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Lisbet
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 10:50am | IP Logged
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 Has the price of gas changed the way you do things? I know most of us drive big beast vans that hog the gas. Even though I live right in the middle of everything, I'm begining to become more aware of where we go because of this. It cost me $90 to fill my van the other day, and I had a quarter of a tank to begin with!
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Lisa, wife to Tony,
Mama to:
Nick, 17
Abby, 15
Gabe, 13
Isaac, 11
Mary, 10
Sam, 9
Henry, 7
Molly, 6
Mark, 5
Greta, 3
Cecilia born 10.29.10
Josephine born 6.11.12
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doris
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 11:40am | IP Logged
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Well, I don't know if I've done the maths right (I had to convert litres to gallons and then pounds to dollars) but our petrol (gas) costs $7.19 a gallon! We live in London and mostly have the option of getting the Tube or walking -- so we do. Otherwise petrol prices are absolutely crippling.
It's helped that we moved last year, so I've planned our activities around what's accessible. I really, really hate sitting in London traffic *and* feeling guilty about pollution.
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Home educating in London, UK with dd (2000) ds (2002), dd (2004), ds (2008) and dd (2011).
Frabjous Days
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hylabrook1
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 1:19pm | IP Logged
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In some ways, conserving gas and consolidating trips has been a blessing. I didn't realize how many times I went out and about and how much it was breaking up my day. Now I am sometimes gone longer when I leave, but I have also gained longer uninterrupted stretches at home, which is actually more peaceful.
Another thing I've learned (after 35 years of driving!  is that with automatic transmission I don't need to keep my foot on the gas as much as I had been doing. I learned to drive on a stick shift and most of my driving until this past fall had been on a stick. Just since this fall, when the car situation changed, the *at home* car is the one with automatic. I've improved my mileage from 20 mpg to 25 mpg (in a Chrysler mini-van) by paying closer attention to the road surface and taking my foot off the gas when I'm going downhill. I guess you can teach an old dog new tricks! 
Peace,
Nancy
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Paula in MN
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 1:44pm | IP Logged
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hylabrook1 wrote:
| In some ways, conserving gas and consolidating trips has been a blessing. I didn't realize how many times I went out and about and how much it was breaking up my day. Now I am sometimes gone longer when I leave, but I have also gained longer uninterrupted stretches at home, which is actually more peaceful. |
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I agree! I always have to drive to the Twin Cities twice a month, but I am now consolidating that trip with every errand I have to run. I throw a cooler in the trunk and get all my grocery shopping, thrift store donating and shopping, and book selling and shopping done on that trip. I know I am saving money and time!
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 Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 6:21pm | IP Logged
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Trying to consolidate my trips as much as possible. Remembering to drive the Taurus rather than the Expedition when I have fewer passengers. Other than that, I can't change much. I live too far from anything to walk or bike.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
LaPaz Home Learning
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chicken lady
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| Posted: May 18 2007 at 6:31pm | IP Logged
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I am really cutting down on driving. And when we go out we drive our Volvo wagon instead of our big suburban. I told the dc that we are staying put this summer, or at least not driving to town everyday!
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MicheleQ
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 5:14pm | IP Logged
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FYI if your vehicle needs a tune up you may find getting one gives you better gas mileage. We had our van ('94 Dodge Grand Caravan) tuned up recently and it's getting almost 25 mpg now.
BUT, I would SO like to get a diesel van. My dh's car (VW Jetta) is diesel and it gets great mileage -, PLUS diesel is now cheaper than regular gas (at least it is here).
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Chari
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 6:11pm | IP Logged
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How much IS Gas there, Michele?
Wondering, since I will be buying gas there in the near future 
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Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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Paula in MN
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 6:15pm | IP Logged
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Chari -- FYI, today gas is 3.35 per gallon here, and Diesel is 2.85.
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Paula
A Catholic Harvest
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chicken lady
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 6:27pm | IP Logged
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Here it is 3.09, I filled up at Costco for 2.83 the other day!
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MicheleQ
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 7:18pm | IP Logged
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Chari wrote:
How much IS Gas there, Michele?
Wondering, since I will be buying gas there in the near future |
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Regular is about $2.99/gallon right now.
