gas prices taking away from my disposable income to purchase a new iPhone

Originally Posted by nasa25

sorry I need to vent. Tomorrow gas prices will be 1.25 per litre ( 6 dollars per gallon) in Toronto. I'm pretty pissed because these prices are allowing me less cash to put towards my new 3g iPhone and my cigars that I plan to get next week when im in Cuba (cohiba esplendidos). I'm officially pissed at these prices and can't hold my frustration anymore !!! Sorry unkie Steve.....I want to help you reach your 10m iPhone goal.....I just need some relief.

Originally Posted by hyoctane

I'm not looking forward to my $4.06 a gallon 93 octane fillup for my 2001 Celica GT-S... I'm on the west coast of FL.

Originally Posted by codename78

Today I put 23 Gallons in my truck ... cost me aprox. $90 ... I was kinda pissed about these prices till I heard on the radio that if we think that this is too much ... lets all just wait for Summer ... they said prices will hit even higher $5-6 for a Gallon. Time to get rid off my Guzzler V8 5.4L and buy V6

P.S. Did you guys know that last month alone aprox. 300 small trucking companies went out of bussiness because of fuel prices.

Originally Posted by nasa25

Whoa...I thought the v8 4.0l engine in my discovery II was bad....I feel for u brother.

Originally Posted by codename78

I was always V8 Kinda guy ... but this is getting to much ... I drive 28 Miles to work one way each day ... right now I put $140-150 inside the tank every week. So its time to Trade my Expedition for something smaller ... was thinking Acura TL or Infiniti G35 ...

Originally Posted by codename78

I was always V8 Kinda guy ... but this is getting to much ... I drive 28 Miles to work one way each day ... right now I put $140-150 inside the tank every week. So its time to Trade my Expedition for something smaller ... was thinking Acura TL or Infiniti G35 ...

Originally Posted by Saoirse1916

Thank you Ms. Pelosi -- just get the libs elected and they'll lower gas prices. Job well done. Time to start drilling in the ANWR, building new refineries.

Originally Posted by codename78

I was always V8 Kinda guy ... but this is getting to much ... I drive 28 Miles to work one way each day ... right now I put $140-150 inside the tank every week. So its time to Trade my Expedition for something smaller ... was thinking Acura TL or Infiniti G35 ...

Originally Posted by nfl46

I have a 2006 G35. I'm a junior in college and broke, lol. I live off-campus but the commute is only 2 miles. Gas here is around $3.55, and it takes nearly $67 to fill up my car.

Originally Posted by Saoirse1916

Thank you Ms. Pelosi -- just get the libs elected and they'll lower gas prices. Job well done. Time to start drilling in the ANWR, building new refineries.

Originally Posted by Petey07

Maybe sell your car, drive a bucket, and use the left over money to buy a the 2gen iphone.
If you already driving a bucket, sell that bucket, and find a cheaper bucket and use that left over money to buy a 2gen iphone.

Originally Posted by gdnimrod

Errr.. ya $1.37 is the standard in Montreal last since 2 weeks ago. And thats the price for that regular 87 octane.

But im not complaining - if you can afford a car (thats not a crapbox) you can afford the fuel. Eat out a bit less, go see movies on Tuesday instead of Friday, don't be all ballin' in the club with your bottle of Goose and maybe just a Skyy instead?

Point is, people in Europe have been paying $2.00/litre ($8/gallon) since last year. To us North Americans it just comes as a shock because everyone expected to always pay the equivalent of around $1/l. Then again, remember around 8 years ago when it was like $0.75....?

Anyway, we're in a sense trained to focus on gas prices because thats what the TV broadcasters focus on. In terms of other major changes to prices - did you know Milk has gone up 26% since last year?? Bread was up around 15%, and BEEF, we all LOVE our big macs, has gone up 50%! These are all relative prices which have increased a lot more than what we pay at the pumps. Maybe its just that we dont see those things on the news with 'new records for a barrel of oil' coming in from the East.

If you count your money for gas as disposable, then you shouldnt be driving. Disposable income is what is left for you after the necessities have been paid for. Rent, food, clothes, and for most of us these days, we could barely live without fuel. But hey, if you can use public transport, do. Even though i drive an ML350 which is as comfortable as anything, i take the train and bus to campus monday-thursdays. My small part for saving, and the environment.

