling? What about an electric scooter (min only cost aroun $800)?
How far is your commute? Is it feasible to move closer to where you work and go to school.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
[ May 26, 2008, 03:11 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by CoolNick (Member # 11626) on :
In Wilmington, Delaware it is about $3.84 not too bad
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Rabbit:
quote:Originally posted by scholarette: My husband and I have been trying very hard to figure out some way to cut our driving needs.
Have you considered bicycling? What about an electric scooter (min only cost aroun $800)?
How far is your commute? Is it feasible to move closer to where you work and go to school.
It is about 12 miles in Houston so very hot and the roads don't have bike lanes. We have a house and hopefully I will graduate in a year, so moving isn't the best idea right now. I am a little scared of driving without the protection of a care around me (perhaps cause my uncle died in a motorcycle accident). But that is an idea to look into.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
Scholarette, according to my loose calculations the cost of a gas scooter ($800) would pay for itself in 6 months just through gas savings alone, if you replaced the commute consistently with the scooter, only on that one trip, just once a day, 5 days a week. If you drive, say, 50 miles a day, the scooter would be payed for in 3 months with savings. And you wouldn't be burning gas– scooters make 90mpg, or they come in electric which is even more efficient.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
I paid $3.74 in Fort Worth, TX yesterday.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Costco here is now up to $3.83, but most places are either past the $4.00 mark or hovering *just* below.
Posted by Tammy (Member # 4119) on :
I just paid $3.85 in Winston Salem. After I received $50 worth of gas, the pump cut me off. As I was trying to figure out why, I saw a notice posted that said debit cards could only receive $50 worth of gas per purchase. If I used a credit card, I could get up to $75. The sign noted that this was per the card holders requests.
What in the world is that about?
Posted by Glenn Arnold (Member # 3192) on :
quote:And you wouldn't be burning gas– scooters make 90mpg,
Well, you'd be burning relatively little gas. And depending on the scooter, they can get up to 120 mpg. My old Honda Express used to get 120. But it only went 28 mph. Which makes it a lot safer than a motorcycle, although it also limits what roads you can ride on.
Posted by Wendybird (Member # 84) on :
We paid $3.59 the other day in Tucson. I need to get gas again this afternoon so we'll see what it is now. We have really cut back on our driving now that the kids are out of school.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
It went down 5 cents yesterday. Only $4.04 now.
Other than driving to work, I haven't been driving anywhere really. I walk a lot more now, when I go out at all.
Posted by Bokonon (Member # 480) on :
Tammy, that's been an issue with older pumps for a while (since monster SUVs were causing their owners to hit the limit). It had to do with assumptions in the software built into the devices... Probably originally worried about people filling up multiple cars on a stolen card or somesuch.
Many pumps have been upgraded, I think. I wouldn't know, since I haven't hit the limit yet.
-Bok
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sterling: Costco here is now up to $3.83, but most places are either past the $4.00 mark or hovering *just* below.
Yeah, it's ~$3.95 here with some up to $4.10. I'm afraid after they go past $4.00 prices'll balloon even quicker.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
I just returned from a trip to the mainland where I went on a roadtrip from Idaho to Missouri and back. I watched gas prices all along the way. The least expensive was in Independence, MO at $3.77 and the most expensive was a little stop in the middle-of-nowhere WY at $4.17. When I left Maui on June 6, gas was at $4.54. It's now at $4.63.
I'm actually relieved it's not higher after seeing what gas is going for on the mainland.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Costco's now at $4.17 for regular unleaded. I think you'd be lucky to find diesel at the price quoted as average nationwide in aspectre's article ($4.067) anywhere in Washington; most places I've seen it's at least .50 above that.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
$3.89 seems to be the prevailing price in Dayton, Ohio.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
We've been steadily at $3.99 for the last few days.
More and more lately, places have renovated their big signs to offer a cheaper price if you pay cash than if you use a credit card. They're trying to cut down on fees. Now you'll see a lot of $4.04 Credit/$3.99 cash, or even steeper discounts.
I was listening to a story on NPR the other day where they interviewed a gas station owner. Between the cost and sale of gas, he made like $1,300 a month off of gas sales, but then had $400 in credit card fees to pay, and $1,100 in some sort of rent or franchise fee. Another month he just barely turned a profit. All their money comes from the sales of the junk in the convenience store part of the gas station, but less and less people are actually going inside to buy those goodies because prices are so high.
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
I read Aspectre's article in my morning paper, before jumping on my bike to go to work. The cost of the Reno Gazette in Hawthorne has gone up because of the price of gas to bring it to town. (It has no immediate effect, however, because the paper lady has neglected to bill me for over a year now.) Gas today at Scotties was 4.49. It has been stable for a couple of weeks.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
There's some hope that it might stablize and then drop off a bit as the year goes on. Though many are still predicting $170 a barrel gas, there's a lot of indicators that would seem to make that assumption puzzling. The United States is the world's biggest consumer of gas, and our demand for the first time in like 30 years as actually dropped recently. We're driving, as a nation, billions fewer miles. And as every year, adding refinery capacity continues, most thankfully for us here in Detroit in the form of a billion dollar addition to a local marathon refinery.
China announced that they are slashing a key subsidy that they use to keep the price artificially low there. Car companies across the board are announcing plans to get rid of large trucks and SUVs, getting ready for the long haul by greatly increasing production of smaller more fuel efficienct cars.
By all accounts, we're responding to the uptick in price exactly as an economy textbook would suggest, and yet the price keeps surging upwards. More and more I think that has to do with rampant overspeculation. We're getting away from supply and demand and into too many people trying to cash in by buying up the stocks and pushing the price artificially high, and there's little any one government or organization can do to stop them.
Saudi Arabia announced they'll produce I think an extra 500,000 barrels a day, but their oil isn't the light sweet crude that's so valuable, it's sour, meaning it requires a lot of extra refining before it can make it to Western markets where demand for higher quality oil makes it hard to sell it pure. That pushes up the price even as it adds supply.
Most Americans believe though that we'll be at $5 by the end of the year (hopefully not before I go on vacation in July), and the price of a barrel topped $140 for the first time today as the DOW plunged 350 points.
So I don't know what's on the horizon, but we're certainly in for a lot of ups and downs in the near term.
