Adjusting to the HIGH cost of energy

hitekcountry · Aug 18, 2005

I just read an article in USA Today about how people are adjusting to high energy costs, more people are riding busses and trains, one person in the article quit a job and took a job closer to home.

I thought it might be useful to start a discussion on how we’re all dealing with high energy costs and:

How it’s affecting your lifestyle.
Changes you’ve made or plan to make.
Ideas or suggestions that might be helpful to the rest of us.
If you’re not making any changes now, then how high can prices go before you do make major changes.

I drive a full size 4WD truck that gets a horrible 12mpg. So far I haven’t changed much other than to plan out where I’m going to minimize the miles. I’m thinking that if prices stay high or go higher I’ll need to get something that gets better mileage. Thought about a motorcycle (old guys ride motorcycles don‘t they?) , but then what about when it rains. Maybe a used high gas mileage little car (might be selling at a premium soon), not my type of thing but then you do what you gota do.

As for heating my house, last winter my pellet stove started smoking up the house and as far as I can figure it must be the vent pipe might be some what restricted. I wasn’t about to get up on the wet roof to fix it, so I spent the rest of the winter without heating the house. It’s only me living here so there’s no one going to complain. Still haven’t fixed it. I’ve been thinking about putting in (adding) a wood burning stove, but that has issues associated with it also. anyway I might just not heat the house at all, I now know I can deal with that.

Fred

Highbeam · Aug 18, 2005

I am not adjusting yet. I still burn lots of fuel in toys and to heat my home. Regional price differences have kept most costs reasonable here in WA. Now, rather than living below my means I am just a bit closer. Eventually it is possible to hit the point where I must cut back but by then there will be so much poverty and chaos that "something" will be done. My guess is nuclear power plants.

Not saying I am rich, but that I don't have financial obligations as high as my income... big difference. The fact that we are all communicating on these computers tells me that most of us here on TBN have some wiggle room.

ronjhall · Aug 18, 2005

Since I'm retired gas price will not affect me much until I take a trip or use my boat. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif Just recently I was given a opportunity to do some consulting for the company that I retired from. I would have not even considered doing this if gas prices had not spiked up so high. The money is going into a kitty for the extra cost of gas and diesel. Should last me for many years. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
I also took the advice of a fellow TBNer, who did a 65 mph vacation to California. It made a big difference in MPG's during our 8000 mile trip out west last April. /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

JimR · Aug 18, 2005

I for one live on a one income family with my wife working while I fix up the old farm next door. Gas prices have cut me back a bit on what I drive. My Ford F250 4x4 gas hog sits idle now and only gets used when absolutely necessary. My 88 BMW 20-25 mpg gets used on rainy days. My motorcycle 40-50 mpg's is used almost daily for any running around. I will have my woodstove re-connected before winter to save on oil. I may even make some type of pipe setup to hook into the oil furnace. This would also heat the hot water. It's a shame that a country as powerful as the US can't find a way to get cheaper oil. 47% profit so far this year and we can't put any controls on the price of gas and deisel. This is a true shame. How many people will freeze their ever loving ----- off this winter because they can't afford to heat their house. I do think that many families will migrate to the southern states to cut down on heating bills. Houses are much cheaper to buy down south than here New England. I could buy four new houses in Ga. for what I can sell my house for. If we sold off the farm and acreage next door I could live like a king down there. Hhmm, not a bad idea. Too bad the wife wants to stay put.

OkeeDon · Aug 19, 2005

We live near the East coast of Florida; our property is about 45 miles inland. Betsy is already working out of the Okeechobee office of the VNA doing home health physical therapy. She has to drive back and forth each day plus all over the rural county, racking up 175 miles per day on average. She drives a 5 year old Focus ZX3 that gets about 32 mpg on average. We've thought about getting a more fuel efficient car but the Focus is running fine (at 125K miles) and it seems foolish to spend a small fortune on a new car to save a few dollars in gas.

I'm spending nearly every weekday working on our property. While I have a newer minivan, I generally drive a 10 year old V6, 5 speed Dakota Sport with a 3.22 axle. The way I drive, it gets about 17 mpg. So, I'm not driving it much. I ride out to Okeechobee with Betsy early Monday AM, spend the week living in our old motor home on my daughter's property nest door, and ride back home with Betsy on Friday evening. If I have to drive anywhere over the weekend, the Windstar is there. I'm using more diesel in the tractor than I am gas in the truck or van. I used to drive back and forth almost every night; no longer.

