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Old 04-23-2011, 02:38 AM   #1
rich6506547
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fuel

Well lets talk about the price of fuel as for me as iam retired,money is getting tight. I work camp in Texas down at Houston tell september in winter well be in south texas, not sure well go north to see kid this year. Just went for a quick two weeks up to kansas and back not pulling the monty round trip 600 for fuel,things are getting high.
 
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Old 04-23-2011, 02:43 AM   #2
CamillaMichael
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Nothing's cheap anymore! You even have to pay some local authority for water to your house these days...where will it end!
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Old 04-23-2011, 03:46 AM   #3
Waynem
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Well, the price is not going to stop us. We leave an another couple weeks for the East Coast area, (SC) and then who knows. I expect we will be back by the first week of August to catch up on some things, and let the bank build up a little.

Where in Houston are you work camping?
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Old 04-23-2011, 04:49 AM   #4
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Rich, We just got back from a three week trip and definetely felt the increase in fuel prices. Cost us about $50 more in fuel for each 500 miles driven over last year. To make up for the increase we ate a few less meals out and maybe moved a little less often. We decided the joys of Rv'ing are worth the extra effort in the kitchen. Jim
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Old 04-23-2011, 04:59 AM   #5
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We took a trip to the TX hill country a couple weeks ago, about 200 miles on I-35 and another 100+ miles on secondary roads. Did cost us some extra bucks for fuel. But I was amazed at the number of RVs on the road going both ways (including numerous Montanas ). And it is not even vacation season yet. Did not look like RV travel has slowed down much yet.
And we are still planning our annual trip to Colorado in June. Hoping fuel costs will not be as bad as it was a couple years ago when diesel was around $5/gal.
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Old 04-23-2011, 06:54 AM   #6
stiles watson
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Let's just say we won't be filling any empty slots on our map this year.
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Old 04-23-2011, 08:45 AM   #7
Art-n-Marge
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It's a good thing you don't have many left Stiles. I don't post our map cuz there's only 3 U.S. states on it. We've traveled by car or rail to all but 7 U.S. states and does include BC and YT in Canada but I don't count these because I use my map for overnight designations in the Monty. To each their own.

Being retired in a stickhouse means if we don't like the prices of fuel, we just don't go anywhere. That's no fun, but one day we'll decide whatever we use on fuel will take away from something else like fancy dining and souvenirs. I'll settle for digital pictures for souvenirs and eating 100% in the rig, but DW prefers to spend money on the local fare, which means we mostly stay home for now. Plus she can't stand being away from our 2yr old grandson for too long. I'll admit I'm about the same but it's more fun to blame DW.... LOL.

Reading that post for Houston, TX to Kansas and back costing $600, wow.... I remember that being 6 months of rent. WOW.

Gotta mention... diesel fuel is over $4.51 around my house. I hear it's cheaper outside California but I have to fill up here first.
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Old 04-23-2011, 09:03 AM   #8
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Ya, prices for diesel in Cali are just getting insane! When I first bought my truck less than a year ago, seems like diesel was priced between reg. gas and premium.
Now diesel is more than premium and I don't understand why? I guess it has to do with the cost of refining it vs. gasoline?
Ouch!
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Old 04-23-2011, 01:23 PM   #9
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Quote:
quote:Originally posted by Waynem

Well, the price is not going to stop us.
Ditto!! If we want to go, we're going, period.
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Old 04-23-2011, 04:17 PM   #10
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quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Waynem

Well, the price is not going to stop us.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Ditto!! If we want to go, we're going, period.


Yep, that's just what our Government and Big Oil was hoping to hear. I'll be going on shorter journeys and letting the boat float in some cove more. Soon every mile I pull the fiver will cost 50 cents! A tank of gas for the boat $80! Depressing ......
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Old 04-24-2011, 08:13 AM   #11
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It cost us $675 to tow the Big Sky from Yuma,AZ to Newport,OR last week. Good thing is we'll be here until September volunteering for the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.
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Old 04-24-2011, 09:49 AM   #12
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All along I've maintained that the price of fuel should not stop us from traveling. We chose the lifestyle almost 11 years ago and have not regretted it. However we have begun staying in one spot longer than we would normally have done. For example, when going from one place to another, our stops in between have now been stretched into four or five days rather than just overnight. Presently, we are staying on our lifetime leased lot in Lakewood, NM from April 1 to June 24 to help combat the soaring costs of fuel.

Orv
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Old 04-24-2011, 04:54 PM   #13
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We are trying not to let it change our longer trips of 10 days or more. Where it hurts is we will do no weekend or long weekend trips that range in the one to two hundred mile range. It's cheaper to take the car and get a cheap motel. This has to hurt the tourist industry. We used to travel several weekends a summer. I'm sure we are not the only ones cutting the short trips to help pay for the long ones.
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Old 04-25-2011, 06:08 AM   #14
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We still will be there for the Northeast Rally in Main in June. We will have to evaluate the trip to Goshen as time gets closer. As long as fuel does not get to $6 or higher, we will probably will go.

As for other camping, we are staying closer to home - within 100 miles one way. 10mpg @ $4.25 two ways is about $85 which isn't too bad for an outdoor adventure of 4 nights. The lousy weather here in PA is saving us fuel also!! So is the kitchen remodeling project. We looked at the calendar and have just one weekend available before the trip to Maine.
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Old 04-25-2011, 05:02 PM   #15
Waynem
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Let me expand on the below quotes just a little.