Posted by Blayne Bradley (Member # 8565) on :
146 I saw around Montreal.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
quote:Originally posted by Blayne Bradley: 146 I saw around Montreal.
Which is about $5.44 per gallon in U.S. currency.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Some thoughts on the effects of increasing oil prices. The article suggests that it is referring to $200 per barrel of crude, but most of the stuff is already happening.
Which could easily occur in 2009, given that the head of Gazprom predicts crude oil will be hitting $250 per barrel next year. Thing being that Gazprom all by its lonesome little self could push prices that high: Russia exports far more fossil fuel than SaudiArabia, and nearly as much in oil alone.
Heck if the 2008 hurricane season (just cranking up) affects Gulf of Mexico oil production even somewhat nearly as much as the 2005 season, we could see crude oil going for $200+ per barrel before October.
[ June 28, 2008, 03:26 AM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
It's speculation if it goes that high, by which I mean, it'll be an artificial price. Already Americans, and the rest of the world, are curtailing their usage of oil. $4 a gallon seems to be the tipping point for Americans. Now with talk of it almost doubling again? At $8 a gallon, vacations by car will cease to be. Joyrides will cease. It'll be to work and back, and we'll figure the rest out, but with the insane jumps in the price of food that'll come with that, it's not like we'll have any money to spend if we went anywhere anyway.
Our overall consumption at that point will have dropped like a stone, and the rest of the world with us. If it gets that high, there'll be a heck of a lot more at work than simple supply and demand. By conventional logic, the price should have already dropped, but instead it steadily, inexorably, continues to rise, despite the first drop in US oil consumption in 30 years.
If it really goes that high, it'll be a sight to see. But absent a major supply disruption, other than overspeculation and artificially inflating the price, I don't see how it could get there.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Our overall consumption at that point will have dropped like a stone, and the rest of the world with us. If it gets that high, there'll be a heck of a lot more at work than simple supply and demand. By conventional logic, the price should have already dropped, but instead it steadily, inexorably, continues to rise, despite the first drop in US oil consumption in 30 years.
We're not the only market, though. Has worldwide oil consumption dropped?
$4.14 in Dayton last night.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
quote: By conventional logic, the price should have already dropped, but instead it steadily, inexorably, continues to rise, despite the first drop in US oil consumption in 30 years...By conventional logic, the price should have already dropped, but instead it steadily, inexorably, continues to rise, despite the first drop in US oil consumption in 30 years.
My understanding is that oil in the USA is going higher at a faster rate then elsewhere because of the weakness of the dollar. There is no supply shortage like we had in the 70s.
quote: June 28 (Bloomberg) -- OPEC President Chakib Khelil predicted that the price of oil will climb to $170 a barrel before the end of the year, citing the dollar's decline and political conflicts.
quote:OPEC ministers generally say that oil output is sufficient, even as Saudi Arabia, the biggest producer, pledged to pump an extra 200,000 barrels a day next month to calm the market. ``The market is completely supplied,'' Venezuelan Oil Minister Rafael Ramirez said yesterday. Libya announced possible production cuts, calling the market oversupplied.
quote: ``The decisions made by the U.S. Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank helped the devaluation of the dollar, which pushed up oil prices,'' Khelil said.
Oil may extend gains if the ECB boosts rates on July 3, further weakening the U.S. currency. The dollar has declined 15 percent against the euro in 12 months.
I blame the Iraq war we are financing on borrowed money instead of high taxes, the mortgage crisis, and the Fed that keeps cutting the interest rates. I see a dollar implosion, but as a Ron Paul fan I saw this coming at the beginning of the election-- thanks to his predictions.
Edit: to start off with the quote that got me thinking to post.
[ June 28, 2008, 01:18 PM: Message edited by: lem ]
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I got gas about an hour ago and payed $4.16 a gallon for it. That's officially the most I've ever paid per gallon. The least I've ever paid was $.68 (or was it .67?) in the late 80s.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon:
quote:Our overall consumption at that point will have dropped like a stone, and the rest of the world with us. If it gets that high, there'll be a heck of a lot more at work than simple supply and demand. By conventional logic, the price should have already dropped, but instead it steadily, inexorably, continues to rise, despite the first drop in US oil consumption in 30 years.
We're not the only market, though. Has worldwide oil consumption dropped?
$4.14 in Dayton last night.
I don't have numbers to back it up, but my guess would be yes, worldwide consumption has dropped. Price hikes in Europe, the cutting of subsidies in China, and other factors would lead me to believe that worldwide, people aren't using as much.
The price spiked to $4.19 here yesterday, a 20 cent single day jump.
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
I saw 3.95 in West Valley City, UT today. Still painful, but not as bad as some, it would seem.
Edit: By the way, reading page one of this thread makes me want to cry... and laugh at the same time. The whole "They are saying oil per barrel could go up from 55 to 105 soon!" when we're at what... $140ish now? Ah, the good 'ol days of 2.19 a gallon in 2005. Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
4.45 for regular 87 in Sacramento, CA
Posted by cassv746 (Member # 11173) on :
5 miles to the south of my house it was 4.15 yesterday, but 5 miles to the north and it was an amazing 3.79! No idea why it was such a difference but I got it for 3.79 obviously. Posted by Derrell (Member # 6062) on :
$4.06 today in The Phoenix area.
Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
Woburn, MA: $3.77 for Regular at a local Mobil, down $0.35 from the peak a couple of weeks ago.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
Still over $4 in Alexandria, Virgina.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Funny how under $4 seems so cheap now.
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
Under $4? Still $4.05 for 87 here in Sacramento. I remember thinking $2.15 in high school was outrageous.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
It's just funny how we go up through $3 into the $4 range thinking this is terrible, and then we drop back down into $3 and we're all celebrating. I was excited to see it drop from $4.09 to $4.07 finally. Wow! Gas doesn't cost a fortune anymore! Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
It's dipped under $4 here recently. I think it's at $3.85 for the cheap stuff.
I've been reading a lot of different articles on where analysts think the price of oil is going. Some think we're in for a sharp decline, others say this is a hiccup before it launches back up again. The main reason it's down? A massive cutback in driving. But we're still teetering.
Posted by Puffy Treat (Member # 7210) on :
Down to $3.52 here for the cheap stuff.
Of course, this is probably not going to last.
