rude awakenings, completely 0T

[Jodi Frye]

My hub just called me from his work and tells me to go to the gas station, fill up the vehicle and bring gas cans and fill them up...he tells me news is out that Texas has just closed two refineries and gas is going up to 5 bucks a gallon by this afternoon....what a crock. I'm moving to another planet.

[ThomasT]

Lol jodi thats crap I know but we have to deal with it some how...

[Pauline]

I am running on fumes today and didn't want to fill, but I guess I'd better. I usually try and at least have half a tank before the weekend since every Friday the price goes up. Such a bunch of bull. Charge the higher prices when they get charged them not before!! It's infuiating, and I'm glad I managed to talk my husband out of that Mustang! Who the heck can afford to joy ride??

[Mary]

I am going to gas up today - I have a small car thank goodness - 4 cyl - but it is cute and goes fast enough when on the freeway etc.

[virgo1]

Oh Damn! We're going on our last camping trip of the season in 2 weeks. We live in the city so my Husband can bike to work and I can walk or use public trans to get around. What is not spent on gas now will cover the trip.

I heard this morning that international crude has gone up another dollar :x .

Eva

[Jodi Frye]

It's because of Rita...God forbid they lose a precious penny 'cause they have to close down a plant...wow, must be nice to be able to get away with this crap...The rich get richer...

[jazzfisher]

I know< i have to fill up today....San Diego supposedly has the highest prices in the Nation (no special reason). I let you know if I can buy food later........

[Pauline]

Well I GOT IN LINE this morning!! Drove a little extra to the place on the highway where it was 99.9. It was 101. in town. $83. to fill up!! (my tank was completely empty) They were saying as I paid that it was already $1.75/liter in Toronto!! What a complete rip off. I can't believe that they are allowed to get away with this as they certainly haven't paid any higher prices yet. I had no choice but to fill as I was on fumes. (that could have been a memory card for my new camera which I have to drive an hour away to get on Monday!!)

[Jodi Frye]

Pauline, it has indeed put me in a very bad mood today...luckily I was at the station before the crowds arrived...just dropped off my son at pre-k and the stations are now packed. I just don't understand how they can get away with this...that's like if someone mailed me and asked me to do a graphic project for them and then my computer dies.....then I charge them for a new computer and the graphic. Logical ?? NOT !! But obviously I'm in the wrong business. Maybe I will start digging for black gold in my backyard...or is that Texas tea ?

[Pauline]

The problem is what can be done about it?? You can't very well refuse to buy gas can you?? My husband's drive to work now is darn close to 2 hours. He has a gas card thank God!!! Prior to him having a gas card we were averaging $500/month for gas. That was about a year ago. He drives further now and the price is close to double!! Just driving from Highschool after sports when there is no busing is costing. I now car pool with someone else, but for 3 days of driving it was costing close to $25!! It's depressing.

[virgo1]

Jodi,

I think it's also Saudi Soda.

Eva

[Jodi Frye]

Pauline, I feel your pain...Maybe we should go back to the horse and buggy !

Eva, :lol:

[ThomasT]

Lol...Yes I might be 15 but I do have my permit and my car which I am happy to say I paid for no hassle from mom to pay her back been saving for a while and gas here is like 2.69 a gallon and if I am driving my car I have to pay MY gas which I do but I mean I know how you all feel... I seriously think they do it just to watch us suffer!


Thomas

[Jodi Frye]

15 >?? <gulp> the world is yours dear...you are extremely talented. Soon your parents will be borrowing money from you ! BTW, $2.69 a gal is cheap...compared to what we pay in NY. We were paying 3.79 a gallon a couple of weeks ago...it had just started going down about a week ago...I paid $3.11 this morning. I'm hoping that the Texas refinery close down and gas hikes is just a Reuters rumor.

[MikeH]

$2.69 a gal is cheap...compared to what we pay in NY. We were paying 3.79 a gallon a couple of weeks ago...it had just started going down about a week ago...I paid $3.11 this morning.
We are currently paying £0.94p per litre (which converts to $6.60 per US gallon)... :(

Mike

[Pauline]

Ok Mike, you win!!
Jodi, don't laugh at the horse and buggy thing. Just east of us there is a menonite community and I often pass them with the buggies! My daughter was bug eyed when she saw them. "Yes, Jill, they do exist. It's not just on tv!!" Unlike most drivers, I slow right down when I pass (because after all they aren't doing 80 km). It's kind of quaint -- but slow!
There is something so peaceful about it and having teens now, I wonder if it would be a better way of life to slow down a bit. My son's x-box isn't working and he is going into withdrawals. I, on the other hand am happy and will take my sweet time getting it to the repair shop!

