The high cost of cutting grass

[Snobdds]

A corgi’s skull matches a stomping moose’s hoof to a “T”. 1750 lbs vs 40?

Don't worry, I have trained the moose not to stomp on a corgi's skull...they come by the cabin each morning to say hello now.

 

[Cougsfan]

Any suggestions on good use for 8-10 acres of prairie grass that doesn't involve winter chores? I normally just let a neighbor graze his sheep here in the summer, since I don't want to deal with them in the winter. Not much can fend for itself in our winters and I'm not a fan of chopping ice, filling water buckets, and dropping feed in the bitter cold before heading to town for the day job. The evenings are even that bad, but the mornings drag on me. I agree that it's wasteful to just let it rot.

I have 45 acres and one horse. About 30 of it is grassland. My place was choked with weeds when I bought it three years ago. One bout of spraying along with mowing with a bush hog twice a year has kept it in pretty good shape for the hoards of deer we have around here. I sure don't mow it twice a week, nor does it cause me winter chores. I have thought about renting it as pasture, but haven't done it yet for various reasons.

 

[jyoutz]

Don't worry, I have trained the moose not to stomp on a corgi's skull...they come by the cabin each morning to say hello now.

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Saratoga area?

 

[jyoutz]

Seems like her in Eastern Washington, wherever there are rocks for the snakes to sun on, there are snakes. No rocks, no snakes. (Not totally true but mostly true). We only have rattle snakes, garter snakes and bull snakes. Snakes don't bother me much. I respect them and just leave them alone if I see one. I don't feel compelled to kill them like some people. The last thing they really want to do is bite you and waste their venom on something they can't eat.

I just kill rattlesnakes around the house and outbuildings. They are especially dangerous to dogs.

 

[Torvy]

Why panic and say 5.00 per gallon, why not 8, 10, 12?

Not sure where you are going with this, but $5 a gallon is a near reality in parts of California. Quick look at Gas Buddy showed an average price of $4.93 near the Bay Area. It will crest $5 very soon as the disruptions in supply worsen due to the situation in Eastern Europe. Even if the US took rational action to increase domestic production, it will take months to ramp back up.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Not sure where you are going with this, but $5 a gallon is a near reality in parts of California. Quick look at Gas Buddy showed an average price of $4.93 near the Bay Area. It will crest $5 very soon as the disruptions in supply worsen due to the situation in Eastern Europe. Even if the US took rational action to increase domestic production, it will take months to ramp back up.

We had the same rhetoric not long ago in the US. Quite a few were always trying to compare US prices to European. How about the southern tier? Gas in Venezuela is 0.12, Riyadh is 0.91. Figure it out, who is screwing who?

 

[bdhsfz6]

The oil industry knows full well that these high oil prices will only spur on the alternative energy movement. Allowing high prices to continue will only hasten their demise.

Yes, most oil companies are diversifying, but many still rely on oil for the majority of their profits.

 

[Torvy]

We had the same rhetoric not long ago in the US. Quite a few were always trying to compare US prices to European. How about the southern tier? Gas in Venezuela is 0.12, Riyadh is 0.91. Figure it out, who is screwing who?

Meh. I don't care about comparing with other countries. Too many variables. Gas prices are a good indicator for prices in general. Since most goods are directly affected by gas prices, they do a reasonable job of pointing at inflation. The actual 'price' is only relevant in context. (In relation to historical prices and regional economics) I had to explain this to a student the other day who thought things were horrible in the 50s because the minimum wage was only 75 cents...she didn't process the fact that a new car was $1500 and a new house was $8000.

 

[ddbackhoe]

Meh. I don't care about comparing with other countries. Too many variables. Gas prices are a good indicator for prices in general. Since most goods are directly affected by gas prices, they do a reasonable job of pointing at inflation. The actual 'price' is only relevant in context. (In relation to historical prices and regional economics) I had to explain this to a student the other day who thought things were horrible in the 50s because the minimum wage was only 75 cents...she didn't process the fact that a new car was $1500 and a new house was $8000.