Originally Posted by gdnimrod

If you count your money for gas as disposable

Originally Posted by steine1988

Besides, you guys are whining about oil prices because you can't buy an iPhone or drive an SUV, while millions of people around the world are starving to death, fighting for their lives because there isn't enough food due to the increased cost of transporting it all? Really? You sure have you priorities straight. No wonder people outside the U.S. think we're all spoiled brats.

Originally Posted by nasa25

I love my rover way more than I could love any phone.

Originally Posted by LDN2012

Rover? Shouldnt be complaining then if you have got enough money to bust out for a Land Rover

Originally Posted by steine1988

That sounds like it came straight out of Bush's mouth. What a load of BS. I get pretty passionate when it comes to politics. Religion, I don't give a hoot, but politics is a different story.

Originally Posted by steine1988

Anyway, the reason gas prices are so high is because BushCo. invaded Iraq

Originally Posted by steine1988

...and screwed the U.S. up the butt three times over.

Originally Posted by steine1988

Pelosi's main problem is that she doesn't have political capital, not big enough cojones to go after the Bush junta and impeach them all.

Originally Posted by steine1988

...you could wise up and realize that we need
A) Political change - enough with corrupt politicians
B) Get the hell out of Iraq (which had nothing to do with 9/11)
C) Start investing in the U.S. economy and in alternative fuel sources at the same time. Oil prices will go down, but won't go back to the average $1.20/gallon that we had 8 years ago.

Originally Posted by steine1988

Besides, you guys are whining about oil prices because you can't buy an iPhone or drive an SUV, while millions of people around the world are starving to death...

Originally Posted by jkswiss

I did a report on the ANWR. People seem to think its some kind of panacea for gas prices. It will produce a maximum of 1 million barrels of oil per day when production is at its peak, which could easily take 20 years. We use over 20 million barrels/day.

Originally Posted by jkswiss

Sorry, off topic, but I can't stand ignorance.

Originally Posted by coolcellmunda

how about start taking the public transportation for a little while to save up the money for the stuff u want to buy!

Originally Posted by jslappa

While I would agree that conflicts in the Middle East, rapid growth of countries like China and India, and technological advances, as well as inflation have caused an increase in gas prices, one should really seek to understand why prices are exponentially higher than they should be right now. This might be a long post, so skip it if you don't want a stock market lecture LOL.

Oil used to be traded only by elite traders trading in the oil commodities market. Futures commodity markets generally used contracts that required at least a 1000 barrel contract. That is, the trader had to buy a contract for at leat 1000 barrels. Obviously this is way out of the reach of people like you and I.

<Side note>
one barrel of oil yields about 42 gallons of gasoline, after all other petrolium products are made. Gasoline is the hazardous waste by-product of this process.

So, in the past the common investor didn't really have the capital to open an commodity futures trading account. In addition, futures trade very differently from other stocks on the NYSE and other secondary markets. Futures trade in contracts that expire on a specific date. Say you bought a contract of December 100 oil. You bought 1000 barrels of oil at $100 per barrel in December. Once December came, you would either sell your contract (if the price was higher), or simply let it expire. These are short-term contracts, unlike traditional stocks that one might keep for years.

Now, however, there have emerged Exchange Traded Funds (ETF's). The USO is the ETF that tracks all the commodities that used to be traded in the futures markets. Now the average investor, as well as 401K fund managers and mutual fund companies, can invest in the futures market like any other stock in their portfolio. Instead of a short contract for 1000 barrels a pop, one can effect puts, calls, coered calls, and any other option strategy available to traditional stocks.

So, the bottom line to this post is this: Traders are the reason why oil has reached $126 a barrel ($125.98 today), and why gasoline is at record highs. Because the average investor has the ability to day-trade in oil futures is why the price for a barrel of oil is set so high. Sure, all the other problems in the world are stimulating the increase, but ultimately it's the ability to be bought and sold by your 401K manager is why the orices are so damn high.

Word up

Originally Posted by XanderMac

As soon as the govenor of Ga signs HB89 into law which allows me to carry my gun on marta.

Originally Posted by Saoirse1916

Good luck -- they finally removed our idiotic "can't carry where alcohol is served" law in Tennessee.

Good dissertation on comex, jslappa -- I used to work in the Trade Center in the Coffee, Sugar, & Cocoa pits and your explanation fits those markets too.

Originally Posted by XanderMac

Excellent. Very well put.

Originally Posted by nasa25

this seems like a wildly foreign concept in Canada....up here we just beat each other up with hockey sticks and call each other hosers.

Originally Posted by Saoirse1916

Yeah, but at least you get to watch hockey -- I've got to search my cable dial high and low to find anything on my Predators.

