So I'm walking dinner over to neighbor and co-dinner preparer says she's heard that gas is supposed to hit $12 a gallon by next Memorial Day. I don't know where she heard this or if it will come true. But I started thinking to myself, What would I do if that happened? How would my family be affected? At first it was just this dark, almost panicky feeling, but then as I thought things out my frame of mind improved. Even some "mental" preps or just going through the "what if?" questions I think can keep us less fearful, don't you?
So how would it affect me? Well... I think I may quit my job which is 30 miles one away. See about getting something local or teach piano or something...
Meal planning would become serious business, as would grocery shopping.
Probably drive to horses every third day to feed them, instead of every day - they are 10 miles away. Maybe even "borrow" a ward members' horse property and keep them within walking distance and "use" (lots of free horses out there with the hay prices - horses that can't be ridden anymore) a horse as a pasture pet to keep the animal rights on the property.
It would truly change a lot of things. I imagine more neighbors would be out of work, needing help, etc...
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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid. -John Wayne
That would cripple the economy. Right now it costs my husband $40 a week in gas to drive to work. $120 a week? $480 a month? Nope, we couldn't do it, and we're in a better place financially than we've ever been. People that are much worse off than us could never make it.
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"There is order in the way the Lord reveals His will to mankind. . .we cannot receive revelation for someone else's stewardship." L. Tom Perry
That would be a financial meltdown. It would affect the price of goods, it would make it impossible to travel very far to work. Imagine your grocery bill tripling from what it is. We're already taking steps to eat more cheaply (not that we eat all that expensively). We couldn't handle a tripling of our grocery bill, and I just got a better job. I would definitely ditch the gas guzzler and probably buy a motorcycle (if there were still any to be had for a reasonable price). Heck, we'd probably be living off of food storage at that point.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
"The promptings of the Holy Ghost will always be sufficient for our needs if we keep to the covenant path. Our path is uphill most days, but the help we receive for the climb is literally divine." --Elaine S. Dalton
I don't think it would get there. The consumer base would stop it.
Car manufactures would finally have to develop more fuel efficient engines, or cheap alternative fuels as people would stop buying cars, and start taking more mass transit, riding bikes etc.
A couple car dealers have all ready reduced production of SUVs because people aren't buying them.
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Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune--without the words And never stops at all.... --Emily Dickinson
dilbert was telling me that as it is, SUV's have no value. For people who are trying to sell their gas guzzlers to downsize to a more efficient vehicle, no one wants their SUV at any price. So people are upside down on their loans (owe more than the thing is worth).
I've heard the argument that the consumer base would stop it and I don't buy it. How would they stop it? Not buy gas? Most people don't have a choice. Complain to their elected representative? Even if somehow the elected representatives moved quickly on it, what exactly would they do? Impose price controls? The oil companies could then just limit supply and we'd have gas rationing. What they should do is let them drill in Alaska, let them build refineries, etc. Then we could produce our own local oil. But even if they had a change of heart and allowed that, it wouldn't add to the oil supply at all for several years. Anyway, so the question is, how exactly would the consumer base stop $12 gas? Granted, it would be sheer idiocy on the part of the oil companies to raise the prices that high. But they haven't exactly been super-geniuses lately.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
Has anybody called their respective senator/congressman and urged them to back legislation for drilling in coastal waters and ANWR?
If the voters could somehow get organized - voters unions or something - and demand solutions, and then really vote people out if they don't deliver, we'd see some change. Otherwise, it's just talktalktalktalkblametalkblameblameblameblametalktalktalk.
BTW, a large part of the high price of gas nowadays is the depreciation of the US dollar. That's not the only cause, but it's a large one. Consider recently that one barrel of oil cost $130 or 75 euros. So, gas prices aren't going to come down soon. And Bok is right, I should do something active about it, instead of just complain about it on an internet forum.
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If ye love wealth better than liberty, the tranquility of servitude than the animated contest of freedom, go from us in peace. May your chains sit lightly upon you, and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen! - Samuel Adams
1) Stop buying pure gasoline powered vehicles, SUV sales are already declining 2) People would buy more hybrid and electric vehicles 3) Vehicle manufacturers if they are smart will giving the consumer what they want to buy, because they are in it to make money. So more fuel efficient and alternative power cars are what consumers are just now starting to demand. 4) People would make better use of public mass transit systems because they are cheaper. I really love the system in Singapore. If I lived there I wouldn't own a car.
I wouldn't expect this to happen over night, but a gradual change. And it won't happen until the vehicle manufactures and oil companies start to loose money because they aren't offering what the consumer is buying.
It's a shame the average consumer doesn't realize the power they have. When they finally catch on things will change.
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Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul And sings the tune--without the words And never stops at all.... --Emily Dickinson
Another thing that's come to my mind. I have the opportunity of working every day if I wanted. I've gone from once a week up to about 2-3 times a week now. I could work 5 nights a week if I merely showed up to do it. (I love this flexible job!) I've had the thought that one day I might "rue the day" where I *had* the opportunity to work and make more money to save and did not take advantage of it.
I leave for work when MrCoco gets home from work, so there is no issue of the kids not being with their parent. I know, this is a unique situation. If kids were with babysitter, I don't think I'd be having these thoughts...
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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid. -John Wayne
Another thing that's come to my mind. I have the opportunity of working every day if I wanted. I've gone from once a week up to about 2-3 times a week now. I could work 5 nights a week if I merely showed up to do it. (I love this flexible job!) I've had the thought that one day I might "rue the day" where I *had* the opportunity to work and make more money to save and did not take advantage of it.
I leave for work when MrCoco gets home from work, so there is no issue of the kids not being with their parent. I know, this is a unique situation. If kids were with babysitter, I don't think I'd be having these thoughts...
I feel the same way, coco. I have an opportunity to work a part time job which gives me great money. I can use that money to build up my food storage, emergency savings, pay for Hawaii in the fall, or many other things.
The downside to that are the hours. I now work 8 hrs a day full time, and this job is 5 hours a day from 5:30 to 10:30 M-F. Since it's on the other side of town, that means I would be gone from my house from approximately 8 am to 11 pm everyday. The good thing is that it last for about 6 weeks at a time and breaks inbetween. But, it is hard to do for those 6 weeks. I am unable to eat regularly, sleep well, have a social life, fulfill my calling, get housework done, etc. during that time.
I've done it in the past, but I haven't for a couple of years. Since my mom died, my time has freed up some and I've considered it. But sometimes the money isn't worth the stress of it.
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It takes a big man to cry, but it takes a bigger man to laugh at that man.
Hey, if you're gone from 8am-11pm, there won't be all that much housework, eh? It's when all these bodies are in the house all...day...long... that dirties up the place.
I haven't felt the "guilt" feeling like pushing me into it so much... just more like I'll look back on this time and think how many opportunities I had that are gone... And feeling like I totally would've gone with what I considered a "big sacrifice" compared to what I had no idea was actually coming...
Just thoughts...
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Life is tough but it's tougher if you're stupid. -John Wayne
I'm not sure where she heard that info either, but is it possible she heard something about an increase (in price per barrel) reaching $12? Because that's not the same thing...
And feeling like I totally would've gone with what I considered a "big sacrifice" compared to what I had no idea was actually coming...