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
I haven't been in my car in 5 days. I love vacations, I've been getting a lot of exercise. That's one good thing coming from the high gas prices. You have to wonder though, they gas companies could be pricing themselves out of the market, because their price hikes aren't doing anything but pissing people off and stimulating alternative fuel growth. That's hardly a bad thing.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
$3.69 in Ocala, FL.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
$3.59 in Minneapolis today.
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
$3.95 today!
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Once shut down, it takes about a week or longer to bring the platforms back up to full production even if there is no damage. So one can expect higher crude oil prices in the near future.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
It actually went down 4cents a gallon here last week, to $4.599. I was carpooling with a neighbor and actually interuppted myself to comment on the decreased price. We are affected when prices go up on the mainland, but very seldom see any relief when prices go down over there. Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
It's been falling pretty consistently for the last couple weeks here. Yesterday it dropped to $3.69. I guess I'd better go out and fill up sometime tonight.
Edit to add: I just filled up for $3.63. Huzzah!
A couple articles I've read in the last hour or so seem to think that even with Gustav coming through and the platforms detatching for safety, at best it'll take away 20% of the Gulf's production capabilities for a week (unless the storm really does some Katrina like damage) which most people agree with have a minimal effect on both the price of oil and prices at the pumps. But if the storm ends up being more destructive, or nails onshore refining plants, then we're in for trouble.
[ August 27, 2008, 07:34 PM: Message edited by: Lyrhawn ]
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
$3.53 in Ocala, FL now. I just filled up....not because of the storm, but because I needed it. Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
$3.63 at Costco, here. But boy, am I glad we don't drive a diesel.
Posted by katharina (Member # 827) on :
$3.75 here in Northern Virginia
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
3.73 in So Cal.
Posted by Nick (Member # 4311) on :
3.83 In Nor Cal
Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
$3.52 in Lexington, MA. Down another quarter over the last month.
I expect it'll stabilize around this price for the next couple of months (since, as I understand it, pump prices usually lag crude prices by several weeks, and crude prices have been more or less flat for the last couple of weeks).
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
$3.55 in Fredericksburg, VA.
$3.37 in Williamsburg, VA.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Prices have jumped 12 cents since last night at most places around here, but it varies widely. Within two miles of me, there are three Mobil stations charging, $3.75, $3.73, and $3.67. It makes no sense to me.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Anticipation of higher prices to refill the gasoline stations' tanks. During the recent run-up in crude oil prices (and also during the 2005 hurricane season), a LOT of independent stations went bankrupt cuz they failed to anticipate a sufficiently large price increase in wholesale prices, and thus failed to charge enough to refill their own tanks.
If the NationalHurricaneCenter's prediction cone for a hurricane's path overlaps refineries, it takes a couple or three days to shut the plants down without causing damage to the machinery due to an overly rapid cool-down. If the refineries are shut down properly, it takes a couple or three weeks to bring them back up cuz of all the crud that condenses in the pipes during that cool-down. If the refineries are improperly shut down, it takes a couple or three months to repair the damage.
And because there are so few refineries nationwide, the shutdown of a small number of refineries causes a large upward spike in wholesale fuel prices. A case of NIMBY*ism coming back to bite the consumer.
* NotInMyBackYard. Opposition to building new refineries is so strong that rather than a (relatively) large number of (relatively) small refineries being spread across the country, there is instead a small number of (relatively less economical) large refineries. And many of those large refineries were built in hurricane prone regions.
[ August 28, 2008, 01:14 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
$3.89 for unleaded down here in Utah.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Anticipation of higher prices to refill the gasoline stations' tanks. During the recent run-up in crude oil prices (and also during the 2005 hurricane season), a LOT of independent stations went bankrupt cuz they failed to anticipate a sufficiently large price increase in wholesale prices, and thus failed to charge enough to refill their own tanks.
From what I've read, I don't know how many, but a large number of gas stations purchase their gasoline on short term contracts (like every few weeks), rather than from tank to tank. Maybe that's changed recently with the violent swings in prices, but daily fluctuations in the price of oil should balance out over the average time of their contract. In other words, if oil spiked $50 tomorrow, they aren't necessarily paying that price for it, so charging you more for it 24 hours later seems like a bit of a sham. Charging you more for it when they have to pay for their next contract at a higher rate, well that seems perfectly fair.
Spiking the price ahead of hypothetical storm damage, when you look at how the whole thing works, just strikes me as price gouging. If a refinery has to shut down or enough platforms are hit in the Gulf, then the price will go up on the DOW and thus the price of gas that owners will have to pay will rise as well, and then they can charge more for the subsequent change. But it's not like we all get a discount if the storm ends up totally missing. And if it does hit, the price will skyrocket anyway.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
Charging a price that reflects how much people are willing to pay for gas is far from a sham, and consumers are better off for it. Pricing in this way ensures sufficient supply. Price caps, either government mandated or self-imposed from some misguided idea of 'fairness', lead to shortages.
As for increasing the price ahead of hypothetical storm damage, lets imagine they didn't spike the price. Well, then they'd sell out almost instantaneously, because people go out and buy lots of gasoline. Would they then ship more in, off schedule? Not if they weren't going to increase the price.
What things seem like to you regarding gasoline are wrong-headed. If gas stations behaved like you think they should, people having to deal with upcoming storms would be worse off.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Charging a price that reflects how much people are willing to pay for gas is far from a sham, and consumers are better off for it. Pricing in this way ensures sufficient supply. Price caps, either government mandated or self-imposed from some misguided idea of 'fairness', lead to shortages.
My problem has less to do with fairness than with their reasons. I shouldn't have even used the word fairness in that post, but even then I didn't mean it in the way you're taking it. I don't have a problem with gasoline costing more, at least, no more of a problem than anyone else. It's annoying for my own personal finances, but the more expensive gas gets, the better chance alternative fuels have a chance to become competitive and then prevelent, so huzzah for free market forces. I think you interpreted my post as a complaint against high gas prices, but it wasn't.
quote:As for increasing the price ahead of hypothetical storm damage, lets imagine they didn't spike the price. Well, then they'd sell out almost instantaneously, because people go out and buy lots of gasoline. Would they then ship more in, off schedule? Not if they weren't going to increase the price.
What things seem like to you regarding gasoline are wrong-headed. If gas stations behaved like you think they should, people having to deal with upcoming storms would be worse off.
