Gas Prices Going up

[AGBF]

I don''t think anything new has happened geologically (except, perhaps, that Brazil has discovered oil and will be able to join OPEC). Whatever is happening with the price of oil is due to economic and political forces. The strength of the dollar, which someone mentioned, is one of many factors. Is the price currently high or low? Everything is relative. I am not a financial person and I cannot bend my mind to the factors involved, but I can, at least, see that this is not about a change in the real world, the bedrock of the earth. It is about the affairs of men.

Deborah

 

[sumbride]

Date: 3/11/2008 4:33:44 PM
Author: MC

Date: 3/11/2008 3:01:58 PM

Author: rockzilla

Also, maybe people will stop choosing to live 30-40 miles away from where they work just so they can have a 4,000 square foot McMansion. (but probably not...)

Is it better to be crammed into a 1000 sq ft box in the city where you have to keep your curtains closed out of fear that others can see inside?

I resemble that remark. I still have to drive to the train station, but lately DH has been dropping me off on his way to work. We have turned into a 1 car family because his car requires premium gas, so we just don''t drive it. It stays parked. And it will for a while, I''m guessing. No more turbo for him... and my 4 cylinder car is proving to be a good decision. Very glad to not have an SUV. And it''s amazing how many more of them are crammed into the garage at the train station every morning.

I take mostly public transport and carpooling, but I still live 40 miles from my office, but I''m not in a McMansion. I''m in a 1700 sq. ft. box with closed curtains. And that''s fine. Eventually I''ll work within the city I live in, but can''t find anything yet.

I did read a great article in the Atlantic Monthly about suburbs full of McMansions becoming the new slums as gas prices continue to increase. It thrilled me because I''m a city dweller and like it.

 

[MichelleCarmen]

Date: 3/11/2008 6:33:06 PM
Author: sumbride

Date: 3/11/2008 4:33:44 PM
Author: MC
Is it better to be crammed into a 1000 sq ft box in the city where you have to keep your curtains closed out of fear that others can see inside?

I resemble that remark. I still have to drive to the train station, but lately DH has been dropping me off on his way to work. We have turned into a 1 car family because his car requires premium gas, so we just don't drive it. It stays parked. And it will for a while, I'm guessing. No more turbo for him... and my 4 cylinder car is proving to be a good decision. Very glad to not have an SUV. And it's amazing how many more of them are crammed into the garage at the train station every morning.

I take mostly public transport and carpooling, but I still live 40 miles from my office, but I'm not in a McMansion. I'm in a 1700 sq. ft. box with closed curtains. And that's fine. Eventually I'll work within the city I live in, but can't find anything yet.

I did read a great article in the Atlantic Monthly about suburbs full of McMansions becoming the new slums as gas prices continue to increase. It thrilled me because I'm a city dweller and like it.

To clarify, I'm not in a McMansion. I don't live in a subdivision, but instead live on a 2,600 sq ft house on an acre and have two boys who need their space. Imagine living in a small apartment with kids? Some may love it, but I'd need a pretty high dosage of Xanax to make it through the days.

I didn't want to offend, just to point out that all locations have pros and cons and it's important to note that we all have our reasons for living where we do and one shouldn't have to feel guilty for picking a less urban location to afford a bigger home. In downtown seattle, my house would be over $1.5million. We cannot afford that! Our house is less because we're not inside city boundries.

Paying a ton for gas flat out sucks, but that doesn't mean we all should be migrating to the cities to avoid costs. I'd love to able to live where I am and walk to wherever I want, but I guess it makes more sense to me to be smart about running errands and plan my route so I make the most of every trip out as hopefully many others do.

 

[ChargerGrrl]

WOW- I'm thrilled that I landed a new job!

My current commute is 24.5 miles (about 1hr 15m). YUK! My new office is 17.5 miles away, and i'm able to take public transport- which is a rarity here in L.A.

My new company will be moving offices in May/June and that will make my commute 10.5 miles. Not only will I save in gas, but the stop-n-go/wear & tear on my car will greatly diminish.

But yeah, those gas prices are insane. DH and I are glad we don't own SUV's!

 

[erica k]

I live in Boston and bike/walk pretty much everywhere. The bus is as slow as my car, so I try to avoid both unless I am going to Target to stock up on various things.