Then why compare Ca to Texas? Ca has written rules quite different than some of the other states.

 

[Torvy]

Then why compare Ca to Texas? Ca has written rules quite different than some of the other states.

I only compare Texas to California as a cautionary tale. The poster used a $5 example and it is a near reality in at least one state. Most of the difference is in gas tax.

The US is too big and diverse for national policy yet people want Washington to make them anyway. Very few policies make sense at the national level as the cost of living varies wildly among the states.

 

[BnRidge]

I had to explain this to a student the other day who thought things were horrible in the 50s because the minimum wage was only 75 cents...she didn't process the fact that a new car was $1500 and a new house was $8000

According to this logic, where should fuel prices be at the moment?

 

[Snobdds]

Saratoga area?

More or less.

In the snowy range mountains on the Medicine Bow river. One of those special places still left with very few people.

 

[jyoutz]

More or less.

In the snowy range mountains on the Medicine Bow river. One of those special places still left with very few people.

A very nice place. I have a brother-in-law who ranches near the town of Medicine Bow for summer range and Douglas in winter.

 

[Torvy]

According to this logic, where should fuel prices be at the moment?

prices should be wherever the market says they should be...there is no should be or shouldn't be in prices...they are, or were, what they are, or were

If you get into a command economy, all bets are off as prices are manipulated by the government. The U.S., like most western countries is a mixed economy...ours tends to lean more toward a market economy...

Where you are headed with your question becomes a false equivalency due to technology. Oil companies have access to considerably more sources of oil today than they did in the 1950s. They can get more out of each barrel and they can do it more cheaply as efficiencies and technology have drastically lowered the cost of production (adjusted for inflation).

If cars and houses had efficiency improvements as well, but they have considerably more features that were not available in the 1950s. The cost of those additional features (among other things) has kept the prices of houses and cars high compared to the cost of gasoline. (basically, there are few, if any, new features in our gasoline that would warrant an increase in price) The same concept is more easily seen with things like computers. The $500 phones, that seemingly everyone has, have more computing power than room-sized computers of the 50s. The price of a room-sized computer with the power of a basic calculator today would be effectively zero as no one would buy it, except, perhaps, as a novelty or antique.

 

[arto98607]

According to this logic, where should fuel prices be at the moment?

How much was gasoline cost/gallon in 1950 ?

According to online US inflation calculator, .50 cents in 1950 would be equivalent of $5.83 in today's money.

Not saying that's where it should be.


Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value from 1913-2022


State taxes in fuels are probably whole lot more than oil company profits are (which also get taxed).

 

[jyoutz]

How much was gasoline cost/gallon in 1950 ?

According to online US inflation calculator, .50 cents in 1950 would be equivalent of $5.83 in today's money.

Not saying that's where it should be.


Inflation Calculator | Find US Dollar's Value from 1913-2022

I remember gasoline being about 50 cents in 1976 when I started drinking.

 

[Torvy]

I remember gasoline being about 50 cents in 1976 when I started drinking.

I don't think you are supposed to drink it.

 

[jyoutz]

I don't think you are supposed to drink it.

LOL. I’m going to blame spell check. Obviously meant to say driving.

 

[ultrarunner]

Not sure where you are going with this, but $5 a gallon is a near reality in parts of California. Quick look at Gas Buddy showed an average price of $4.93 near the Bay Area. It will crest $5 very soon as the disruptions in supply worsen due to the situation in Eastern Europe. Even if the US took rational action to increase domestic production, it will take months to ramp back up.

Easy to spend over $5...

I had unexpected trip and filled up at a Shell and paid $5.29 for regular with credit.

Some stations are heading to &
$6 for premium with credit card...

Remember when pumps couldn't go higher than 99.9 a gallon so they switched to Liter pricing...

 

[Torvy]

LOL. I’m going to blame spell check. Obviously meant to say driving.

haha...as long as you don't mix the drinking and driving....I started driving about the same time. I do remember gas as low as about 35 cents when I was a wee lad in California. We took a lot of road trips in our station wagon (later a Travelall)...picture is representative, not our actual truck.