We started camping back in '76, and we had some fun, but it was weekend camping. Being in the military for 23 years cramps your family style camping quite a bit, but hey, I had my share of tents and bunkers. I also traveled half way across these United States on a Motorcycle carrying a tent. It was great fun.

In 2007 I retired for the second time, and my wife retired for the first time, and we bought a Montana 3400RL. Kept it a year and did some East Coast and Midwest (far as LV) traveling. Because of medical reasons we switched to the present SOB in August '08. I have put just a little over 30,000 miles on it at an average of 8.9 miles to the gallon. That's about $10,000 in fuel. So we travel, and travel, and travel.

In July I turn 70 years old. I don't know how many more healthy driving years I will have. I'd like to enjoy what I have in a lifestyle that I like.

So for the shorter trips of say 200 miles, and at a maximum of 10 trips a year, that's 20,000 miles and at my MPG that's about $11,000. So yes, I'll feed the greedy oil companies, but government doesn't have anything to do with the price of fuel other than the taxes they impose. For gasoline in Texas it's about 17 cents a gallon, and for diesel it's about 24 cents a gallon. All the other increases in fuel are a function of the commodity brokers and not big oil or government.

So if I put on my usual 30,000 miles I guess I'm going to spend about $600 more than if I put on 20,000 miles on short trips.

You do what you gotta do, and I'll do what I feel is a gotta do for me.

Happy trails.

Quote:
quote:Originally posted by dieselguy

quote:
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Originally posted by Waynem

Well, the price is not going to stop us.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------



Ditto!! If we want to go, we're going, period.


Yep, that's just what our Government and Big Oil was hoping to hear. I'll be going on shorter journeys and letting the boat float in some cove more. Soon every mile I pull the fiver will cost 50 cents! A tank of gas for the boat $80! Depressing ......
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Old 04-25-2011, 05:13 PM   #16
Bill-N-Donna
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I would like to just simply boycott the cost by not making any purchases but I find it’s one of my biggest addictions. I want to go places and don’t want to stay at home all of the time. It probably will curtail some of the traveling somewhat though.

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Old 04-26-2011, 10:21 AM   #17
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Wait until we see the quarterly profit announcements of the oil companies this /next week. (I don't think they have announced yet -- as I recall they come out at the end of April). In any case CNN and MSNBC News were both reporting expectations of 50 to 60 percent increases over last year. Now I don't mind them making the money if they are reinvesting it into energy -- wells, refineries, etc.; but big bonuses for their brass who have actually done nothing, well, you can tell by my writing tone that it upsets me.

As for the topic of this thread - we have already curtailed our driving and camping. No raises in the past 4 years for state employees, and now looking at a 7 to 10 percent pay cut plus furlough days this coming Fiscal Year. Not a good scenario for those of us still having to work. I imagine also not a good scenario for those of you retired and on fixed income. However, as several have mentioned, you have the option to spend a few more days in one place -- the wife and I don't have the option of not going to work. (there are some days where I definitely wish we did though .) Off my soapbox and sorry for the rant.
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Old 04-26-2011, 10:37 AM   #18
richfaa
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Just cost us 463.04 in Diesel on our trip back from Florida (1115 miles) considerably more than it cost going down. We had decided long ago to not do a summer trip this year so we have nothing to cancel out. We will still do the two MOC rallies we have signed up for in Aug and Sept but my guess is fuel will be down by that time. The cost of fuel and the impact that has on everything else will slow us down. Our retirement income is fixed and has not increased for 3 years and it looks like it will not in years to come however most everything else has increased. We only have so much to spend so if out expenses increase by 10 % with no increase in income we have to cut 10% from somewhere to keep even.. Such is life.
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Old 04-26-2011, 12:18 PM   #19
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I have to admit that retirement is a ways off, especially the way the economy is going... We get to spend 50 to 55 nights in our Montana. 2 years ago I started making Biodiesel with used vegetble oil. Costs about a $1 a gallon to make and a couple hours labor. I mix any where from 10% to 80% with petro diesel. Smells like a french fry when your down wind. My F350 has about the same power and gets 10 to 13 MPG depending on where we are. Missouri's diesel is $3.95 at the pump. I may not make as many trips, they will just have to be longer.
Take care and be safe on the road!
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Old 04-26-2011, 12:24 PM   #20
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Rich, same boat here. Costs are increasing but income is not. We continue to find creative ways to stretch the budget.

A couple of weeks ago we traveled 890 miles in 3 days. $315.33 in diesel. We were paying western state prices.

Someone mentioned buying a gas truck instead of diesel because of the price of diesel. I can maybe see that if they mean the premium when buying a new truck, although you get most of that back at tradein. But if they're talking about the price at the pump, then buying gas instead of diesel does not compute. Our diesel gets almost 45% better towing mileage than did our V10 gasser and probably even better when solo. In order for gas to be a better buy, if gas is 3.879, then diesel would have to be 5.624 per gallon to be equivalent. So long as diesel is less than 45% more than gas at the pump, I'm better off with a diesel. Not to mention longevity and ease of towing. Just my nickel's worth.
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