I imagine shipping costs will go up, also. I like to order things online, so in the future I might have to bike downtown to buy clothing or cosmetics. I used to take day trips to Maine and Vermont, but no longer. It makes me sad to lose a bit of my freedom to drive wherever I please, but I am really glad that I live in a dense city.

Urban living isn''t for everyone...I grew up in a postwar tract housing development in a fairly large city (Long Beach), but I biked and walked pretty much everywhere. My in-laws live on 5 acres in Oregon, their living costs are extremely low, but the gas prices are really going to impact their lifestyle. They make very little money, so I imagine they will have to curtail their rock-hunting trips. My husband grew up desiring urban density. I, on the other hand, grew up in a city but would love to live in the country (not in a new development but in a historically rural town).

I study urban planning and architectural history, and all I can say is that there is no one good way to live. I personally believe that it''s a bit unreasonable for people to move to exurban, fire-prone, drought areas and then expect ample water services and low energy costs, but that''s how the market (jobs + housing + lifestyle) works in this country. The US is built on unreasonable expectations and outlandish dreams. That''s what makes it so exasperating and so wonderful. My parents live in south Orange County and complain about the gas prices, long drives, and endless traffic, but that''s where my dad''s job is located. Sigh. There are no easy solutions, and I certainly don''t condemn them for their choices.

I do miss the halcyon days of 90cent gas. I love taking drives, but long leisurely bike rides following a commuter rail trip to small villages is just as nice!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/11/2008 6:15:55 PM
Author: AGBF




I don''t think anything new has happened geologically (except, perhaps, that Brazil has discovered oil and will be able to join OPEC). Whatever is happening with the price of oil is due to economic and political forces. The strength of the dollar, which someone mentioned, is one of many factors. Is the price currently high or low? Everything is relative. I am not a financial person and I cannot bend my mind to the factors involved, but I can, at least, see that this is not about a change in the real world, the bedrock of the earth. It is about the affairs of men.

Deborah

The shallow oil in the middle east is about dried up so they have to go deeper and likely pump it which adds about 15% to the cost.
There is plenty of oil it just costs a bit more.
The oil shale reserve in Canada has more oil than the middle east.
There are indications of oil shale in several locations in the US.
Alaska has more oil than the middle east.
There are huge reserves off the coast of CA.
The gulf is teaming with oil but its more expensive to pump it.
Brazil has a lot of oil and most of the areas aren''t even explored and checked for oil yet.
Not too mention the capped wells all over the US south.
Siberia is teaming with oil.
There is more oil reserves than there has ever been.

The high price is because of environuts and the weak dollar.

Don''t believe everything ya read :}
How many people bought into the fraud of global warming which is now the threat of the next ice age! LOL

 

[CrookedRock]

Date: 3/11/2008 7:22:03 PM
Author: strmrdr
The shallow oil in the middle east is about dried up so they have to go deeper and likely pump it which adds about 15% to the cost.
Why are half the oil rigs in the world there, but yet their production is flat is the past few years? And why have the Middle Easter reserve estimates not changed in 15 years even though the pump out millions of barrels a day? They are finding the exact amout of oil each year that they are producing???
There is plenty of oil it just costs a bit more.

The oil shale reserve in Canada has more oil than the middle east.
No doubt that there is a lot of oil there, but more than the Middle East? Also mining oil (and that''s basically what oil shale is) burns huge amounts of natural gas. They would be a lot better off building a nuclear power plant up there to get the oil out.
There are indications of oil shale in several locations in the US.
That''s been known about for over a hundred years, and will only become economic at much higher prices. Then it will still only be a drop in the bucket.
Alaska has more oil than the middle east.
The North Slope is already plateauing and while we are in favor of moving the poor caribou, it will take so many years to get together and will not once again not significantly move the needle of worldwide production.
There are huge reserves off the coast of CA.
Sure is! And Florida for that matter. Good luck getting that to pass!
The gulf is teaming with oil but its more expensive to pump it.
The Jack II discovery is nice, but at 4 miles below 7,000 feet of water we don''t even have the technology to get to it, and even if we do, again it would only be economic at very high prices.
Brazil has a lot of oil and most of the areas aren''t even explored and checked for oil yet.
Def lots of uexplored territory on top of an amazing discovery, but according to IEA''s own demand forecast we would have to find 7 North Seas every 10 years to keep up with the increasing demand from Asia and the rest of the world for that matter. Do you really think there are a lot of places we haven''t looked for oil yet? Not to mention being in a country that isn''t run by a crazy, corrupt, dictator.
Not too mention the capped wells all over the US south.
Not enough oil to matter...
Siberia is teaming with oil.
HUnh? teaming??
There is more oil reserves than there has ever been.
Just curious where you got access to the reserve data? Are you and Putin buddies??? LOL