The big change is that if fuel prices stay high (and I think they will), we will NOT be getting a big diesel pusher as the replacement for our motor home. All of our working lives we have had the plan to see many areas of the country in a nice coach with slideouts, lots of room, and all the gadgets.

If fuel prices stay about where they are, we will be looking at one of the Class B RVs based on the new MB Sprinter chassis. Even carrying the weight of an RV, the 2.7 liter turbo diesel is reported to be getting anywhere from 17-19 mpg (Liesure Homes) to 22-24 mpg (RoadTrek). If fuel prices go above $3.00, there will be no RV at all, and no driving vacations. According to what I've read, the absolute highest price for fuel was in 1981, after adjustment for inflation, it was the equivalent of $3.03 today.

I can do all the rationalizing and math exercises to show that the higher fuel prices don't really add up to that much more out of our budget. Assuming 20 mpg and 12K miles per year, that's 600 gallons, and costs about $50 more per month if fuel prices go from $2 to $3 per gallon; that won't break me. But, there's a principle involved. I simply will not contribute to the unholy profits that someone is making; the raise the price, I'll cut my miles by MORE than enough to cancel my share of the increase. Call it a mini-boycott.

Alan L. · Aug 19, 2005

I hate the gas prices as much as the next guy, but artificial controls would be wrong in my opinion. As much as some love to hate the oil companies, they and their investors stuck their necks out a mile exploring and producing the oil and gas. An oil well can cost $1 million and pay NOTHING. When entrepeneurs are willing to take this amount of risk, when and if it pays off, the thought of the government coming in and putting a cap on the prices is insane.

Having said all of this, I am wondering how long I can drive my pickup 120 miles round trip to work every day at 18 mpg. My wife has a 2001 Yukon XL, so we have considered trading it for a fuel efficient car for me to drive, then she would drive my truck. But then what would we do when we need the room, comfort, and 4WD of the Yukon?

Maybe it will peak soon.......

riptides · Aug 19, 2005

Hah.

I am NOT adjusting to the costs. I wonder how many people are in my boat.

I drive the I-95 cooridor to Washington DC, EVERY day. I have a gas sucking SUV that is costing about 40.00 every OTHER day to fill.

I have no other options as I will not be able to put all my stuff in a smaller class vehicle. I refuse to sit on a train for 2 plus hours one way. That would take my get-up-to-desk time from 2.5 hours to 4.5 hours. Making it literally close to 8 hours a day getting ready and getting to work.

Last I checked there were only 24 hours in a day.

It is all about the place we chose to live. A person's gotta do what they gotta do.

I fear the winter as we have kerosene in one house and electric in another. Guess I'll give the electric company my money this winter.

-Mike Z. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Bird · Aug 19, 2005

Don, I still think overall that Focus is hard to beat. Our Escorts got about the same mileage and the '93 only had 121,000 on the odometer when my wife totalled it. Until then it still looked and drove just about the same as when new and we had no intentions of replacing it, if she hadn't rollled it. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

RedRocker · Aug 19, 2005

I've cancelled my out of state vacation, usually haul the Bigfoot and Jeep to Utah or Colorado for a week of Jeeping.
I'll just take the tractor to Bowie and get seat time there instead. I'd like to have something else to drive to work other than my 1 ton truck.

sneaky_pete · Aug 19, 2005

( How it’s affecting your lifestyle.)

No negative affect yet, but I fear that soon inflation will rear its ugly head.

( Changes you’ve made or plan to make.)

Moved my consulting business to my home place; commute to my office used to be 30 miles one-way.

Also like JimR and others I ride my motorcycle as much as possible to run errands, when that is not practical I try to take my daughter's car that gets 30+ mpg instead of my 4WD truck that gets 13-14 mpg.

We also started washing our clothes in cold water, with detergent made for that purpose. Clothes seem just as clean, and propane usage for hot water seems down, but I won't know for sure for another year when I fill the tanks again. I always fill both my 500 gal tanks full once a year, because I believe that prices will continue to rise.

( Ideas or suggestions that might be helpful to the rest of us.)

This is a pretty savvy group for the most part. If I was considering moving, I would buy the smallest, most energy-efficient house that would fit my needs. I suppose the same could be said for cars, trucks, and tractors. If you don't already, get in the habit of paying cash for everything; when inflation comes again it will make buying with credit a nightmare.

( I’m thinking that if prices stay high or go higher I’ll need to get something that gets better mileage. Thought about a motorcycle (old guys ride motorcycles don‘t they?))

Well, I do!

( but then what about when it rains.)

Rain suits are inexpensive and work well. A touring-style bike with a fairing helps too.