cost of gas

[RobGMN 5,000+ posts]

Driving 40 minutes round trip to save a dollar or less isn’t a benefit to me.
I CAN
I don't know the price per kilowatt hour, but that's far less relevant than the price of gas. I don't have the option to live in a more efficient house to save electricity. I don't have different grades of electricity to choose between. I can't save significantly on my power bill by driving five minutes to a different power company. I don't have to weigh whether to put contaminants (ethanol) or additives in my home's electrical system when I pay my electric bill.


You forgot to mention your polarized glasses... I'm sure you always wear them to make this more plausible.


I chuckled at this.


There are still many factors to determine which grade of gas you buy and to impact your overall consumption.


Commission-based salesmen must love you.


What "narrative" is enforced by looking at gas prices? Sounds like you're the one trying to fit a narrative.


Life is all about cost and reward. I'm going to buy gas anyway, yes, but I can do a lot to affect how much I use and how much I spend on it.

Cars and engines are a hobby of mine, so I likely have more fluctuation that most.

Some reasons I look at gas prices:
Gasoline or gas/ethanol?
Should I drive my Explorer or my big block?
How tidy should I keep the lawn?
Snowblow or shovel?
Should I take my work pickup home or drive my own vehicle? (Work buys gas for work pickup, but I prefer to drive my own vehicles).
Should I adjust my driving style to save fuel?

This post has turned into a novel, but the last thing I'll mention is Costco consistently has gas around forty cents cheaper per gallon than other gas stations in my area. That alone covers the membership cost for me.

I don't know the price per kilowatt hour, but that's far less relevant than the price of gas. I don't have the option to live in a more efficient house to save electricity. I don't have different grades of electricity to choose between. I can't save significantly on my power bill by driving five minutes to a different power company. I don't have to weigh whether to put contaminants (ethanol) or additives in my home's electrical system when I pay my electric bill.


You forgot to mention your polarized glasses... I'm sure you always wear them to make this more plausible.


I chuckled at this.


There are still many factors to determine which grade of gas you buy and to impact your overall consumption.


Commission-based salesmen must love you.


What "narrative" is enforced by looking at gas prices? Sounds like you're the one trying to fit a narrative.


Life is all about cost and reward. I'm going to buy gas anyway, yes, but I can do a lot to affect how much I use and how much I spend on it.

Cars and engines are a hobby of mine, so I likely have more fluctuation that most.

Some reasons I look at gas prices:
Gasoline or gas/ethanol?
Should I drive my Explorer or my big block?
How tidy should I keep the lawn?
Snowblow or shovel?
Should I take my work pickup home or drive my own vehicle? (Work buys gas for work pickup, but I prefer to drive my own vehicles).
Should I adjust my driving style to save fuel?

This post has turned into a novel, but the last thing I'll mention is Costco consistently has gas around forty cents cheaper per gallon than other gas stations in my area.

 

[RobGMN 5,000+ posts]

I don't know the price per kilowatt hour, but that's far less relevant than the price of gas. I don't have the option to live in a more efficient house to save electricity. I don't have different grades of electricity to choose between. I can't save significantly on my power bill by driving five minutes to a different power company. I don't have to weigh whether to put contaminants (ethanol) or additives in my home's electrical system when I pay my electric bill.
You CAN adjust your usage to minimize it. LED lights, energy efficient appliances, blah blah blah. Some companies offer discounts for off-hours usage versus peak.

You forgot to mention your polarized glasses... I'm sure you always wear them to make this more plausible.
Tell me what time is on this watch.


I chuckled at this.
Those people scare me. Not allowed to talk on the phone, but you can have yipping ankle biter dancing on your lap and steering wheel while driving.


There are still many factors to determine which grade of gas you buy and to impact your overall consumption.
I buy low octane. I drive an SUV that's fully computer controlled, do not tow, and do not need high octane gas for city driving. No benefit to go high octane for me. Sadly.