[MikeH]

Pauline,

The fuel price over here is also due to Katrina... it's risen by 12 to 15%. Last week there were threats of blockades at fuel depots - everyone started panic buying and many petrol stations ran out because of that - rather than any blockades (which never happened anyway...).

Mike

[ThomasT]

Lol pauline! Yea I admit when you see highschoolers talking about Xbox's halo 2 game its pretty sad...

Thomas

[Pauline]

Mike, they were blaming Katrina for the rise last week (or was that 2 weeks ago?) from 99.9 - 1.35, and now it's the new hurricane they are blaming. The thing that really really ticks me off is that I believe it's price gouging. How can the pumps charge us these outrageous prices the day after the hurricane when they obviously haven't fill up their supplies yet........and then after a week or so, they drop down, and chances are they still never received a delivery. It's just an opportunity to make some extra money. Unfortunately, it's impossible not to use a vehicle in this town as there is no public transportation. If the kids don't have a late bus, they have no other way to get home from school Since it's a 15 minute drive down the highway, walking is sure not an option. Everyone gets hurt in the long run by this. We'll see it in the price of food, clothing, etc. Shipping charges will skyrocket. You would think those that control the prices would notice that the ripple effects everyone and eventually THEY will also pay more for everything else. Is it really worth it.

That's my bitching over. Time to get back to my digital photography magazine!! :lol:

Latest radio update.......one town has gas for $2.05 and some stations are running out! The hurricane hasn't even hit yet. :cry:

[Jodi Frye]

Pauline, there is alot of Amish in this area...I see the horse and buggy alot ...and alot of black and blue clothes ;)

[ktnoon60]

Pauline,
Before you drive to costco on monday to buy your new camera check the coupon again. Here in Alberta the coupon is a web special. I was at costco a few days ago and that model wasn't carried in the stores here. Best to check again before you burn all that gas.

Kt

[Pauline]

Thanks KT!!! I just looked at the coupon and noticed it says, "only availabe on costco.ca." The price on line is $289 and I imagine the rebate comes off that price which is a RIP OFF. I am positive that this was the model that our store carried but it WAS NOT that much in the store. I'm pretty sure it was under $250. NOW I'M MAD!!!

Maybe I'll go shopping tomorrow instead now!! I have to look for a new printer anyway. Epson has agreed to send me a refund on this garbage CX4600 which was nothing but an ink guzzler and constantly got clogged ink heads. So.......I need a new camera, printer........and the toaster oven is TOAST!! Bought one yesterday and it got so hot you could burn yourself on the outside of it.

[jazzfisher]

Pauline,
Call your Costco store first & find out what is in store, & how much. Will relieve your mind if you go there after buying elsewhere. & calling is cheaper than gas (so far).

[Pauline]

Thanks Sherry. Good idea!!

[Pauline]

Geez, it's back to the drawing board for me!! The store doesn't carry the Z700. They have the Z740 and it's $399, a BIG difference in price! &$^#$
:cry: :cry: :cry:

[CarolLHB]

OMG Mike-I feel guilty complaining now, as I'm paying a little less than half that. No lines in Massachusetts today, but I did fill up. You know, after Katrina, I decided to count my blessings that at least I wasn't as bad off as those poor folks, but it's getting harder and harder to maintain that attitude when clearly this is all just crazy now.
This is the only time that driving an SUV (for the last 17 years) is becoming a problem... :cry: 'Well, we'll have to hang in there I guess.

[virgo1]

Pauline,

Cheer up. Amazon has the Jeremy Sutton Painter IX book for $15 (US) less than the 49.95 price at Borders. I like to look at books before ordering and Borders has a large selection of PSE3 & CS2 books.

Pauline, Jodi, Sherry, Kt, Thomas, & Mike...Are you as tired of having to make lemonade as I feel sometimes. Luckly we have our talents, PSE3, each other, and this forum.

Eva

[ThomasT]

You got that right I am tired of that lemonade stand I hate lemons they keep squirting in my face :evil: :evil: :evil: ...lol....ya see the thing is it all turns around when you get that money from the magazine company and the call saying its going to be in next month's magazine keep 'um coming!

Pauline dont worry about it everything will be ok..Luckly you have friends like us who spotted out that before you went and wasted gas... dont worry with your smarts everything will be just fine!