My complaint is with the excuses posing as reasons for why gas prices are high. Gas prices are skyrocketing for a lot of goofy and perfectly valid reasons, but there's nothing necessarily unfair about it. If people are still willing to pay for it and there aren't vast supplies of it not being used because of high prices, then clearly it's not out of our reach, it's just taxing, but it theoretically it could have better long term benefits.
quote:Well, then they'd sell out almost instantaneously, because people go out and buy lots of gasoline.
You're going to have to expand on that. People are going to go out and buy lots of gas before a storm regardless. Maybe five or six years ago when a 10 to 20 cent spike in prices on a daily basis was more rare that would make sense, but now, spiking the price 10 to 20 cents ahead of hypothetical storm damage isn't going to phase anyone because they're used to it, and they are still going to fill up ahead of a storm just in case.
If they need to raise the price for a good reason, or just because they can, then do so, but the reason as given by aspectre, looks thin to me.
Posted by fugu13 (Member # 2859) on :
I was reacting to statements like this, which certainly sound like an issue with the gas station increasing prices, not with the reasons they give for increasing prices.
quote:charging you more for it 24 hours later seems like a bit of a sham.
It isn't a sham, it is a straightforward price adjustment in reaction to changing demand (and expected future supply). Aspectre touched on the expected future supply part of it: your current price needs to reflect how expensive it will be for you to replace your inventory.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
Locally (Central NJ) prices I've seen range from $3.29 to $3.51 (full serve, like all NJ gas). That's down a good 20 cents from last week, I think.
Posted by Evie3217 (Member # 5426) on :
I just filled up for $3.71 yesterday. I feel like when I have kids, they won't believe that I could once fill up my car for under $2 a gallon.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
I feel old saying I remember when gas was less then a dollar a gallon. But that really was less then a decade ago.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
The lowest I can remember it being was in the $1.30 range. I don't remember what I first filled my car up for.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I remember $.80 a gallon, but it didn't stay there for long. I remember $.99 well, and that stayed for about 2-3 years.
And I am only 38.
Price climbed a bit to about $3.61 a few days ago.
Posted by Mama Squirrel (Member # 4155) on :
Paid $3.89 last night (Camarillo, CA).
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
When I started driving in the late '70s, gas was just over $0.50 a gallon. It didn't go above a dollar a gallon until the early '80s. In fact, we weren't sure how it could, since the pumps only went up to 0.999 a gallon. When it finally did go over $1, they recalibrated the pumps to show the price of half a gallon, until they were upgraded.
I remember as a small child, my mother never bought more than $2 worth at a time, and in the time it took to pump that much gas, the attendant(s) cleaned the windshield, checked the oil, and sometimes the tire pressure. I really don't know how much the per gallon price was, but it couldn't have been more than .25 or so.
Posted by lobo (Member # 1761) on :
Filled up a the local Kroger (grocery store) for $3.16 a gallon. I also do my grocery shopping there so get a $0.10 discount on gas, which made it $3.06 a gallon! Can't wait for it to go under $3.00 a gallon.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
So what's gas been doing for people post-Ike?
Oil is down to $98 a barrel now, and experts are saying that Ike has actually depressed demand more than it has decreased supply. The government also allowed for rather substantial releases from the SPR to offset that dip.
But of course the big rub always seems, with these hurricanes, to be refineries. There are still several refineries offline today, but the drop off in demand was expected to make up for part of that.
Gas here last week was $3.65 a gallon. Today it's $4.25. I heard on the west coast of the state it hit $5 briefly. I don't understand why it's so dramatically higher in Michigan than it is in other places, since the national average is still in the $3.80 range. We have a few large local refineries, and I could understand if nationally EVERYONE was paying that, but it's not that well spread out. I'm hoping it was just a fear spike and that it'll come back down to earth in the next day or two as people assess the damage to Gulf refineries, which they are already doing and early reports say the damage isn't nearly as bad as they'd feared.
Once the refineries go back online I would imagine the price will plummet, but I wouldn't be surprised to see them keeping the price jacked up just to milk some more money out of us for a couple of days. It looks like the real problem will be getting power back to the refineries, as the damage wasn't that bad. Once that happens and they go back online, gas prices should return to the $3.50 range for a lot of us.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
I have to admit to having been largely oblivious (haven't watched news or checked gas prices in a couple of days) until a friend elsewhere said that she saw my town (Woodstock, GA) on CNN cited as going up $1 in a day. Turns out it's true--prices were in the $3.50/$3.60 range and now they are a dollar higher.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
I filled up Friday morning at $3.60 then I saw prices at $4.50 up to $5.00 a gallon since then. Hopefully they'll be back down before I need to fill up again.
Posted by Tatiana (Member # 6776) on :
Tonight I went to fill up and the first gas station I tried was totally devoid of gas. This was somewhat serious because I'm in rural Georgia where the stations aren't so thick on the ground, and I had foolishly let my car get very empty. Luckily I found another station in time. $3.99 a gallon. Not as bad as I'd feared.
Posted by Rappin' Ronnie Reagan (Member # 5626) on :
Gas in Knoxville went up to $5.00 a gallon in the last several days. They had the CEO of Pilot on the news (Pilot is based in Knoxville), and he said that they raised prices to reflect what they had to pay for gas, but I just can't believe that considering it went up to $5.00 almost immediately after Ike.
Posted by hansenj (Member # 4034) on :
I got gas here (Beaverton, OR) for $3.55 yesterday. It's been going down a few cents at a time for quite a while now! *crosses fingers that this won't change any time soon*
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I paid $4/gallon on Tuesday, which was down from $4.30 at thte same station on Sunday. After the fact, I found out that I was lucky to have been able to get gas at all. A lot of the stations didn't have power, and those that did had had sold out, for the most part.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Now that speculators know that UncleSugah is gonna cover their bad debts from making bad bets on the mortgage market, they are taking the money set aside to cover those bad debts and sinking it back into betting up oil. Since the mortgage bailout announcements, the price of a barrel of oil has gone up from $91.23 to $104.55 for a 14.6% increase in less than 3 days.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Now that speculators know that UncleSugah is gonna cover their bad debts from making bad bets on the mortgage market, they are taking the money set aside to cover those bad debts and sinking it back into betting up oil. Since the mortgage bailout announcements, the price of a barrel of oil has gone up from $91.23 to $104.55 for a 14.6% increase in 2days.
