Gas Prices

[snowball]

we get about 10-13 depending pulling a huge 5th wheel it's 36 foot and heavy need I say more?
not pulling we get somewhere in the neighborhood of 18-20 again depending
sheila

[DorisAnn]

We don't have any choice in the travel department. just signed our summer festival contract and must go. We get only 7.5 to 8 mpg with our F450 pulling heavy 38 footer. We will also cut back elsewhere and travel sssslllllooooowwwwwly. Just glad we don't hit any mountain passes until late September.

[JudyJB]

A lot of friends have also asked me why I am buying a motorhome with gas so expensive. I tell them I am not going to be constantly racing back and forth cross-country like Forrest Gump. I will also not be driving 35 miles round trip to work 5 days a week.

So if I have to stay in more national parks and forests, and do without full-hookups a lot less, fine. I rather cut back there than on traveling!! Most of us do slow traveling anyway, don't we??

Forgot to tell all of you that my son lives in Napa, CA, so I am usually exceedingly well supplied with wine, if you happen to bump into me. I don't drink much of it, but I do enjoy a favorite champagne once in a while, and I have found a killer port and an incredible Madeira that I have not yet opened. Won't cut back on that and carrying real glass wine glasses.

[mitch5252]

...and carrying real glass wine glasses.

X 2

And I bought a set of these take to AK - wine glass holders



Please note the quarter used for scale, NOT the remote control. Proof you can teach an old dog new tricks...

[Bethers]

Before toad, I averaged 9.9 mpg. Since toad, down to about 9.4-9.5. That includes times with the bad winds, etc. But today, I try to pull off and not travel when the winds are against me. A day stopped is safer than traveling. Like today here - winds are bad - wouldn't be a travel day for me unless I absolutely had to.

[AlmostThere]

copied from 2/24/12 edition of The Peninsula Clarion newspaper (Kenai, Ak paper).

Once again, geopolitical issues have led to a spike in the price of crude oil — North Slope Crude hit $124 a barrel this week — which has led many analysts to predict prices at the pump will hit $5 a gallon in the near future.

Closer to home, here in Alaska we continue to face a conundrum over gas prices: oil is produced and refined here, yet we consistently pay higher prices at the pump than the rest of the nation. It’s a situation that gives rise to plenty of theories, most of which center around oil company conspiracies to gouge the consumer.

In early 2009, the Alaska attorney general’s office investigated gas prices in the state and found no evidence of illegal price-fixing among sellers. Its report cited market conditions specific to Alaska for causing gas prices to stay high.

Even closer to home, one of the biggest gripes is the difference in price at the pump between the Kenai Peninsula and Anchorage. Certainly, there are economies of scale and other factors, but one of the biggest factors to keep in mind is that there is a sales tax collected on the Peninsula, while no sales tax is collected in the big city. Ask any local merchant; sales tax — and the competition with merchants who don’t have to charge it — is a big deal for local business.

Don’t get us wrong — we’re not at this point arguing for a cut to the sales tax. Sales tax revenues are an important part of Peninsula municipal budgets. Steady sales tax revenue keeps property taxes low, and the sales tax collected by the borough is dedicated to education, certainly a priority in our book.

Our intent is simply to point out the biggest factor in the difference in prices at the pump, to dispel the myth that it’s entirely an oil company conspiracy. If you do the math, it comes out like this: If you buy gas within city limits, you pay 6 percent in sales tax (3 percent to the borough, 3 percent to Soldotna or Kenai). At $4 per gallon, that 6 percent works out to 24 cents per gallon, which is usually about the difference in price between the Peninsula and Anchorage.

There may not be much we can do to change the geopolitical situation, but with the possibility of $5 a gallon gas on the horizon, there are some things we can do to soften the blow.

