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Entrepreneurship:  How are you dealing with the gas prices?  |
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Carolinagirl
True Blue Farmgirl
486 Posts
Kim
Rutherfordton
NC
USA
486 Posts |
 Posted - May 24 2007 : 1:27:57 PM
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Kim, maybe you could do a "book club" thingy with his friends who may be closer to home than the library. I'm going to make plans this summer that have to do with the same theme that the library is using (Get A Clue! is the theme)- that will keep dd busy when we aren't doing something else. Maybe something like that would work for you too (seems just like homeschooling though, doesn't it?).
KiminNC |
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candismom
True Blue Farmgirl
560 Posts
Elizabeth
560 Posts |
Posted - May 24 2007 : 1:33:46 PM
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Sherri,
Both our cars get 30 miles to a gallon. My car is 2 years old and I have about 2,000 miles on it. LOL Dh drives 60 miles round trip to work 4 days a week. His car is 2 years old too. But he has about 50,000 on his. Everything we do is within a mile of the house. We really work on my consuming. :)
Hugs,
Elizabeth
My shop www.theclothesline.etsy.com
I sell Crabapple Hill Studio and other Patterns. Pluse lots of other handmade items.
May the Lord bless you and keep you.
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brightmeadow
True Blue Farmgirl
2045 Posts
Brenda
Lucas
Ohio
USA
2045 Posts |
Posted - May 24 2007 : 4:17:30 PM
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I try to keep gas prices in perspective: $4.00 a gallon for gas, $2.59 for 12 oz. of latte, $15.00 or more for a gallon of olive oil, $4.50 for a 12-pack of 12 oz. of soft drinks, Roundup Pro $119.00 for 2.5 gallons..... If everything else wasn't going up because of the gas price increase I could probably afford the gas better!
I am definitely thinking of trading my 18-mpg Aztek in for a newer model that gets better than 30 mpg... It is only 6 years old, but it might be time.
You shall eat the fruit of the labor of your hands - You shall be happy and it shall be well with you. -Psalm 128.2
Visit my blog at http://brightmeadowfarms.blogspot.com ,web site store at http://www.watkinsonline.com/fish or my homepage at http://home.earthlink.net/~brightmeadow |
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nashbabe
True Blue Farmgirl
687 Posts
687 Posts |
Posted - May 24 2007 : 7:24:01 PM
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I drive a neighbor kid back and forth to school (long, crazy story) which is around 4 hours a day total apx., 100 miles each day. So you can imagine that I am glad to see school at its end, as bad as gas prices are now. I doubt gas prices will be much better in the fall, though, when I have to start that up again. Maybe we'll get blessed and he'll get in a better school which would probably be only half as far...ya wanna guess gas will be twice as much and it won't save us any? *L*
We mostly drive a relatively old Buick "boat" (about 115,000 mi) and a quite old Honda Civic (just under 200,000 mi). I try to drive the Civic as much as possible for the school haul. It gets 32ish mpg in tons of stop/start traffic and 40something on the highway, for which I am grateful. Hoping for another 50K out of the Civic...and it's really really low emissions so I don't feel too bad about driving it. Yeah, I know that car Lisa mentioned or a hybrid would be better, but hey...
I drive a ten year old truck to market but try to only use it once a week for market...my mechanic always says that even though it is by far the lowest mileage car (75K) he says it is effectively our oldest car and it isn't great on gas, so we let it sit as much as possible...but for farmers market and the art/craft shows I do, I pretty much need a truck...
wouldn't it be great to get an alternative fuel car? I can get into that using old vegetable oil thing...but storing the fuel would be a challenge. I hate the prices, but the oil companies are like drug dealers, and we, my friends, are the addicts.
Grew up on a farm...moved to da city... |
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goneriding
True Blue Farmgirl
1599 Posts
Winona
Central Oregon
USA
1599 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2007 : 07:38:29 AM
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We don't even look at the diesel pump for our pickup fuel. We have a 3/4 ton Dodge Ram and thankfully, most of the time it's parked while we're off on our big rig. Since our rig is a company rig, we don't look at those prices either! Strange, but at some of the service plazas in the toll roads, the fuel is cheaper than at the truck stops! At our home terminal, we have the ethonol (sp?) stuff. On the road we try to get the low sulphur whatever-it-is fuel due to our big rig being a 2007 with the new engine.