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
This bodes well:
quote: Oil prices leaped more than $25 (U.S.) a barrel Monday — the biggest one-day price jump ever — as anxiety over the U.S. government's $700-billion bailout plan battered the dollar and touched off frenzied buying of safe-haven investments including crude. ... Crude has gained about $40 in a dramatic four-day rally that has at least temporarily halted oil's steep two-month slide below $100. At this rate, crude is within striking distance of its all-time record of $147.27, reached in July.
Time to gas up.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
$3.27 here (has steadily dropped all week)
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Shortages all over in my area. I paid $3.95 yesterday.
Posted by MidnightBlue (Member # 6146) on :
No gas to be had here (Atlanta)
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Gas dropped like a stone for the last two days. It's down to $3.59 now in some places.
Posted by Wendybird (Member # 84) on :
It was $3.37 today. With the grocery store 10 cent discount we paid $3.27 a gallon. Its hovered around that for about a week now.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
Due to hurricanes Gustav and Ike shutting down refineries and pipelines, there is a gas shortage panic in the South causing long lines and high prices .
Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
Yeah, it's been pretty difficult to find gas around metro-Atlanta lately. Took nearly half an hour to find a station with gas the night before last. The stations that did have gas were charging $4.29/gallon or more and limiting purchases to $25.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
$2.95 !!! Whoo hoo! Finally dropped below $3 per gallon here today.
(Kansas has the benefit of having several different providers - so more competition, and not the problems like the South is having with gas shortages since they get all their fuel from one area)
(of course - clear back when this thread started, in 2005, gas was still lower than this )
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
$3.51-$3.55 'round here,
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Yesterday when I was out and about I spotted one station selling gas for $3.07. The next cheapest was $3.34, and the most expensive I passed was $3.66.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Farmgirl, where does Kansas get its oil? If I had to guess, I'd say Alberta and North Dakota.
$3.29 seems to be the average going rate around here. Nothing below $3.20, and nothing above $3.40 that I saw.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Reading the first page of this thread is depressing and funny at the same time.
Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
$2.85 today in Lexington, MA
Posted by Artemisia Tridentata (Member # 8746) on :
Three-Ninteen out here in the Great American Desert.
Posted by Stray (Member # 4056) on :
$2.75 in Minneapolis this morning @_o This can't last...hope my tank gets low enough to fill up before prices start climbing again.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
We're at $2.89 here in metro Detroit. I can't believe how fast the price has dropped. It was down to $2.75 earlier in the week then popped back up to $3.09 and back down again. Word on the street is prices are in the $2.40 range for cash downriver. Crazy.
I'd love it if it came down to the $2.50-$2.75 range and stayed there all Winter.
Posted by msquared (Member # 4484) on :
$2.49 in Springboro, Ohio this morning.
msquared
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
Really? Nice. I'm starting to get low. I was seeing $2.75 to $2.83 when I was out yesterday evening (in Dayton, OH)
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
Gas dropped about 10 cents overnight last week from $4.32 to $4.22. It's still exactly the same at pretty much every station on the island, but at least it's down a bit.
According to my friends in Honolulu, it's between $3.22 and $3.80 over there.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
It dropped about 25 cents here in three days, down to $2.93
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Yeah, I was surprised when $40 nearly filled up my tank.
-o-
Hey Kwea, do you like Sugarland? Would you be interested in seeing them in concert?
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Down to $3.25 today (but $.10 more per gallon if paying by credit card, which I thought was not legal?).
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I do like them, but I don't know if I can afford to see them. I have a hearing regarding my unemployments soon, and if they decide in favor of JCPenney I have to pay thousands of dollars back.
Where are they playing?
JenniK said that a service station had $1.99 gas for a day, but they sold out in about 4 hours. I think it was some sort of promo, because they usually aren't a cheap place to buy gas.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
Lowest I've seen it here in northwest Atlanta area is $2.89. About a dollar lower than it was a few weeks ago.
Posted by camus (Member # 8052) on :
$2.52 was the lowest that I saw last night in Minneapolis.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: Where are they playing?
Kissimmee in early November.
-o-
Have you gotten a lawyer? I know it's expensive, but remembering how my father got screwed around with when he applied for Social Security benefits without one, and how smoothly it went with, I'm inclined to say you probably can't lose if you get a lawyer.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
My regular station is down to 3.36. However, I was out and about in areas not normal to me today and was able to fill up for 3.19 instead. Less than $30 to completely fill the tank!
Posted by BelladonnaOrchid (Member # 188) on :
We were down to around 2.19 here in OK today, too. It was nice. I still miss being able to pay $5 in gas to fill my VW's gas tank for two weeks.
[ October 18, 2008, 01:27 AM: Message edited by: BelladonnaOrchid ]
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
quote:Originally posted by BelladonnaOrchid: We were down to around 2.19 here in OK today, too. It was nice. I still miss being able to pay $5 in gas to fill my VW's gas tank for two weeks.
$2.19? Or is that a typo?
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
I hope that was a typo. I paid $3.32.
Posted by camus (Member # 8052) on :
2.19 seems pretty low, but it's believable. It's 2.38 here in Minneapolis.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Hey Kwea, I was looking at Google maps, and I figured that the intersection of the turnpike and US-27 near Leesburg and Howie-in-the-Hills is about exactly between us. It'd be less than an hours drive for each of us--more like 45 minutes. I don't know if there's anything there, but I figure there must be a bar or something, if you wanna hang out sometime without either of us having to drive 90 minutes.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
Sure...I'll give you a call. I would have been in town this evening to pick up my friend Pete...he had a job interview up here but his car is in repairs....but on the way there I blew an electrical circuit and had to get a $175 tow into town.
All for a $25 dollar repair. Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
I can beat the $175- I just got a $260 tow. There might have been better options, but late at night 60 miles from home with a sleepy toddler, it seemed like the best choice.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Kwea: Sure...I'll give you a call. I would have been in town this evening to pick up my friend Pete...he had a job interview up here but his car is in repairs....but on the way there I blew an electrical circuit and had to get a $175 tow into town.
All for a $25 dollar repair.
Will your car insurance reimburse the tow? Some will do that without having to pay a deductable.