First and foremost is conservation. Obviously, newer, technologically advanced vehicles will get better gas mileage than an old clunker. If your vehicle gets 18 miles per gallon, at $5 per gallon, that’s roughly 28 cents a mile. If a new set of spark plugs, clean filters, a well-tuned engine and properly inflated tires can make your vehicle more efficient — say 20 miles per gallon — your average cost per mile drops to 25 cents a mile. If you drive 1,000 miles a month, the savings is $30. It may not sound like much, but it adds up — and depending on your vehicle, a good mechanic may very well be able to squeeze more than just a 2-mile-per-gallon improvement out of your ride.

While we’re doing the math, it wouldn’t hurt to budget a little more for gas money into our summer plans. And another obvious way to conserve is by driving less. If you can, consolidate all those errands into one trip. Set up a carpool with your coworkers, or the parents of your childrens’ classmates if they regularly get a ride. And it may still be a little wintery for most of us to consider at the moment, but as things warm up, think about bicycling or walking to work. In fact, there’s a new local cycling club forming, and plans for bike-to-work week are in the works.

Prices at the pump likely will continue to be a sore spot for Alaskans for the foreseeable future. Planning ahead, with the family budget, vehicle maintenance and potential efficiency measures, will make it a little easier to ride out the anticipated increase in price

[linann]

Paid $5 a gallon three years ago by accident. Was taking my parents to the doctor and needed gas fast. First station north of the airport did not have price on the big sign, but had a small sign with a lower price stuck on the pole by the street. Hopped out, used credit card and started pumping without paying attention. Just as the pump shut off the man at the pump behind me called out asking if this price was real or a mistake. That's when I realized I had just paid $100 (price per gallon was .59999). Very misleading. Went into station where the woman was nasty and everyone was yelling.

I was sooooo upset. Went outside, but then stopped and started telling everyone who pulled in what the price was. Finally figured I'd better leave before I got arrested, plus had to get to the doctor's. Had to listen to my dad all the way across town that he could not believel I had paid $5. Only good news to this saga is Dad's short term memory was shot and he forgot all about this by the time we left the doctor's. Gas prices then started falling.

Now, I pay close attention BEFORE pumping the gas. Have noticed that stations a block apart or even across the street can have difference of up to ten cents a gallon.

[sunshinecruiserTN]

I paid $4.20 yesterday in Sarasota at a Pilot w/.03 off. I have since seen it for $4.17. Coming from TN to FL and towing I got 16mpg with my new-to-me rig towing the Grey Goose. W/ Somewhere I got 6.2 mpg. I'll keep on going, it's what I do.

[carold]

We've been paying $3.65 to $3.90 for regular gas here in Sarasota. Pilot always seems to be more than the other brands. Besides, you have to use a debit card and someone swiped our number at one in Georgia and used it. Thankfully, tGM is extrememy proficient at dealing with those type of issues and we got our money back. Gas is just something we pay for in order to live this lifestyle. carold

[Sandersmr]

I'm paying 3.49 - 3.59 here in TX. It seems to have stabilized over the last week - I hope!

[WickedLady]

Our price just hit $4 for regular.

[AlmostThere]

Those with smart phones can use the app called Gasbuddy to find gas prices for reg, midgrade, prem, and diesel in any zipcode or city or you can enable 'launch near me'.

[Bethers]

Our price just hit $4 for regular.

Summer 2005, I paid $3.99 for gas in WA. It's been here before, just sayin'. Sux, but the gas companies can get away with it for no good reason.

[bluepinecones]

I paid close to $4.00 gal in both FL and GA on way home. Was thrilled to find gas yesterday near Gadsden for $3.58. Noticed it was $3.70 in south Huntsville - much of that difference is probably city, county and state taxes.
Have not figured gas mileage yet; given the large amount of idling I've done, it wouldn't be very accurate anyway. I do know she is a thirsty little devil tho.

[Christine]

I will just stay close to home. I already have 3 reservations for this yr. My longest trip will be to Long Beach... i just put gas in the truck it was 1/2 full and it still cost me $50.. so it will sit till i get ready to go at the end of the month.

I will just try to put alittle into savings so i will have gas money .. i dont intend to stay home, but will book acouple of more trips besides the ones i already have planned..