Originally Posted by jslappa

While I would agree that conflicts in the Middle East, rapid growth of countries like China and India, and technological advances, as well as inflation have caused an increase in gas prices, one should really seek to understand why prices are exponentially higher than they should be right now. This might be a long post, so skip it if you don't want a stock market lecture LOL.

<snip very long, informative post>

Originally Posted by XanderMac

As soon as the govenor of Ga signs HB89 into law which allows me to carry my gun on marta.

Originally Posted by codename78

Today I put 23 Gallons in my truck ... cost me aprox. $90 ... I was kinda pissed about these prices till I heard on the radio that if we think that this is too much ... lets all just wait for Summer ... they said prices will hit even higher $5-6 for a Gallon. Time to get rid off my Guzzler V8 5.4L and buy V6

Originally Posted by nasa25

i feel for you....even in Canada finding Predators games would be tough....maybe an NHL network package would be the only way you could have constant Predator game feeds.

Originally Posted by timmah333

Isn't it ironic that this thread is about ways to save money, but how we can't live without things such as TV and such.

I'm not saying I don't do it, i'm just saying that it's sad this is what we've come to!

Originally Posted by steine1988

That sounds like it came straight out of Bush's mouth. What a load of BS. I get pretty passionate when it comes to politics. Religion, I don't give a hoot, but politics is a different story.

Anyway, the reason gas prices are so high is because BushCo. invaded Iraq (for no good reason other than to line his pockets and his buddies' pockets with gold, e.g. Blackwater, KBR etc.), ruined the world economy, cheapened the dollar, and screwed the U.S. up the butt three times over. All so he and his buddies can get rich. Now, you're ranting about Pelosi? Pelosi's main problem is that she doesn't have political capital, not big enough cojones to go after the Bush junta and impeach them all.

You can go digging in ANWR if you want. Make Bush and his family even richer, if that's your prerogative. OR....you could wise up and realize that we need

A) Political change - enough with corrupt politicians
B) Get the hell out of Iraq (which had nothing to do with 9/11)
C) Start investing in the U.S. economy and in alternative fuel sources at the same time. Oil prices will go down, but won't go back to the average $1.20/gallon that we had 8 years ago.

Besides, you guys are whining about oil prices because you can't buy an iPhone or drive an SUV, while millions of people around the world are starving to death, fighting for their lives because there isn't enough food due to the increased cost of transporting it all? Really? You sure have you priorities straight. No wonder people outside the U.S. think we're all spoiled brats.

Originally Posted by Saoirse1916

Now that's a good point. An overwhelming majority of people in the US living below the poverty line have: a car, a TV, a cell phone. I'm pretty sure that's not the case in say, Africa.

Originally Posted by Saoirse1916

Close -- the USGS says the ANWR would produce 10.4 Billion (that's Billion) barrels of oil. That's enough to supply the state of Kalifornia with oil for 15 years, or Iowa for 132 years.


What was that?

Originally Posted by DialloM

The people in America work hard for thier money. Well I do for mine. So we have a right to be spoiled

Originally Posted by jkswiss

I guess you didn't understand my response. Yes, I know the median amount of barrels of oil recoverable from the ANWR, I read the same geological survey your probably spouting off. Those billions of barrels of oil just don't come out of the ground all at once.

Originally Posted by jkswiss

At one million barrels of oil per day, and U.S. oil consumption at 20 million per day. 5% is not going to help out at the pump so much after production and transportation costs are taken into account. As I said, the experts predict a drop at the pump price(our price) to be around a penny per gallon when ANWR gets online. Its nothing.

Originally Posted by jkswiss

If the oil companies really, really wanted to drill ANWR, then I think they already would have.

Originally Posted by jkswiss

After we rape America's last frontier to save a penny a gallon and line the pockets of the oil companies and Alaskans, then what? Is nothing sacrosanct? Its a slippery slope, my friend. If oil was found in Yellowstone, what then? Your type of folks are more than willing to take the oil from the ground. I myself am willing to pay more at the pump to keep these areas around for posterity.

Originally Posted by jslappa

So, the bottom line to this post is this: Traders are the reason why oil has reached $126 a barrel ($125.98 today), and why gasoline is at record highs. Because the average investor has the ability to day-trade in oil futures is why the price for a barrel of oil is set so high. Sure, all the other problems in the world are stimulating the increase, but ultimately it's the ability to be bought and sold by your 401K manager is why the orices are so damn high.