Posted by BelladonnaOrchid (Member # 188) on :
Kwea-nope, not a typo. That was the price at the local gasohol (up to 10% ethanol) down the road from me. Non-gasohol places were at 2.29. I was talking to my Mom on the phone today and she said that it was 2.34 where she is in Wichita.
Cost of living is really low in Oklahoma, however in turn, jobs pay less.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
Where Kwea and I live--well, maybe more where I live--wages are low but prices are high, thanks to the tourism.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
I don't have towing on my insurance, and my AAA had expired two months ago (which I did not realize).
It could be worse...at least this is a repair I can do myself.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
We're down another 0.09 to $4.13 as of this morning. Still quite painful, but better than the $4.70+ it was all summer.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Down to $3.67 in the Detroit burbs.
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Woo! I paid $2.59 per gallon today! (DFW)
Posted by Mama Squirrel (Member # 4155) on :
We paid $3.39 Sunday night (Camarillo, CA).
Posted by Mucus (Member # 9735) on :
0.967 yesterday (Waterloo, ON)
Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
$2.69 in Atlanta.
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
When I came into work this morning, it was $4.13. When I came out of work at 4:30, it was down to $3.999. First time it's been below $4 since about March or so.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
$2.56
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
$2.44!
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
$2.63.
Damn Noemon, that was a fast drop there.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
It really was!
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
$3.19
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
$2.69 at Costco here. I was beginning to think I'd never see gas for less than $3/gallon again in my lifetime...
Posted by rollainm (Member # 8318) on :
$2.39!
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
Wow....
ChicagoGasPrices.com is showing a region-low of 2.79 and a region high of 3.91. I cannot remember the last time that the HIGHEST price here was under the $4 mark.
Most of the stations near me are hovering at $3.05. It's too bad the 2.79 and 2.81's are all way out of my way when I need to fill up.
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
It's weird, really. Most of the gas stations I pass have at least their "regular" below $2.99 a gallon, but occasionally I see one that remains steadfastly in the three-twenty something range that was the rule a few weeks ago. I can't help but wonder- do they think people aren't going to notice? I mean, the lower-priced stations are only about a mile away, sometimes even for the same brand!
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
$2.49 here.
On the news last night they featured a gas war between two stations downriver that had prices down to $2.10 for cash at one point.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sterling: It's weird, really. Most of the gas stations I pass have at least their "regular" below $2.99 a gallon, but occasionally I see one that remains steadfastly in the three-twenty something range that was the rule a few weeks ago. I can't help but wonder- do they think people aren't going to notice? I mean, the lower-priced stations are only about a mile away, sometimes even for the same brand!
I noticed the same thing today -- several stations at $2.99, and then quite a few at $3.11 and up. Including one at $3.19 -- the "cheap" one across the street was $3.13.
Posted by Fusiachi (Member # 7376) on :
$2.26 in Carlisle, Penna, but there are rumors of 2.20 gas somewhere in town. I rarely fill up anyway, so it doesn't much matter to me.
Posted by aiua (Member # 7825) on :
$2.49 in St. Louis, but there have been rumors of $2.25 out of town. I did see a sneaky one, though, that had super for $2.49 and regular for $2.64, so people saw the sign for super, and thinking it was regular, stopped, then paid the higher price if they took regular. I'm not sure how well that worked out for the station. I mean, if I was able to figure it out...
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
$2.36 today.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
My regular station - the one I've been using for this thread since the beginning - is down to 2.82 tonight.
Posted by Xavier (Member # 405) on :
It's 2.15 here in Omaha. I think some of that is subsidized for the ethanol in it though, so I guess my tax dollars aren't included.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Down to $2.37 in the Detroit burbs.
Frankly, I hope it doesn't drop and further.
Posted by pooka (Member # 5003) on :
Last time I looked, which was the weekend, 2.77 was a good price around here. It annoys me that it varies so much. Is it a red/blue state thing? Maybe they are molly coddling the swing states.
Posted by Uprooted (Member # 8353) on :
$2.29 tonight, down from $2.36 this morning.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by pooka: Last time I looked, which was the weekend, 2.77 was a good price around here. It annoys me that it varies so much. Is it a red/blue state thing? Maybe they are molly coddling the swing states.
You have to take into account state level gas taxes for one, and your proximity to gas refineries, as the further it has to travel the more expensive it's going to be. There's a huge refinery in Detroit, where we get most of our gas, so gas is usually 10 cents cheaper in east Michigan than west Michigan (even though the huge BP refinery is right there in Chicago). But for awhile Michigan was paying the second or third highest gas prices in America, which made no sense to me, and now we're near the bottom. I don't get it either. But I'm not complaining much.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Local real estate prices and other cost-of-living expenses make a difference too. Some states also have legally mandated fuel additives.
Ah, California. Where the milk and the gasoline are both fortified. And thus more expensive.
Posted by scholarette (Member # 11540) on :
$2.18 at the more expensive (but extrememly convenient) place. I haven't seen how much it is over at walmart.
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
$2.05! Which means, with my local "shopper" card that gives me 10 cents off per gallon, I got it for less than $2.00 a gallon for the first time in.. what.. 3 years? more?
I think this just proves the point that it wasn't all supply and demand. Much of the price was driven up by market speculators.
(It was 10 cents cheaper in Missouri when I was there last week, than it is here in Kansas. I think they have lower state taxes on it. So I imagine it's under $2.00 a gallon there)
Posted by lobo (Member # 1761) on :
In some parts of the country it was below $2 in early 2007.
I paid $1.99 this morning in Houston.
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
"But for awhile Michigan was paying the second or third highest gas prices in America, which made no sense to me, and now we're near the bottom."
The same shutdown&repair of the LOOP and various platforms and pipelines by hurricanes Gustav and Ike (which caused the gasoline shortage and price spike in the South) constricted oil supplies heading toward Chicago and its periphery.
During that Southern gasoline panic, wholesellers were able to force locked-in prices&amounts and delivery dates upon independent stations throughout the nation. Which along with a precipitous decline in gasoline sales to the consumer caused station owners to have too much gasoline on-order for the amount of space left in their pump tanks.