Winona :-)
Don't sweat the small stuff...
http://goneridingagain.bravehost.com |
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mikesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
3659 Posts
Sherri
Elma
WA
USA
3659 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2007 : 07:49:52 AM
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| Nashbabe - I really want to hear your long crazy story. That's a commitment girl - driving 100 miles a day for a neighbor kid! |
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Alee
True Blue Farmgirl
22941 Posts
Alee
Worland
Wy
USA
22941 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2007 : 12:20:22 PM
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I desperatly want a diesel for my next car. Then I could use the biofuels and you can also pay an extra $500 to $1000 to get a modification put in to burn old fyer oil! Since places like McDonalds have to replace fryer oil every 3 days and disposing of old fryer oil costs about $60, usually they will just GIVE you the oil! How would you like to be given free fuel for your car?
Alee |
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sleepless reader
True Blue Farmgirl
1022 Posts
CA
USA
1022 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2007 : 12:47:26 PM
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I'm with you, Alee! My next "dream car" would be a small diesel truck. I read an article in the Costco magazine a few months back about a company (and Costco member!) that makes the modifications to burn even corn or canola oil! There's a high school in San Diego that is teaching (the industrial arts kids) to make biodiesel. They use the cafeteria grease. They are hoping to be making enough within the next few years to power all the district food trucks. I love that idea!
As for now it's fewer trips and calling around to see who is "going down the hill" and can pick up something that we may need, or doing the same for others.
Sharon
Life is messy. Wear your apron! |
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horse
True Blue Farmgirl
371 Posts
laura
pontotoc
mississippi
USA
371 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2007 : 3:03:51 PM
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I no longer go to all the rodeos and jackpots for I can't afford the fuel. My husband owns a gas station and these prices are really hurting us. He doesn't make that very much off of gas and no one is buying gas and traveling. I know that my little tail has been cut off to one tank a week. That's from friday till the next friday. So my little adventures have come to a hault.
Laura
www.2lmzfarms.blogspot.com |
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MariaAZ
True Blue Farmgirl
203 Posts
Phoenix
AZ
203 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2007 : 3:52:44 PM
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A few years ago, when I first heard about biodiesel and oil burning engines, I wanted one really bad. After all, who can say no to free fuel (old oil from fryers)? But I'm seeing a lot of press on this and I'm beginning to wonder how long restaurants will give the stuff away, especially when the demand gets high enought that people start offering to pay for the oil?
Mother Earth News ran a story on how to build an electric car, that's my new dream :)
Visit my blog at www.craftyfool.net |
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nashbabe
True Blue Farmgirl
687 Posts
687 Posts |
Posted - May 25 2007 : 7:12:08 PM
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mikesgirl, short version is: kid from bad home situation knocked on our door eight years ago and never left. ;-) no, he isn't our kid and he doesn't live here, but it's a huge time and money commitment...he's really bright but is dyslexic and dysgraphic, and has emotional issues...great kid with a seriously rough family situation...hence the major mileage because our public school situation in the south, at least around here, is not at all conducive to getting a kid the help they need, especially if the mom doesn't get involved in the kid's school situation even to wake him up in the morning, let alone fight for him...weird story eh? sorry ya asked! :-)
and that is why I drive at least 500 miles a week just for school drop offs and pickups...thank God for my Civic.
Grew up on a farm...moved to da city... |
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doglady
True Blue Farmgirl
435 Posts
Tina
Howard
Ohio
USA
435 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2007 : 05:47:35 AM
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nashbabe,
Now I know of at least one angel who is among us. That is such a commitment to help this young man. I'll pray that your car holds up. Thank You.
Tina
The dogs own the house but the people pay the mortgage!
www.kennelcreations.com |
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CabinCreek-Kentucky
True Blue Farmgirl
8529 Posts
Frannie
Green County
Kentucky
USA
8529 Posts |
Posted - May 26 2007 : 10:27:38 PM
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gosh .. up in ohio .. i paid $3.45 per gallon and when i hit the kentucky line .. it dropped to $3.24 .. and when i hit my hometown .. it was only .. HA! read that .... ONLY .. $3.04 ... good 'ole kentuck!!!
it truly is awful how high the prices are going .. but so far .. it hasn't stopped me from running the roads!