Commission-based salesmen must love you.
If they are good at their job, they do. I will buy from a good salesperson as I used to be in sales and know and respect the skill it takes to close.


What "narrative" is enforced by looking at gas prices? Sounds like you're the one trying to fit a narrative.
Read the posts where some people are trying to bash me for not looking at the price when I need to put gas in my vehicle. e.g. "You obviously get paid too much if you don't check the price screen when you fill up". Yeah THAT makes a fucklot of sense." Even better when the person saying it later says that he is getting a new job and won;t care about the price of gas...


Life is all about cost and reward. I'm going to buy gas anyway, yes, but I can do a lot to affect how much I use and how much I spend on it.
You can. I can't. My gas usage is genuinely based on need, unless I decide to go for pleasure drives. I don't get to say "I'll skip work today to save gas" or "I'll work closer to home today for a shorter commute".

Cars and engines are a hobby of mine, so I likely have more fluctuation that most.
Makes sense.

Some reasons I look at gas prices:
Gasoline or gas/ethanol?
Should I drive my Explorer or my big block?
How tidy should I keep the lawn? 3 gallons a season. Ten bucks.
Snowblow or shovel? I go through 5-10 gallons a season. Shoveling is not an option here. $15-30
Should I take my work pickup home or drive my own vehicle? (Work buys gas for work pickup, but I prefer to drive my own vehicles). Not an option either.
Should I adjust my driving style to save fuel? City driving is city driving.

This post has turned into a novel, but the last thing I'll mention is Costco consistently has gas around forty cents cheaper per gallon than other gas stations in my area. That alone covers the membership cost for me. THAT is something that makes perfect sense. So if you shop there every time, do you look at the price and leave if it's not to your liking? I'm GUESSING not.

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

I don't know the price per kilowatt hour, but that's far less relevant than the price of gas. I don't have the option to live in a more efficient house to save electricity. I don't have different grades of electricity to choose between. I can't save significantly on my power bill by driving five minutes to a different power company. I don't have to weigh whether to put contaminants (ethanol) or additives in my home's electrical system when I pay my electric bill.
You CAN adjust your usage to minimize it. LED lights, energy efficient appliances, blah blah blah. Some companies offer discounts for off-hours usage versus peak.
//I could minimize my usage regardless of the going rate, so that's moot.

You forgot to mention your polarized glasses... I'm sure you always wear them to make this more plausible.
Tell me what time is on this watch.
//Buy an analog watch if you can't read yours... I don't see how that relates to gas prices. I see what you're trying to prove, but it's a poor attempt. I don't need to read a shitty outdated watch with a low battery when I buy gas.

I chuckled at this.
Those people scare me. Not allowed to talk on the phone, but you can have yipping ankle biter dancing on your lap and steering wheel while driving.

There are still many factors to determine which grade of gas you buy and to impact your overall consumption.
I buy low octane. I drive an SUV that's fully computer controlled, do not tow, and do not need high octane gas for city driving. No benefit to go high octane for me. Sadly.
//To the contrary, modern, computer-controlled vehicles with knock-sensors adjust timing and other parameters and DO perform better with higher octane fuel. Additionally, ethanol is not good for fuel systems, so your vehicle will thank you in the long run for running ethanol-free gas, which is more expensive.


Commission-based salesmen must love you.
If they are good at their job, they do. I will buy from a good salesperson as I used to be in sales and know and respect the skill it takes to close.
//This was directed at Slo.

What "narrative" is enforced by looking at gas prices? Sounds like you're the one trying to fit a narrative.
Read the posts where some people are trying to bash me for not looking at the price when I need to put gas in my vehicle. e.g. "You obviously get paid too much if you don't check the price screen when you fill up". Yeah THAT makes a fucklot of sense." Even better when the person saying it later says that he is getting a new job and won;t care about the price of gas...
//I don't think not paying attention means you make too much. I equate it to being absent-minded/oblivious to things. It means you are less observant and less informed; you can't convince me I'm wrong for being more observant and more informed.