Since independent stations make most of their profit from sales of drinks/snacks/ cigarettes/oil/filters/etc, the owners were left with a choice of (effectively) paying a penalty for accepting less gasoline than they ordered, or selling gasoline at no-profit-to-a-slight-loss in order to lower the amount in their pump tanks to avoid that penalty. ie Would they rather reduce gasoline prices to bring in more customers in hopes of increasing sales of snacks/etc products with higher profit margins? or just give their money to wholesellers?
[ October 29, 2008, 04:42 PM: Message edited by: aspectre ]
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
$2.18 where I usually fill up.
It's $2.09 in some places for cash only.
Posted by Elmer's Glue (Member # 9313) on :
Down to $2.89 although rumor has it it's $2.70 somewhere else in town.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
$1.27! Most places around here it's about $1.47, but there's one station that's 20 cents cheaper. I'm trying to remember when I last saw gas for $1.27. It's been ages.
Posted by Jhai (Member # 5633) on :
quote:Originally posted by Farmgirl: $2.05! Which means, with my local "shopper" card that gives me 10 cents off per gallon, I got it for less than $2.00 a gallon for the first time in.. what.. 3 years? more?
I think this just proves the point that it wasn't all supply and demand. Much of the price was driven up by market speculators.
While I think it would be silly to argue that none of the price increases were driven by market speculation, I don't think it's easy to conclude that "much of the price" was driven by speculators. Energy demand is down all over, due to the world-wide decline in economic growth (or in some cases, recession). China alone is on course to have energy demand this year to be four percent lower than last year, which is pretty massive. Coal prices and natural gas prices in the U.S. are also down considerably, both spot prices and futures. That's particularly significant when you realize that the US/Canadian coal & natural gas markets are largely self-contained, and mostly driven by companies purchasing the commodities, not investors.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
$1.77 where I usually fill up, but it's as low as $1.50 in some places for cash, and I saw a place uptown for $1.65.
Now comes the test really. Are we going to change our driving habits back to where they were to adapt to the newly supercheap gas? When the credit crunch disappears, if gas prices stay the same will we go back to buying SUVs?
Posted by maui babe (Member # 1894) on :
I saw it as low as $3.29 yesterday. My daughter, who lives near Kansas City, MO called me to tell me she's paying $1.59.
Yep, we're paying more than double that here.
I expect to pay more for everything here, considering how remote we are, but double seems just wrong.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: Now comes the test really. Are we going to change our driving habits back to where they were to adapt to the newly supercheap gas? When the credit crunch disappears, if gas prices stay the same will we go back to buying SUVs?
I've got coworkers talking about how maybe they were wrong, and can afford that SUV after all. Others are crowing about the fact that they hadn't been able to sell theirs. ::head in hands::
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
I think now is precisely when Congress needs to start slowly introducing a much higher gas tax. You don't put it in place when the price is high, you put it in place when the price is low. With gas at a national average of below $2 now I think, slowly having it go up 10 cents every few months would at this point just look like a normal shift. We're used to it popping up and down 10 cents here and there all the time. It really makes no difference if that 10 cents goes to the US Government or the oil companies from our perspective as consumers, but as citizens it makes a big difference.
I think if we all woke up tomorrow and saw gas fly back up to $2.50, most of us wouldn't be that shocked, or after paying above $3 for so long, we probably wouldn't be that outraged either.
My suggestion: $50 floor on the price of a barrel of oil, and anything under $50 is taxed back up to $50. Increase the gas tax by $.25 over the next several months. Do it five cents at a time over the next five months. Then evaluate and see where we're at, maybe raising it by another 25 cents in the next year depending on the economy and driving habits. We'd need to collect data I'd think before raising it anymore. But that would provide full funding for the money that Obama wants to spend on the new green economy, while producing tons of other tangible benefits as well. Plus the increased price would actually probably help keep the overall price down by keeping driving habits at a lower constant, and would also encourage more buying of fuel efficient cars, which has longer term impacts.
Posted by lobo (Member # 1761) on :
If you are going to tax the gas, then just tax it and explain why. I don't like your sneaky plan.
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Excellent idea, Lyrhawn.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon:
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: Now comes the test really. Are we going to change our driving habits back to where they were to adapt to the newly supercheap gas? When the credit crunch disappears, if gas prices stay the same will we go back to buying SUVs?
I've got coworkers talking about how maybe they were wrong, and can afford that SUV after all. Others are crowing about the fact that they hadn't been able to sell theirs. ::head in hands::
I've been hearing the same sorts of things. *sigh*
Posted by Sterling (Member # 8096) on :
Costco is at $1.99, which is the first time I've seen gas under $2.00 a gallon since I lived in Portland, three years or so ago.
Maybe we haven't reached peak oil after all! (Ha ha ha. Groan.)
The problem with any tax right now is that we have a movement that sees any form of raising taxes as inherently evil. Many of the same people will complain without any awareness of irony when their local libraries close or their roads have huge potholes, of course.
I'd support your gas tax, Lyrhawn, but I'd suggest a small amendment: can we word it in such a way as to keep the trucks that ship goods out of it? I'm all for encouraging people to drive less and make more fuel-efficient choices, but I don't think we need to increase the prices of food and consumer goods at the same time (any more than is likely to happen eventually anyway, at least.)
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by lobo: If you are going to tax the gas, then just tax it and explain why. I don't like your sneaky plan.
Oh, making it incremental isn't meant to slip it in under the radar without people knowing about it. Raise it and explain why, but don't just randomly hit people with a big jump in the price of gas. Making it incremental is there to ease people into it so it's not sudden and destructive, it has nothing to do with secrecy.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
quote:Originally posted by Sterling: Costco is at $1.99, which is the first time I've seen gas under $2.00 a gallon since I lived in Portland, three years or so ago.
Maybe we haven't reached peak oil after all! (Ha ha ha. Groan.)
The problem with any tax right now is that we have a movement that sees any form of raising taxes as inherently evil. Many of the same people will complain without any awareness of irony when their local libraries close or their roads have huge potholes, of course.
I'd support your gas tax, Lyrhawn, but I'd suggest a small amendment: can we word it in such a way as to keep the trucks that ship goods out of it? I'm all for encouraging people to drive less and make more fuel-efficient choices, but I don't think we need to increase the prices of food and consumer goods at the same time (any more than is likely to happen eventually anyway, at least.)