True Friends, Frannie
CABIN CREEK FARM
KENTUCKY
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KarenP
True Blue Farmgirl
666 Posts
Karen
Chippewa Falls
Wisconsin
USA
666 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2007 : 04:42:22 AM
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I've had to park the Jeep as much as possible, I ride the bike, take the scooter or ride with my hubby in his diesel Jetta (45 MPG)!
He tells me next year there will be diesel hybrids out!
That sounds like a good combo, good mileage on the highway and greater mileage in the city!
just my 2 cents
KarenP
"Purest Spring Water in the World" |
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goneriding
True Blue Farmgirl
1599 Posts
Winona
Central Oregon
USA
1599 Posts |
Posted - May 27 2007 : 10:38:14 PM
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My hubby says to be careful about using the old frying oil as it plugs the fuel filters quicker than regular diesel. Check into that before you mess up your $$$ diesel vehicle. The old oil breaks up all the gunk in the engine from the diesel and it plugs the filters and you'll have to change them often for a bit till it's cleaned out.
Also, as big rig driver, let me tell you, in no way has the high fuel prices kept ANYone at home this wknd! The highways are plugged with people. People will adapt to the higher prices.
Winona :-)
Don't sweat the small stuff...
http://goneridingagain.bravehost.com |
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Past Blessings
True Blue Farmgirl
1083 Posts
Brenda
Orchard Prairie
WA
USA
1083 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2007 : 10:20:16 AM
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I can relate to you, Grace . . . I just spent $73.00 filling my ford F-150 yesterday. Ouch! I think for us the main change is combining errands and thinking about where we are going and making the best use of each trip. Our kids go to school 30 minutes away and since we are out of district, we must drive them (no school bus option). Most of the time we take the Geo . . . it is a dented, nasty looking little thing, but it gets 40 miles to the gallon. We were going to trade it in for a Subaru, but none of them get 40 miles per gallon, so I think we will replace the dented door, recharge the AC, repaint it . . . I'm thinking bright yellow . . . why not embrace it's ugliness! Anyway, it only has 60,000 miles on it, we paid $500 for it and it is economical. So we swallow our pride and save a lot of money by doing so. The only real negative is that it only seats 4 and sometimes all 5 of us go somewhere together, which means taking the gas guzzler.
Brenda
Past Blessings . . . Celebrating Life as it used to be . . . when people loved God, loved their families and loved their country. |
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Miss Bee Haven
True Blue Farmgirl
4331 Posts
Janice
Louisville/Irvington
Kentucky
USA
4331 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2007 : 11:15:30 AM
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I recently bought a Kia Rio(no A/C, five speed manual trans.) and my dh and I drive my car to work(he drops me off and picks me up). Since we still do need a truck for farm stuff, he bought a hybrid Chevy Silverado.
"If you think you've got it nailed down, then what's all that around it?" - 'Brother Dave' Gardner |
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KYgurlsrbest
True Blue Farmgirl
4853 Posts
Jonni
Elsmere
Kentucky
USA
4853 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2007 : 11:40:19 AM
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We have a honda civic, and we both drive into work together. He drops me and the car off, walks to get breakfast because he doesn't have to be at work until 10:00, and takes the bus across the river, or walks the 3 miles if it's a nice day. Been a little hot here, lately, though.
I pick him up on my way home, and we drive the 15 miles back home together. Once we're home, we're home, unless he has a show on Friday night or something. I do all of my shopping on my lunch hour, because the market is 2 blocks walking distance of my office.
Our gas is $3.45 right now. Last week it was $3.49, but if I go just outside of downtown, Cincinnati, Ohio, I can get it for $3.05-$3.19. Stupid!
"In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood
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Nancy Gartenman
True Blue Farmgirl
9093 Posts
Nancy
West Seneca
New York
USA
9093 Posts |
Posted - May 31 2007 : 12:47:16 PM
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I'am dealing with it by having Richard buy the gas, that works out pretty good.
NANCY JO
www.Nancy-Jo.blogspot.com |
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Entrepreneurship: How are you dealing with the gas prices? |
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How are you dealing with the gas prices?
