Gas Prices

System

Yesterday, I saw gas prices of more than $3 for the first time in a while . February is supposed to be the month that gas prices are at their lowest. After seeing - and paying - my January electric bill, it makes those people who drive teeny tiny cars (I drive a Corolla, mind you) and live off the grid seem not so extreme.

What are gas prices where you are and do you think this is just a blip because of the crisis in Egypt or do you think prices are going to be going up this year?

PS Glad TK is a supporter of telecommuting.

cnghr

Our gas prices haven't gotten down [U]below[/U] $3/gallon since the prices originally shot up a few years ago! For a long time it was $3.22 at most of the stations here, then a while back it jumped to $3.25, and just last week it went to $3.28. I am hoping this is just tied to the crisis in Egypt somehow, but at this point, it wouldn't surprise me if it continues to go up this year. We're going to get a newer model truck this spring that should get better gas mileage than the one we currently have, but it still won't help if the price of gas keeps going up!

plynnl

Ours are hovering around $3.15 to $3.37.

Still Need Coffee

We are getting killed with gas prices. [URL="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/10/chicagos-gas-prices-highe_n_806669.html"]http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/01/10/chicagos-gas-prices-highe_n_806669.html[/URL]
The other day I paid $3.69 for regular. Just about had a heart attack.

kdigangi

Price here is about 3.28/gal and so is home heating oil. It started rising weeks before the Egyptian unrest, so I don't see the connection--not yet anyway--the worst may be yet to come. OPEC artificially constrains production to keep prices high. Heard on the radio this am, they are still at the same daily output as in 1973 despite the tremendous increase in demand worldwide.

What is really scary is that, historically, a rise in gal prices has always been followed by an increase in unemployment--not what we want to hear right now.

Dutch2

Here in central Missouri we have been at $2.899 for some time now. All of this while the price of crude oil has actually been going down a bit. It is interesting when the price of crude goes up they do not hesitate to raise the price of gas because of the increase. It comes in handy living only 1/4 mile away from my work place.

ACU Frank

We were down to 2.83 a few days ago, but it's back up to 2.89 now. It's been as high as 2.99 in the past month, but that didn't last long.

FunHRBanker

$3.15 around here. And it irritates the crap out of me!

Dutch- Funny that the same doesn't hold true when the price of crude goes down. They're quick to raise, but rather slow at dropping.

Regardless of fuel price, as long as large vehicles and semis travel on the interstate, I think the people who drive Smart Cars on them are total idiots. One little rub and you're done.

Cheryl S SPHR

We have not been under $3 for some time. Right around $3.17 now for ethanol, which is cheapest here in Central South Dakota.

joannie

[quote=FunHRBanker;721638]Regardless of fuel price, as long as large vehicles and semis travel on the interstate, I think the people who drive Smart Cars on them are total idiots. One little rub and you're done.[/quote]

Hey Fun, where else are semi's supposed to travel? Stop and think how much stuff we think we have to have that we would have to do without if it weren't for trucks delivering the products.

FunHRBanker

No, no...I wasn't saying anything about semis...I was talking about the Smart Cars! I fully understand ground freight.

I just think that driving in a rollerskate on a road with LARGE trucks is not so smart!

cnghr

[quote=FunHRBanker;721642]No, no...I wasn't saying anything about semis...I was talking about the Smart Cars! I fully understand ground freight.

I just think that driving in a rollerskate on a road with LARGE trucks is not so smart![/quote]

Gotta agree with you there...even in our F250 all we'd have to do is gently bump one of those tiny little cars and they'd go flying off the road, while it probably wouldn't even jar us enough to set off our air bags. I can't imagine being in one of them on a road with heavy semi traffic. Yikes!

ACU Frank

I guess a Smart Car and my Vulcan might be an even match.

System

US Energy Information Administration recently released their new short-term outlook - first once since Egypt hit the news. Between this and getting my latest electric bill yesterday I'm glad I like peanut butter sandwiches because gas and electric prices are going to eat up everything else.

[url]http://www.eia.doe.gov/emeu/steo/pub/contents.html[/url]

NaeNae55

Wendi,

Do you have any idea how accurate they have been in the past? It makes a difference on how much we all panic.