The high price is because of environuts and the weak dollar.
Absolutely a part of it! HUge demand and under investment!

Don''t believe everything ya read :}
How many people bought into the fraud of global warming which is now the threat of the next ice age! LOL
Could not agree with you more!!! Please don''t think this is agumentitive. It happens to be a hot topic in our house considering the BF''s occupation.
Just find peoples opinions quite interesting!

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/11/2008 7:55:53 PM
Author: CrookedRock

Date: 3/11/2008 7:22:03 PM
Author: strmrdr
The shallow oil in the middle east is about dried up so they have to go deeper and likely pump it which adds about 15% to the cost.
Why are half the oil rigs in the world there, but yet their production is flat is the past few years? And why have the Middle Easter reserve estimates not changed in 15 years even though the pump out millions of barrels a day? They are finding the exact amout of oil each year that they are producing???

I read a while back that 2 of the biggest areas are refilling faster than its being pumped out and no one can figure out why.

 

[CrookedRock]

Not sure where you hear that, maybe, but inless it''s Ghawar would it really matter?

 

[strmrdr]

Date: 3/11/2008 8:23:55 PM
Author: CrookedRock
Not sure where you hear that, maybe, but inless it's Ghawar would it really matter?

Here is the story about the one in Mexico that is refilling...
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig5/crispin8.html

Middle east:
http://www.oralchelation.com/faq/wsj4.htm

 

[Skippy123]

Date: 3/11/2008 1:51:44 PM
Author: choro72
I might be flamed for this...

As a person who grew with public transportation, I'm hoping that the gas price will go higher so that people will be open to more about alternatives, and give the government incentive to build a better public transportation system. In SoCal, the number of people driving at any given time is ridiculous. PT just makes more sense here.

I wish we had better public transportation too!!! It is amazing to see how wonderful the European city's run on public transportation; I would use it if ours was better.


So many different points of view here; it has been interesting reading through them! Sounds like we are into the high gas prices for the long haul

 

[monarch64]

Haven't read completely through this thread but did skim it. It's just a depressing outlook all around. Since both my husband and I lost our jobs at the beginning of the year we've MAJORLY cut back just about everything. Those cutbacks include transportation (down to one car anyway, but it's an SUV with terrible gas mileage), grocery expenses, trips out and about, phone service, cable services (who needs all those movie channels anyway), mainly we're just getting back to basics and conserving EVERY penny. It's a hard knock life, a trite phrase but I love the movie Annie...and we're really just living frugally until this whole financial pinch thing blows over someday. Hard, but do-able. Funny, at first we thought hey, I just can't buy any more new bags or clothes, and DH can't have new golf clubs or go to Vegas...then we realized how bad it was and now we're down to going to Aldi for TP and paper towels and generic food just in case.

ETA: we're fortunate to live in a place with close PT, and we will utilize it when we need to. Gas money...we never had to worry about it until DH got laid off since he had a company card which we would use for both cars when we were feeling any kind of crunch. Can't rely on that any more, so now it's really hurting us. Blech.

 

[AGBF]

Date: 3/12/2008 12:48:00 AM
Author: monarch64

It's just a depressing outlook all around. Since both my husband and I lost our jobs at the beginning of the year we've MAJORLY cut back just about everything.

Monnie, You have my sympathy. I have been there. The first time my husband was laid off, I was working, although I earned a mere fraction of what he did. The problem was that it interrupted the process of adoption of our daughter! The second time he was laid off I was a stay-at-home mom and he was in his 50's. He was out of work for over a year. It isn't easy to face a grim employment picture. Thank goodness this recession does not appear to be another Great Depression, however. I hope that you and your husband get good jobs soon.

Hugs,
Deborah