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Michele Quigley
wife to my prince charming and mom of 10 in Lancaster County, PA USA
http://michelequigley.com
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Chari
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 7:33pm | IP Logged
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I think I payed about $3.55 yesterday for regular. I am so glad that my new car takes regular.
I was looking forward to paying less as I drove across the country.......hope it IS less 
Thanks, Paula and Lady. Anyone else I am seeing who has a gas price??? This is way more fun than looking on AAA or mapquest
BTW........I hardly use my suburban, or now, Yukon XL........ unless we ALL have to go. Sometimes only once a week, sometimes even less. My dh got an old Honda for me to drive, which I use the majority of the time......and he got it because of the gas prices.
I have always tried to group my errands together, or avoid them because of gas.............Our gas is almost always the highest in CA, which makes it often the highest in the US, excluding ALaska, I think.
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Chari...Take Up & Read
Dh Marty 27yrs...3 lovely maidens: Anne 24, Sarah 20 & Maddelyn 17 and 3 chivalrous sons: Matthew 22, Garrett 16 & Malachy 11
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 8:36pm | IP Logged
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Our gas just went up 20 cents today to 3.19
I wish I had filled up yesterday! 
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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Donna Marie
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Our gas prices are up to 2.85. I have just been keeping our large van in the driveway. I don't like getting heart palpitations at the gas pumps
I wish things would improve...especially heating oil. I mean...just think of all the books you could purchase with that money!!
God love you!
Donna Marie from NJ
hs momma to 7dc 
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Donna Marie from NJ
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Finding Elegant Simplicity
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stefoodie
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Cheapest around here this morning was $3.09. Tonight it's back up to $3.15-$3.29.
Check Gas Buddy for the cheapest prices near you. Won't save you a whole lot of money compared to other things like doing errands only once a week, etc. but might help a bit.
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lapazfarm
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| Posted: May 19 2007 at 9:38pm | IP Logged
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Donna Marie wrote:
I wish things would improve...especially heating oil. I mean...just think of all the books you could purchase with that money!!
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Tell me about it. We just spent over 500 bucks filling our fuel oil tank. Don't need it now, but figured we had better go ahead and fill it since there is no telling how high it will be by fall.
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Theresa
us-schooling in beautiful Fairbanks, Alaska.
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JodieLyn
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$3.47 here.. but I understand OR is fourth higest in the nation.. so most other places (california is not one of them) should be cheaper 
As far as driving my van.. doesn't make much difference.. I was already combining trips just because once I get all the kids into the car.. we might as well do everything we can My kids are small so everyone is in at least a booster.. though the older kids can buckle themselves and the littles (much easier on me now!!)
And it's not cost effective to get another vehicle that we don't need for the rare times I run to the store without all the kids.. even with gas prices. That may change in a few years when I'll have kids big enough to leave in charge for longer periods of time.. but for now.. not much I can do about it.
Luckily we live in a small town so that a tank of gas lasts me 5-6 weeks.
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G-18, B-17, G-15, G-14, B-13, B-11, G-9, B-7, B-5, B-4
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Joelle
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| Posted: May 20 2007 at 4:39pm | IP Logged
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We live a hike from everything. My dh calculated the cost of driving to the major places we go (because we were going quite a few places each day). We have to scale back in a major way as everything seems more expensive. At first I was disappointed, but I have a lot of littles to load up, and I think it will help my stress level not to be "out and about" so much!
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Mom to 7: Boy (96), Girls (00, 02, 04), Boy (05), Girl (07), Boy (09)
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CAgirl4God
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| Posted: May 21 2007 at 9:24am | IP Logged
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we paid $3.65 the other day. usually we get if from Vons (club card savings) or the base when we go down there. that saves us some.
but I def. combine and plan out trips. I only have four right now, but I will be honest. running errands is not something I look forward to with all of them in tow.
I would rather be out having fun with them and runing the errands on my own, lol.
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JenniferS
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| Posted: May 22 2007 at 8:01am | IP Logged
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We are in Kansas. Gas is $3.49/gallon here.
Jen
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4Real Forums : Mothering and Family Life
Topic: Gas Prices