Life is all about cost and reward. I'm going to buy gas anyway, yes, but I can do a lot to affect how much I use and how much I spend on it.
You can. I can't. My gas usage is genuinely based on need, unless I decide to go for pleasure drives. I don't get to say "I'll skip work today to save gas" or "I'll work closer to home today for a shorter commute".
//I've satisfied your thirst for knowledge, then! You no longer have to speculate why other people look at gas prices!

Cars and engines are a hobby of mine, so I likely have more fluctuation that most.
Makes sense.

Some reasons I look at gas prices:
Gasoline or gas/ethanol?
Should I drive my Explorer or my big block?
How tidy should I keep the lawn? 3 gallons a season. Ten bucks.
//It could be zero gallons a season or twenty (or more) gallons a season. That's my point here. You're assuming ~$3.33/gallon, but you don't know how much it costs?
Snowblow or shovel? I go through 5-10 gallons a season. Shoveling is not an option here. $15-30
//It's always an option. Perhaps you mean it's an easy choice for you. While I completely agree that saving my back is worth more than any gasoline expense, if gasoline were $20/gallon we'd both probably shovel a lot more. That's an extreme, of course, but you seem smart enough to get the point.
Should I take my work pickup home or drive my own vehicle? (Work buys gas for work pickup, but I prefer to drive my own vehicles). Not an option either.
//Again, I'm telling you why some other people look at gas prices.
Should I adjust my driving style to save fuel? City driving is city driving.
//Not true at all. When the light turns green, YOU decide how fast to accelerate.

This post has turned into a novel, but the last thing I'll mention is Costco consistently has gas around forty cents cheaper per gallon than other gas stations in my area. That alone covers the membership cost for me. THAT is something that makes perfect sense. So if you shop there every time, do you look at the price and leave if it's not to your liking? I'm GUESSING not.
//If the price is not cheaper than I can find elsewhere, I will leave. I hate Costco's nozzles, but I tolerate them for the fuel savings. My big block gets 8-10mpg, so it adds up.

FYI: If you highlight something, then select "quote", you can make this a lot easier to read and respond to.

 

[RobGMN 5,000+ posts]

I don't know the price per kilowatt hour, but that's far less relevant than the price of gas. I don't have the option to live in a more efficient house to save electricity. I don't have different grades of electricity to choose between. I can't save significantly on my power bill by driving five minutes to a different power company. I don't have to weigh whether to put contaminants (ethanol) or additives in my home's electrical system when I pay my electric bill.
You CAN adjust your usage to minimize it. LED lights, energy efficient appliances, blah blah blah. Some companies offer discounts for off-hours usage versus peak.
//I could minimize my usage regardless of the going rate, so that's moot.

You forgot to mention your polarized glasses... I'm sure you always wear them to make this more plausible.
Tell me what time is on this watch.
//Buy an analog watch if you can't read yours... I don't see how that relates to gas prices. I see what you're trying to prove, but it's a poor attempt. I don't need to read a shitty outdated watch with a low battery when I buy gas.

I chuckled at this.
Those people scare me. Not allowed to talk on the phone, but you can have yipping ankle biter dancing on your lap and steering wheel while driving.

There are still many factors to determine which grade of gas you buy and to impact your overall consumption.
I buy low octane. I drive an SUV that's fully computer controlled, do not tow, and do not need high octane gas for city driving. No benefit to go high octane for me. Sadly.
//To the contrary, modern, computer-controlled vehicles with knock-sensors adjust timing and other parameters and DO perform better with higher octane fuel. Additionally, ethanol is not good for fuel systems, so your vehicle will thank you in the long run for running ethanol-free gas, which is more expensive.


Commission-based salesmen must love you.
If they are good at their job, they do. I will buy from a good salesperson as I used to be in sales and know and respect the skill it takes to close.
//This was directed at Slo.