Thomas

[Pauline]

Well Eva the painter book isn't on sale that I can see. I use Amazon.ca, but would be willing to go to .com because the us exchange is good, but it shows regular price. Did you get yours yet? How is it?

Thomas I'll still be going out and wasting gas as I need to get a new printer too! BUT I guess I will be spending more time on research now for both the camera and the printer. Had to convince the Costco guy to give me the price info! He said they don't give out prices over the phone!
At least it's raining so I can do research rather than walk the dog until Survivor comes on. Thanks for the cheer up and the heads up!! :lol:

[virgo1]

Pauline,

I haven't ordered it yet but was able to look through it at Borders. It feels and reads right to me. Not as advanced as Painter IX WOW. I will get it next month.

Eva

[GaryK]

Pauline

If I get a chance I"ll check a couple of cotcos down this way tomorrow..maybe hubby can pick it up on the way home.

That will be my mission, if I'm not busy at work :lol:

[Pauline]

Thanks for the offer Gary, but when it comes to stuff like that I don't let my husband purchase things! :lol: I'm very picky and he doesn't even have a card! He's now in the very busy crazy office and things aren't going so well. Too many stupid people work there. :wink:

Eva, I've told myself I have to get through my new painter book before I even consider another one. I also find the Painter WOW book a bit too much yet. I just haven't spent enough time with the program yet to be comfortable with it.

[willpresley]

Oh for the gas prices of my youth -- 38 cents a gallon. I'm with Jodi on this take em to the poor house approach to posting gas prices well before the actual increase -- it is nothing more than profiteering which our so-call leader is rolling in the dough with along with the other good old rich texans.

[jazzfisher]

Will,
You got that right!!!!!!!

[Jodi Frye]

Will, yup, it's the American way....NOT ! I repeat... NOT !!!


Mike, I got to thinking...your little Sticky Euro pop autos get about 50+ miles to the gallon ...don't they ??...I'm not sure how that compares with liters to the gallon... So, anyways, it evens out....doesn't it ?? ...about the same as us ? ;)

:lol: ...couldn't help myself

[Punkinsmom]

My hubby and I both drive trucks with big engines. It's around $56 to fill each of us up if we are close to empty. He has to fill up at least twice a week, I fill up once. It's killing us financially. We have gas cards but the bill comes in once a month like clockwork. We are down to only buying groceries twice a month because there is just no money left to do otherwise. Something has to give and I'm tired of it being my wallet!

[Jodi Frye]

Sherry, I know what you mean....been lookin through my stuff trying to figure out what I can sell on eBay... :roll: But I don't have much...my film camera comes to mind...not that I'll get a whole heck of alot for it. It's old.

[virgo1]

My hub rode the bicycle to work and I'm walking to the chiropractors today. I have made a itenerary for tomorrows errends, less backtracking.

There is a Murphys Oil refinery in Superior WI that just switch over from processing heavy crude to light crude. With a refinery 300 miles away processing piped Alberta crude, the evil ba***rds are gouging all of us.

:x

Eva

[jazzfisher]

Jodi,
My film camera isn't worth a tank of gas ( :roll: ) except to me. Our town isn't made for walking--you have to have a car to do anything here. Luckily I could only afford a small car.... It's still a bite in the butt. I put in a half of tank yesterday & it cost what a month's worth used to cost.

[Jodi Frye]

Yup, can't walk to anything here either. Basically the only way I can cut corners is at the grocery store. No biggie, I've eaten mac & cheese quite a bit before...and my kids like it....better than road kill ;)

[Punkinsmom]

We live out in the country, no grocery stores, gas stations, etc. So to walk to anything would take half a day. Hubby does have a motorcycle but it needs to have the carb rebuilt, can't afford that because of paying for gas. What a viscious circle.
Mac and cheese sounds good, I could eat pasta of any kind for every meal but I draw the line on road kill :)
Just out of curiosity, does any one out there think this is just a "sign of the times" or is it just pure and simple greed. There's a word for ya, GREED, it binds us together like a platinum truss, that's from some music I listen to, but it's so true. I just don't know how things can keep going like they are, somewhere, somehow, someway something has to give.

[Jodi Frye]

Sign of the Times ? Well, it's not like an alternative energy government was nominated.... just got to deal with it the best way we can. I refuse to let this get to me...I must move on and fight with my creative energy to get ahead.