I would think that would work in two ways, but I'd have to check to see. 1. Is there a difference between the gas tax and a diesel tax? No big rig that I know of runs on gas, they all run on diesel. If they are currently taxed differently, then you don't have an issue at all. Other than that, to abate the floor for oil you'd have to have some sort of tax rebate for what they pay. But I think we should be pushing for advances in trucking fuel efficiency as well, or working on switching the diesel fleet over to natural gas (something I'm not necessarily in favor of, but I do think it demands more study).
What I'd probably suggest for diesel, if they are currently taxed separately, would be to plan an increase in the diesel tax as well, but put it off for a few years, and at the same time offer some assitance to the makers of those trucks, like Volvo and Ford (and whoever else makes big rigs) for researching new more fuel efficient technologies. Batteries are going to move a sixteen wheeler, you need too much power, so they'll have to engineer something else, or come up with an alternate fuel source like LNG or B100 Algae or some other biofuel source. But push the tax increase off. It's a classic carrot and stick measure to get them to change to something more efficient through prodding (with the impending tax increase) and pulling (with offering a tax break of some sort for R&D). If they see it as an investment rather than a tax increase, it'll grease the skids a lot.
Posted by Danlo the Wild (Member # 5378) on :
In Denton, Texas it is $1.66.
Posted by Goody Scrivener (Member # 6742) on :
My regular station is clocking in at 1.99 - 27 cents LESS than when this thread started 3.5 years ago. In the suburb where my parents live (in Cook County, which is historically higher because of county taxes), it's 1.84.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
$1.889 is the cheapest I have seen it so far in FL. At least recently...
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
$1.79 here in Madison.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: $1.77 where I usually fill up, but it's as low as $1.50 in some places for cash, and I saw a place uptown for $1.65.
Now comes the test really. Are we going to change our driving habits back to where they were to adapt to the newly supercheap gas? When the credit crunch disappears, if gas prices stay the same will we go back to buying SUVs?
My god. The last few months of me living in California, I was so poor and hungry I would put 5 gallons in my car at a time (at 5 dollars a gallon) until I finally just sold the car in disgust at what I had become. Now I could fill that car for 30 dollars, when at one point in the sierras it cost me 100 dollars to fill it.
Since I started driving, gas has never, ever been this cheap. When I first started driving, it was over 2.00 in the Bay Area. It kind of makes me angry- mostly about oil speculation, but also about ALL THAT MONEY I spent in the 7 years I drove consistently.
Edit to add: and this was coinciding with a few months where friends' parents were working for the California government at minimum wage (due to the budget impasse) and attempting to find some way to stop their homes from being foreclosed on.
Posted by Orincoro (Member # 8854) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lyrhawn: Batteries aren't going to move a sixteen wheeler, you need too much power, so they'll have to engineer something else, or come up with an alternate fuel source like LNG or B100 Algae or some other biofuel source. But push the tax increase off. It's a classic carrot and stick measure to get them to change to something more efficient through prodding (with the impending tax increase) and pulling (with offering a tax break of some sort for R&D). If they see it as an investment rather than a tax increase, it'll grease the skids a lot.
According to my (admittedly amateur) research, this assumption about batteries, which is a common one, is not really supported by the evidence. In fact, large vehicles such as 16-wheelers may, at least in the future, benefit more from battery technology than smaller calls will.
The trick is to create a system based on plug-in hybrid technology, serviced by way-stations where trucks can recharge, or simply exchange batteries. The larger the car, the higher the energy needs, but with a big-rig, you can put a HUGE battery where the engine chassis is. When you consider the space in which these trucks store fuel, that's even more space not being utilized by anything else. You supplement the battery with highly efficient gas generators, and the result is a truck that uses gas 5 or 10 times as efficiently as modern trucks. When you consider also that this design would include no moving engine parts, no exhaust system, no gears, and a much more responsive handling with much higher torque, a hybrid truck would be safer and more reliable than a modern truck.
I remain convinced that the only reason this hasn't happened yet is lack of vision and ambition. I think once it starts happening, the change will be so abrupt, nearly everyone will be startled and shocked at how easy it really is.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Saw the other thread and thought it might be fun to bring this one back from the dead. Anyone want to look back a couple years into the past and cry a little bit at how cheap gas was even three years ago? I actually don't at all remember gas being this cheap in 2008, but here's the joy of having a record of it, I suppose.
Gas right now in suburban Detroit is around $3.99. In the northern burbs where I live, it's $4.15. Thank God I just bought a new, much more efficient car, a couple weeks ago.
Posted by BlackBlade (Member # 8376) on :
Whenever I watch movies from the past and the characters are talking with a gas station somewhere in the background, the prices always get me riled up.
Posted by Jake (Member # 206) on :
Hey, Lyrhawn, is the email address in your profile correct?
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Yep. I didn't miss an email from you did I?
Posted by FoolishTook (Member # 5358) on :
I live in a very low income area. I mean, very low income. Average home value is about $60,000.
Gas prices for us: $3.86
It got as high as $4.23 for awhile there.
That was quite the sucker punch.
quote:Whenever I watch movies from the past and the characters are talking with a gas station somewhere in the background, the prices always get me riled up.
Same here!
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
$3.65 is the lowest I have seen this week, but only at one place. The rest seem to be between $3.69 and $3.71.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
$3.77 on Sunday...and back up to $3.92 yesterday.
Posted by Jake (Member # 206) on :
I paid $3.67 on Tuesday, and saw $3.89 at the same station when I was driving home on Wednesday. Go team Memorial Day Weekend Price Bump!
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
Gas dipped below $3.00 a gallon for the first time in a few years, around here.
I've seen it for $2.99 for cash in a few places.
Hard to believe how quickly we adjust to new pricing realities. I can't even remember 5 years ago when gas was under $2.00.
Posted by Kwea (Member # 2199) on :
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
.![[Mad]](mad.gif)
![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)
I was thinking it was over $3 in real money. ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Grumble]](graemlins/grumble.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Cry]](graemlins/cry.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
Well, she did. Several years in Downers Grove, and several in Joliet. Her dad was working at Argonne.
![[Laugh]](graemlins/laugh.gif)
Farmgirl![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
![[Cool]](cool.gif)
![[Roll Eyes]](rolleyes.gif)
![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
![[Embarrassed]](redface.gif)