What "narrative" is enforced by looking at gas prices? Sounds like you're the one trying to fit a narrative.
Read the posts where some people are trying to bash me for not looking at the price when I need to put gas in my vehicle. e.g. "You obviously get paid too much if you don't check the price screen when you fill up". Yeah THAT makes a fucklot of sense." Even better when the person saying it later says that he is getting a new job and won;t care about the price of gas...
//I don't think not paying attention means you make too much. I equate it to being absent-minded/oblivious to things. It means you are less observant and less informed; you can't convince me I'm wrong for being more observant and more informed.

Life is all about cost and reward. I'm going to buy gas anyway, yes, but I can do a lot to affect how much I use and how much I spend on it.
You can. I can't. My gas usage is genuinely based on need, unless I decide to go for pleasure drives. I don't get to say "I'll skip work today to save gas" or "I'll work closer to home today for a shorter commute".
//I've satisfied your thirst for knowledge, then! You no longer have to speculate why other people look at gas prices!

Cars and engines are a hobby of mine, so I likely have more fluctuation that most.
Makes sense.

Some reasons I look at gas prices:
Gasoline or gas/ethanol?
Should I drive my Explorer or my big block?
How tidy should I keep the lawn? 3 gallons a season. Ten bucks.
//It could be zero gallons a season or twenty (or more) gallons a season. That's my point here. You're assuming ~$3.33/gallon, but you don't know how much it costs?
Snowblow or shovel? I go through 5-10 gallons a season. Shoveling is not an option here. $15-30
//It's always an option. Perhaps you mean it's an easy choice for you. While I completely agree that saving my back is worth more than any gasoline expense, if gasoline were $20/gallon we'd both probably shovel a lot more. That's an extreme, of course, but you seem smart enough to get the point.
Should I take my work pickup home or drive my own vehicle? (Work buys gas for work pickup, but I prefer to drive my own vehicles). Not an option either.
//Again, I'm telling you why some other people look at gas prices.
Should I adjust my driving style to save fuel? City driving is city driving.
//Not true at all. When the light turns green, YOU decide how fast to accelerate.

This post has turned into a novel, but the last thing I'll mention is Costco consistently has gas around forty cents cheaper per gallon than other gas stations in my area. That alone covers the membership cost for me. THAT is something that makes perfect sense. So if you shop there every time, do you look at the price and leave if it's not to your liking? I'm GUESSING not.
//If the price is not cheaper than I can find elsewhere, I will leave. I hate Costco's nozzles, but I tolerate them for the fuel savings. My big block gets 8-10mpg, so it adds up.

FYI: If you highlight something, then select "quote", you can make this a lot easier to read and respond to.

The watch is new with a fine battery. Simple LCD has poor off-axis visibility. It’s not like your 70” TV.
My analog watches are not very demonstrable of how the LCD display looks on a gas pump when I am standing next to it and well above it.

Yes on the quotes thing, but this site software is vey finicky on my iPhone. As I was trying to correct things, it literally copied your entire post in triplicate, then I couldn’t back out. Maybe the same glitch that backs it up multiple lines if I backspace over the second letter in a paragraph.

So, you’ll spend gas to not buy gas if it isn’t cheaper than other places? Not logical with your desire to save money, but that’s personal choice.

I try to keep my choices consistent.

 

[AnthonyO 10+ year member]

Are any of you old enough to remember when $5 in gas would get you a days worth of gas. Depending on the car could get you a week

 

[AnthonyO 10+ year member]

Year	Retail Gasoline Price (Current dollars/gallon)	Retail Gasoline Price (Constant 2015 dollars/gallon)
1986	0.86	1.61
1987	0.90	1.64
1988	0.90	1.59
1989	1.00	1.70

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

Thx imma give you $5 in gas to wash you sandy vag out

 

[metalheadjoe 10+ year member]

The watch is new with a fine battery. Simple LCD has poor off-axis visibility. It’s not like your 70” TV.
My analog watches are not very demonstrable of how the LCD display looks on a gas pump when I am standing next to it and well above it.