Dutch2

Just a note that crude oil was at $84.34 this morning had been in the $90's for some time this year. I paid my January utility bill and it was almost twice the amount for December. The price of gas in January was nearly as much as my total bill in Dec.
Thank goodness for the warmer weather this week. We had minus 10 degrees on 2-10-11 and just one week later, tomorrow, they are predicting 71-72 degrees. At least this is melting most all of the snow, except the huge piles.

Paul in Cannon Beach

I'm going to skateboard to work this summer.

kdigangi

A friend of mine got a scooter a couple of years ago and has saved a ton in gas. It gets something like 60 mpg. I have a highway commute and am a scaredy cat, but a good idea for anyone brave enough.

ACU Frank

My car's mileage isn't horrible... 20 or so. But every day I ride my motorcycle instead, I save about $8 in gas. It doesn't sound like a whole lot, but $8 a day adds up during the warm months.

Paul in Cannon Beach

Are you kidding? $8 per day sounds like ALOT to me.

System

I think the forecast are usually pretty accurate. But it's a very unpredictable time with all the unrest in the Middle East. I'm just blown away by the spike in gas prices and seeing a 25% increase in my electric bills at the same time. And TVA is changing how they charge so it's going to be even more expensive in the winter and summer months because of peak use.

Frank on a motorcycle. I didn't see that one coming. Anyone else have an unusual form of transportation they use to commute to work? I've got a friend who is a professor at the state university near my home who uses a scooter (non-motorized) to get around campus. He loves it.

ACU Frank

I agree $8 a day is a lot, Paul, but it's a lot more effort, too. I have to start earlier, because I won't drive as fast on the bike. I have to wear a rain suit over my clothes - not because it's raining, because I won't ride in the rain, but to keep my dress clothes from getting messed up by road grime, etc... I need a change of shoes for the same reason. Everything I carry has to be packed in the saddlebags, and because of my desire for dry pavement, I sometimes get stuck waiting for the skies to clear. Except for the rain problem, none of these are terribly time-consuming by themselves, but it adds about 20 minutes to my 2-hour round trip and sometimes it feels like $8 for the extra gas is a bargain.

Dutch2

Local prices of gasoline have taken a hit the past two or three days. Last Friday we were still at $2.899, Tuesday, yesterday, it was at $2.959 and today it is at $3.059. I am sure we will soon be receiving requests for a higher mileage allowance.

plynnl

Costco gas was even at 3.23 yesterday, but I have seen gas around here as high as 3.51.

Dutch2

Crude oil finally went over the $100.00. It is at $100.63 a barrel today. We have been lucky to have lower gas prices here in central Mo - today the local stores are at $3.15 per gallon. Since I have a 30-32 gallon tank I have to remember to fill up at a half tank - just so "psychologically" it doesn't hurt so much. I recall the last time prices went so high the local c-stores had to have their pumps reset to accept credit card amounts in excess of $100.00.

Celeste Blackburn SPHR

I put together an article for this week's Hero Line about ways you can ease the burden of rising gas prices for employees even if you can't offer telecommuting.
My favorite idea of the bunch is calling around to other companies near you to set up a larger carpool network for employees to tap into.
[URL="http://hrhero.com/hl/articles/2011/03/24/rising-gas-prices-how-employers-can-help-workers/"]Read the article and tell me what you think.[/URL]

Dutch2

Guess we are just getting comfortable with the higher prices. Oil was up to $113 pb but is now down to $106 - of course our prices still went up another 10 cents over night to $3.699 per gallon. Most of the local increases have been 10 cents at a time. Put in 25 gallons two days ago for a total of $90.00. The talking heads are now saying expect to see $4.00 and higher for the Summer.
Any guesstimates on how high it will go this time?

Cheryl S SPHR

I heard could be $5.00. I am thinking not (overly optimistic I am told at times). I'll guess $4.50.

FunHRBanker

We're currently at $3.859. I'll guess we'll top out at $4.89. Yuck.

cnghr

I think we are at around $3.69/gallon right now. Last month we traded in our gas-hog truck for a newer model SUV, which gets much better gas mileage, although when gas gets this expensive I begin to think we'd be better off investing in a couple of good bicycles!

Still Need Coffee

I paid $3.94 yesterday - took over $50 to fill up a MINI Cooper. This is BS.:mad: