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ROBERTSUNRUS · 11-04-2010, 10:16 PM

Hi, the gas stations in my neighborhood have been playing games. Prices going up, down, and sideways. Now some of the gas stations have two price signs; One price for cash or debit, and another [higher] price for credit. I virtually, always pay with my credit card so I don't have to deal the person inside and to avoid walking back and forth twice. The other day, I decided to pay cash; After all, it was four cents per gallon less. I gave the attendant $60.00 to use pump number four. For my $60.00 I got about 18.5 gallons of premium fuel for my Lincoln. Bottom line, I saved a whole $00.74 [74 cents] To me, I feel that for my time and effort spent, it wasn't worth it and I will go back to paying at the pump with my credit card.

vswingfield · 11-04-2010, 10:38 PM

I've seen people lined up at a Murphy Oil (Arkansas Company) station at the WalMart in North Little Rock. Next door, there was no line at a Shell that was 2 cents per gallon more. Most of the people in line were in things like Hondas and Toyotas that don't even hold much gas. If they bought 10 gallons, they were saving a whopping 20 cents.

Time spent in line (and other similar time) is referred to as "Opportunity Cost" by economists. I agree with you, I don't think that the $0.20 saved is much of a bargain either.

FreshAir · 11-04-2010, 11:33 PM

Bob, the people who have money are the 'cheapest'. Since I don't have it I value my time more.

Neil

moparjohn · 11-05-2010, 05:09 AM

I've never worried about gas milage, more mpg would be nice, but not at the expense of not having a full size vehicle with a V-8. I'm very old fashioned,a larger vehicle with a V8, rear drive, or 4wheel truck with a roomy interior fits the bill. I don't go for all the fancy electronics and options that the manufactures offer. PW, cruise and a nice stero is enough for me. MPJ

SteveH · 11-05-2010, 07:42 AM

I think the 20 cents does not matter at all....that is, as long as you have the 20 cents. Everyone needs to make their own decision on this one as everyone may have a different value on their time.

When we are traveling with the trailer, price of the fuel is really the lowest on our list of priorities, with ability to get the rig into the station at the top of the list.

eubank · 11-05-2010, 08:01 AM

Apropos gas prices, this letter to the editor appeared in the Santa Fe New Mexican this morning:

Quote:

I started work as a rodman on a survey crew at 25 cents per hour. I remember gasoline was 10 gallons for a dollar at that time, so one hour's work would buy me 2.5 gallons of gas.

Now the minimum wage in Santa Fe is $9.85 per hour and this week, gasoline in Santa Fe is $2.72 per gallon. So, one hour's work buys about 3.6 gallons.

But 70 years ago, cars burned twice as much gas per mile as most cars do now. Thus, one hour's work will now pay for gasoline to travel more than 2 1/2 times as far as it would have 70 years ago.

Lynn

kmpro · 11-05-2010, 08:43 AM

Gas prices at Ute Park, NM is not much different than yours Lynn. I personally think the gasoline peeps are gouging us no matter the price. Not the retailers but the gasoline jobbers are the guys I'm thinking about. When we started RVing in 1969 gasoline was $.75 cents a gallon. A few years later (1974) the price went to $ 1.50 per gallon. In 1975 we traveled over 40,000 miles in our Winnebago while everyone else was wringing their hands at gas prices. Now we are on a fixed income, and I am of the persuasion that we will go in in our AS 310 as long as we have gas money. If I have to work to have the money, then so be it. I feel like we will do what we like, no matter the price. RV travel is what we enjoy, so we may have to forego something else, but we will travel and enjoy the RV lifestyle as we have since 1969. I am like the climbers prayer " If I must die, let me die climbing." Mine is if I must die let it be RVing somewhere.
Mike

AZ-JH · 11-05-2010, 09:11 AM

There's always an opportunity cost in trying to save a buck. Not worth it to me. IMO, frugality is too costly.

wbrownrr · 11-05-2010, 09:17 AM

Thanks, eubank (post #6). Very interesting and a great analysis.

**DKB_SATX** · 11-05-2010, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, the gas stations in my neighborhood have been playing games. Prices going up, down, and sideways. Now some of the gas stations have two price signs; One price for cash or debit, and another [higher] price for credit. I virtually, always pay with my credit card so I don't have to deal the person inside and to avoid walking back and forth twice. The other day, I decided to pay cash; After all, it was four cents per gallon less. I gave the attendant $60.00 to use pump number four. For my $60.00 I got about 18.5 gallons of premium fuel for my Lincoln. Bottom line, I saved a whole $00.74 [74 cents] To me, I feel that for my time and effort spent, it wasn't worth it and I will go back to paying at the pump with my credit card.

What sort of Lincoln do you have that needs Super? You could save more than the cost of using your credit card by using mid-grade, and double that savings by using Regular. (Assuming you don't have the song's Hot Rod Lincoln.)

nayl · 11-05-2010, 10:07 AM

Just a bit off topic, but does concern gas prices. Does the price of gas influence your decision to travel with your campers?

We always take an extended (+/-) four weeks during the summer when my daughter is out of school. Our trip always involves traveling at least 1500 miles from home.

Two years ago we traveled from Pennsylvania to the Dakota's, Arizona, Utah and Wyoming. Due to our schedule (wedding to attend) we ended up traveling north and south a bit. That trip we towed the camper about 7500 miles. Gas was hovering around $5.00 per gallon.

This year we again traveled out west, but by a different route and didn't backtrack. Miles accumulated were approximately the same, but fortunately gas was averaging $2.50 per gallon. Big difference in fuel expenditure.

My point? We don't let the price of gas influence our traveling.

I am one of those people who will use the gas station that posts lower prices and know which stations charge less. I do know that it only makes a difference of $1.00 per fill up. I go through a couple of tanks a week, so those dollars do add up over the course of a year. One of the advantages of living in a more rural area is there are rarely lines at the pumps!

Ag&Au · 11-05-2010, 10:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ROBERTSUNRUS

Hi, the gas stations in my neighborhood have been playing games. Prices going up, down, and sideways. Now some of the gas stations have two price signs; One price for cash or debit, and another [higher] price for credit. I virtually, always pay with my credit card so I don't have to deal the person inside and to avoid walking back and forth twice. The other day, I decided to pay cash; After all, it was four cents per gallon less. I gave the attendant $60.00 to use pump number four. For my $60.00 I got about 18.5 gallons of premium fuel for my Lincoln. Bottom line, I saved a whole $00.74 [74 cents] To me, I feel that for my time and effort spent, it wasn't worth it and I will go back to paying at the pump with my credit card.

I will drive right by any 2 price gas station as a matter of principle, which costs me more in time and fuel, but makes me feel good.

The other aspect of this is: How far will you drive to save on gas?

If I drive to the other side of town, I can save 10 cents per gallon. It is about 10 miles extra round trip compared to where I usually fill up. When I fill the truck it takes about 25 gallons. So I save about $2.50. However it takes about 1/2 gallon of fuel to go over there and back. So that's about $1.50 of the savings gone. This whole process burns about 1/2 hour. So I end up working for $2.00 per hour. I am just not that hard up yet.

On the other note, I have not yet had fuel prices influence where or when I go on vacations, nor do I shop fuel prices when I travel unless it is a question of one side of the street or the other.

eubank · 11-05-2010, 10:39 AM

For us, the trip to Taos and back is often worth it even though it's usually about a 50-mile round trip. Gas runs around 30c/gallon less with the Smith's discount. If I buy even a gallon of milk (about a dollar less), I'm close to paying for the trip. And if I can find a reason to purchase something necessary for the park, all the better: Then the mileage is a tax write-off, too.

Lynn

Woosch · 11-05-2010, 10:44 AM

That's .74 cents the oil company doesnt have of yours!

**DKB_SATX** · 11-05-2010, 10:45 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Woosch

That's .74 cents the oil company doesnt have of yours!

Alas, the oil company got the same amount. It's the local station that has $0.74 less.

safari57 · 11-05-2010, 11:06 AM

We have a different issue living where we do, 11 miles north of the US/Canada border.

A block from my home the price for regular gas is $1.169 per liter

11 miles from my home the price for regular gas works out to $0.76 per liter

A difference of 40.9 cents per liter

We have Nexus which allows us to pass through Customs quickly and without the line-ups that non- registered people "enjoy", so we are not using fuel up that way, just in the 22 miles round trip.

For that, we make the trip to Blaine, Wa or a two miles further south for our fuel.

We also do the vast majority of our travel south of the border as it is far more cost effective.

That said, I won't wait in a line up for two or three cents. Our time is far too valuable, and the idling while waiting uses fuel. I find the other stations to be usually cleaner, and I do not enjoy spending my time in a line up that can easily be avoided.

The cost of fuel does not stop us from going camping or travel of any kind. We have a budget we work in and if that means we eat fewer restaurant meals then that is easy to do, and often more enjoyable anyway. To us experiencing the world and people around us is far more important thant he cost of fuel (egads, I hope no one who sets fuel prices sees this).

kmpro · 11-05-2010, 01:19 PM

One thing about the fuel prices, if you want to play, you pay. One thing we do is to buy branded gas that does not use oil from the Middle East. I usually buy Phillips/Conoco, and seem to get better mileage on these.
KMP

Ag&Au · 11-05-2010, 03:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kmpro

.....................................
. One thing we do is to buy branded gas that does not use oil from the Middle East. I usually buy Phillips/Conoco

..........................

KMP

That sounds good, but I think you might want to research that for current figures. Also check the web sites that evaluate facts vs myths.

Regards,

Ken

ROBERTSUNRUS · 11-05-2010, 08:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DKB_SATX

What sort of Lincoln do you have that needs Super? You could save more than the cost of using your credit card by using mid-grade, and double that savings by using Regular. (Assuming you don't have the song's Hot Rod Lincoln.)

Hi, as in my signature below, I have a 2000 Lincoln Navigator and it requires premium fuel. If I were to try and use a lower grade of fuel, [which I haven't] the knock sensors would retard my timing, and it would burn more gas at a lower horsepower. Net gain = zero.

ROBERTSUNRUS · 11-05-2010, 09:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by w7ts

I will drive right by any 2 price gas station as a matter of principle, which costs me more in time and fuel, but makes me feel good.

The other aspect of this is: How far will you drive to save on gas?

If I drive to the other side of town, I can save 10 cents per gallon. It is about 10 miles extra round trip compared to where I usually fill up. When I fill the truck it takes about 25 gallons. So I save about $2.50. However it takes about 1/2 gallon of fuel to go over there and back. So that's about $1.50 of the savings gone. This whole process burns about 1/2 hour. So I end up working for $2.00 per hour. I am just not that hard up yet.

On the other note, I have not yet had fuel prices influence where or when I go on vacations, nor do I shop fuel prices when I travel unless it is a question of one side of the street or the other.

Hi, I tried the gas is cheaper out of town once in my wife's car; Did the math and my gain was zero. I like to find cheaper gas, but I will not use what I call the "NO-NAMES" Arco, Costco, any market, Etc. On trips I buy my gas as needed, try to buy it while un-hitched, and if I can make across the California border into Arizona, I know I will save a bundle.