Originally Posted by nfl46

I have a 2006 G35. I'm a junior in college and broke, lol. I live off-campus but the commute is only 2 miles. Gas here is around $3.55, and it takes nearly $67 to fill up my car.

Originally Posted by gdnimrod

Errr.. ya $1.37 is the standard in Montreal last since 2 weeks ago. And thats the price for that regular 87 octane.

But im not complaining - if you can afford a car (thats not a crapbox) you can afford the fuel. Eat out a bit less, go see movies on Tuesday instead of Friday, don't be all ballin' in the club with your bottle of Goose and maybe just a Skyy instead?

Point is, people in Europe have been paying $2.00/litre ($8/gallon) since last year. To us North Americans it just comes as a shock because everyone expected to always pay the equivalent of around $1/l. Then again, remember around 8 years ago when it was like $0.75....?

Anyway, we're in a sense trained to focus on gas prices because thats what the TV broadcasters focus on. In terms of other major changes to prices - did you know Milk has gone up 26% since last year?? Bread was up around 15%, and BEEF, we all LOVE our big macs, has gone up 50%! These are all relative prices which have increased a lot more than what we pay at the pumps. Maybe its just that we dont see those things on the news with 'new records for a barrel of oil' coming in from the East.

If you count your money for gas as disposable, then you shouldnt be driving. Disposable income is what is left for you after the necessities have been paid for. Rent, food, clothes, and for most of us these days, we could barely live without fuel. But hey, if you can use public transport, do. Even though i drive an ML350 which is as comfortable as anything, i take the train and bus to campus monday-thursdays. My small part for saving, and the environment.

Originally Posted by Aiku1337

I've heard that if your gas tank is large enough (23 gals is pretty big) you might consider only filling up your tank half way each time. The extra weight savings from not hauling the extra gallons might save you one or two MPG. Then again the hassle of having to go to the gas station more often might not be worth it.

Originally Posted by dsigma6

I hate it when people complain about having to fill up their 87 gallon tank. Would it make you feel better to fill up after you use 5 gallons, but do that every other day?

It doesn't matter how big your tank is, it's your choice how you choose to view the sticker shock.

As to gas prices stopping you from buying a new phone...Did someone already say it (I'm sure they did), that you probably shouldn't be buying the phone if gas gets you in a pinch like that. Seems like a douche bag thing to say, but seriously. What happens when your car dies? Save your money.

Originally Posted by slmail2

Don't even get me started on gas prices. One tank of gas in my S65 AMG costs $100 in San Francisco. I'm seriously thinking of buying a Tesla...

Originally Posted by MistaRaddical

Just curious, do any of you have drive a hybrid?

I would be interested, but I'd take a huge loss on my car right now and I drive an AWD SUV and get 21-22/28, so it's not a big concern to me. But that new Toyota Highlander hybrid looks really sweet, 27/25? I think there needs to be more incentives for people that buy hybrids. Since I'm mostly a city driver, that would be well worth it for me.

Originally Posted by Chip90

Irony much...?

Originally Posted by Saoirse1916

Ahh, here's the part that doesn't make the news. ANWR is 19 million acres and of that the area slotted for oil exploration is 2000 acres (0.01%). There is virtually no wildlife present during what would be the drilling season and drilling avenues could be built with ice, believe it or not, which would then melt leaving the landscape and habitat intact, save a few holes. You mentioned Prudhoe and a lot of these same concerns were raised -- we've since learned that not only has the wildlife survived, the caribou have quadrupled in the past thirty years of drilling. The USGS seems to think we could expect similar results in ANWR.

Originally Posted by jkswiss

Theres the part where the oil company propaganda and the Arctic Power groups advertising has gotten into your head.

Originally Posted by jkswiss

The wording was "directly affected". What is included in directly affected is square footage of buildings, pipelines, and drilling rigs and platforms. It doesn't count the interconnecting web of roads, nor the amount of land that is in between buildings and such.

Originally Posted by jkswiss

I don't think I can get across to you because you already have it in your head that drilling in ANWR is great and will solve all our oil problems.

Originally Posted by jkswiss

Instead of constantly consuming more, why don't we curb our usage? I find it strange that we consume more oil than the next 5 countries combined, no small feat considering that India and China account for over 40% of the worlds population and we account for less than 5%.

Originally Posted by slmail2

I have a 07 Lexus R350H which is a hybrid SUV that I drive in New York. I ordered it in 06 after my company went public but got wait-listed for 7 months! I'm not sure how bad the wait is now, but I highly recommend it. Whatever you do, do not pay the $5,000 premium that some dealers charge to "reduce your wait time". I had a friend who did this and he waited roughly the same time as me.