[Pauline]

You would think that these greedy gas people would realize that they are only hurting themselves in the long run. Yes they are making more money, but because of their decision to jack up the prices they are also paying MORE for everything else they purchase!! Why are they so stupid and can't see this? I guess the extra they make is plenty to cover for the extra they pay for their food, clothing, etc., due to the increase of gas. :cry:

[Punkinsmom]

Hey, Will, I remember $.15 a gallon, that's right 15 cents! Of course my hubby and I only grossed a little over $6K that year. What a difference 3.5 decades make!

[Jodi Frye]

We had to put groceries on a credit card today....sign of the times ? :roll:

[virgo1]

We both like mac & cheese and our chunk of a 10 year old kitty is receiving smaller portions of older over-weight cat diet. We will have to survive, but I am getting sick of it.

Eva :roll:

[Punkinsmom]

I can relate. We are at the time in our life where we should be financially comfortable. We make more money than we ever have but...we support my son, who is in the ministry, he doesn't make much money, so we help him as we are able, which isn't much, our medical bills are astronomical, then when you factor in 3 cocker spaniels, gas prices and so on, it is just getting very old. I'm ready to sell out, find a big cardboard box and live under a bridge with my dh and doggies. I can go to the Y to shower, and I have a computer at work. I'm just opting for a warmer climate :) Sounds good in theory but somehow I don't think it would work. I guess we can always remortgage the house again! It's just that our interest rate is so low, I really hate to think in that direction.
We've been buying groceries on the credit card for a couple of months now. There is just noting left. I want out of debt but we are in that vicious circle now. We have to use the cards just to make ends meet. Sign of the times...YOU BET!

[Jodi Frye]

sorry :cry: I should not have posted this orginal thread as it seems that this place is our only sanctuary from all that crap. Please forgive me...i had shared too much and I'm sorry :(

[Wendy]

Jodi ...

There are times in all our lives when we hit that sort of situation ... but somehow given time we do climb out of it. Its good to share with friends ... somehow it sort of makes things seem a little better :)


Wendy

[Jodi Frye]

Wendy, well I was feeling better 'cause I felt I was not alone anymore but after reading Sherrie's story on the previous post I felt really really bad :(

[Wendy]

Jodi ...

Don't feel bad ... I'm sure that Sherrie was just sharing a black moment with all of us ... and maybe sharing it made her feel better too.


Wendy

[Punkinsmom]

a black moment, a bleak moment...they're all the same. Jodi, please don't be sorry. We all need a time to vent and I know that 50 years from now I won't care, it's just the here and now that seems so uncertain. I know what awaits me when this is all over.

[Jodi Frye]

Yes, indeed when this is all over I will get my cabin in the sky overlooking Dave Cross's video's :) :) :) ...he's so cute ! :wink:

[virgo1]

Jodi,

Don't beat yourself up. We probably all needed this. Do something nice for you even if it nothing more than a hot soak.

Eva

[Jodi Frye]

Eva,
http://www.handykult.de/plaudersmilies.de/bee.gif
Thanks

[Pauline]

We've been going through a rough time around here this month with something personal that happened, and I was feeling pretty depressed lately which is why I treated myself with the new camera. It's not like we had the money. I just needed it and it keeps my mind occupied. I have some other wonderful friends from my Golden Retriever list that I could vent to and cry too and even though I don't know them, it helped a lot. Some times Jodi, it's nice to know that you aren't alone in the world and there are others in your same predicament. Or even just beating on the old keyboard and helping to get it out of your system helps. At least I find it does. :lol: If someone isn't interested they don't have to read or reply.

[CarolLHB]

Guess I'll go back to the thinking that at least we and are families are safe and warm and not running for our lives...
Not gonna let it get me down :D

[Jodi Frye]

Pauline, thanks, your words always help :)

Carol, funny you should mention it this way...on the way back from the grocery store today I said to my hub that we cant let this crap get us down...I mentioned to him that it was nothing we did wrong....we didn't go out and spend foolishly or anything...we always kind of lived on a fruggle budget and that was fine. We live a simple life and that is fine. So now things are different because everything is rising in cost around us except for the household income. The house gets cold at night and we still don't know where that money is going to come from to fill the heating fuel oil tank...well, half fill it anyways. We used to rely on my husband's bonus around this time of year but he didn't get it this year because sales dropped at SEARS and no bonuses were handed out to anyone. So basically everyone is in the same boat...nobady spends like they used to 'cause they can't afford to anymore. My husband is manager of the automotive department and has all different hours. Told him to quit and get a first shift job so that i could get a second shift job...this way i could be home in the day for the kids and he'd be home at night for them. Granted we would rarely see each other but ..hey, sign of the times right ?? We'll see if he considers it...t'il then I just keep puddling along and answering bids for graphic art work...