Yes on the quotes thing, but this site software is vey finicky on my iPhone. As I was trying to correct things, it literally copied your entire post in triplicate, then I couldn’t back out. Maybe the same glitch that backs it up multiple lines if I backspace over the second letter in a paragraph.

So, you’ll spend gas to not buy gas if it isn’t cheaper than other places? Not logical with your desire to save money, but that’s personal choice.

I try to keep my choices consistent.

When I foresee a lengthy response, I opt for my computer over my phone.

I will spend $2 in gas and 10 min of time to save $12 in gas. Quite logical, actually, regardless of how you try to phrase it.

You phrase things as if you don't expect to encounter someone with a brain.

 

[ThxOne Premium Member]

Thx imma give you $5 in gas to wash you sandy vag out

DEAL!!

 

[RobGMN 5,000+ posts]

When I foresee a lengthy response, I opt for my computer over my phone.

I will spend $2 in gas and 10 min of time to save $12 in gas. Quite logical, actually, regardless of how you try to phrase it.

You phrase things as if you don't expect to encounter someone with a brain.

Assuming you know the price will drop in the future, that is a great plan. If Costco is consistently forty cents lower, why would you buy gas ANYWHERE else, especially if you are feeding a big block?
My assumption is you are always in reasonable distance of a Costco.
My statement of not driving 20 minutes to save on gas might change if I saved forty cents on every gallon I bought. That is substantial.

 

[Bobbytwonames 5,000+ posts]

Yeah. 91 is 4.00$ here also. Thankfully I can use 87 octane, which is around 3.05$ in most places here.

87 is around $3.90 here.

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

Are any of you old enough to remember when $5 in gas would get you a days worth of gas. Depending on the car could get you a week

Lulz my first car had a 402 BBC $5 wouldn't get me around the corner

 

[Bobbytwonames 5,000+ posts]

You failed to answer the question of how it benefits you to know the price of gas at the pump when you fill up, if you can't change it in any way and you can't choose NOT to use it.
If it's a question of budgeting and only buying what you can afford until the next bit of money rolls in, then it makes sense. I do not live dollar to dollar and have not since I started working, so I do not have to put $5 in just to get to the next place I will get some cash.

When you see a price, do you waste gas and money driving around town looking for a better price, only to find out they're all the same? Do you do that with other essential commodities like water/gas/electric?
If you get injured, do you price shop the ER for the cheapest? When you get there, do you check the formulary and forego some treatments based on price? "Stitch it up without numbing it. That stuff is too expensive".

When the cost cannot be avoided, the cost becomes irrelevant. I cannot avoid the cost of gas if I am to remain employed. It therefore is irrelevant for me to know the cost at fillup. Were I ANY type of self-employed or contracted delivery driver, I STILL wouldn't pay attention unless I was building it into the cost of each delivery.
Instead, I would be doing EVERYTHING I could to maximize what I get out of each gallon of gas I buy. Fuel efficient vehicle, shortest and fastest routes, delivering once to the same are with multiple packages instead of multiple trips, setting up routes that involve the maximum number of right-hand turns possible. THAT is stuff that shows frugal spending, NOT simply knowing the price during an unavoidable purchase.

Please tell me EXACTLY what knowing the price does for you at that moment in time, and how I am somehow less of a person in your eyes for NOT knowing or caring to know. Your excuse that it is "being frugal" holds no water unless you can show how it saves you money.

I actually program my truck to run on 87 when the gas prices are super high. When gas prices are low then I program my truck for more horsepower and to run on 91.

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

Not gonna lie, that meat stick wasn't great.

 

[Slo_Ride 5,000+ posts]

I actually program my truck to run on 87 when the gas prices are super high. When gas prices are low then I program my truck for more horsepower and to run on 91.

Everyone keeps saying 91. There's no 91 here. It's 93