Originally Posted by timmah333

Same thing about people who come in to Radioshack after they just bought a $4,000 TV but whine and moan about paying another $100 for an HDMI cable to make it look like a $4,000 dollar TV.

Originally Posted by nfl46

Umm, have you ever heard of a family (mom, dad) that still takes care of their children while in college???????? Well thats my case.

Originally Posted by audiosclie

Well, I wish I could sympathize with those that pay those record high gas prices. Luckily, the company I work for pays for my gas. What is really sad is the vehicle that I drive only gets 10 miles to the gallon and my gas bill runs about $400-$450/monthly! Here is some pics of my truck (2007 4x4 Toyota Tundra Crewmax Limited with 6" ProComp suspension lift and redrock leather interior) if you all are interested in looking at what kind of vehicle only gets 10 miles to the gallon.

http://gallery.mac.com/clay.russell...black&view=grid

If had to pick between losing my truck or driving it less, I pick driving it less!
Or maybe I'll sell my truck, get a Prius and a 3G iphone.

Originally Posted by timmah333

When the way I look at it, my 94' Taurus has a 13-ish gallon tank, so if they raise the price of gas by 10 cents, it only costs me $1.30 to fill up than it did last time I filled up...therefore I don't go get a double cheeseburger from McDonalds and I have nothing to complain about. At least it's a gradual increase..they could jump from 3.50/gal to 5.00/gal if they wanted, then everyone would have a fit.

I'm one of the people who's line of thinking is that if you can afford a $50,000 car and still be comfortable, you should be able to put gas in it and still be comfortable...

Same thing about people who come in to Radioshack after they just bought a $4,000 TV but whine and moan about paying another $100 for an HDMI cable to make it look like a $4,000 dollar TV.

Meh, people love to complain.

Originally Posted by timmah333

Same thing about people who come in to Radioshack after they just bought a $4,000 TV but whine and moan about paying another $100 for an HDMI cable to make it look like a $4,000 dollar TV.

Originally Posted by DialloM

The people in America work hard for thier money. Well I do for mine. So we have a right to be spoiled

Originally Posted by nasa25

sorry I need to vent. Tomorrow gas prices will be 1.25 per litre ( 6 dollars per gallon) in Toronto. I'm pretty pissed because these prices are allowing me less cash to put towards my new 3g iPhone and my cigars that I plan to get next week when im in Cuba (cohiba esplendidos). I'm officially pissed at these prices and can't hold my frustration anymore !!! Sorry unkie Steve.....I want to help you reach your 10m iPhone goal.....I just need some relief.

Originally Posted by muzhik

1. get ride of credit cards

Originally Posted by Aiku1337

Why? For people with financial responsibility they're nice to have around. I just use mine as digital money. Works great for tracking expenses. Not to mention using some kind of rewards card is nice. I mean, you're going to be buying groceries, gas or clothing anyway, might as well get 1% back.

Originally Posted by EPVQ30

my 3g iphone is bought and paid for.. i am just waiting for it to come out.
i spend under 20 dollars a week. 18 to be exact.

Originally Posted by free_gas

How do you know that 'ol Steve is not going to charge 100 Kabillion dollars for it?, then drop the price down to $0.20 31 days later?

Originally Posted by jslappa

I need to know the name of that credit card company that lets you borrow it's money for free (no interest charges) then gives you 1% back on your purchases. Doesn't exist, except for one of those intro rates where your transfer balance is 0%, but future purchases are not included.

Originally Posted by free_gas

How do you know that 'ol Steve is not going to charge 100 Kabillion dollars for it?, then drop the price down to $0.20 31 days later?

Originally Posted by richy240

What pisses me off is that you guys who consider yourselves "big" vehicle drivers (like the person a few pages back who said it's time to sell the V8 for a V6) are literally driving the prices up for everyone else. The demand is higher, so people like me who actually prefer smaller vehicles (for various reasons) actually end up paying more because YOU want to drive a larger vehicle.

I'd say 80% of you have no real reason to drive such large vehicles, and do so to inflate your already out-of-control egos. No one (of course, I'm generalizing here) needs an Expedition unless you literally have 8 kids. No one (yep, another generalization) needs a double-cab long-bed truck unless you're a frickin' cowboy. Stop thinking about yourselves and think about someone else for once; your giant truck/SUV/whatever is costing everyone else as much as it's costing you!