How close are you to your "tipping point"?

[NightWatcher]

A local news story was asking people where their "tipping point" was in regards to the price of gas. $3.50 will be here tomorrow ($3.48 as of lunch) and we are well on our way to $4.00. What happens when two clouds rub together in the Atlantic or Gulf and we get hit with a hurricane ($6.00)???

At what point will the cost of gas cause you to change your behaviors? (is what the local news was asking). I wonder at what point some will start to make radical changes? Gas station 'drive offs' are getting more and more frequent. Most small gas station owners do not make anything off of the gas (that is why they charge $2 for a bottle of soda). One local guy said that if he gets many more drive offs, he might stop selling gas. What do you think will happen when gas stations start shutting down?

Where is your "tipping point" and how will it affect you?

If we hit $4 or $5 will you steal gas from a gas station? Will you think about it? Are you taking a vacation this year? What are you going without so that you can afford gas to drive to work?

[Juche]

1. I switched cars

Its not much, but I know someone with an old Geo Metro he doesn't use that gets about 45 mpg on regular gas and I am using that instead of my Ranger that needs premium and gets 25 mpg.

I should be fine in the Metro though, even if gas hits $5/gallon.

[NightWatcher]

4. I'm in an 06 Corolla and I get 35 +/- and it still hurts. I dont see how some are doing it

here in truckland USA (Georgia)

[Warpy]

14. I live in the wild west

and can tell you that the fools who got sucked into the monster truck craze are now driving like maniacs because fools feel as long as they get there a few seconds faster, they're using a few less seconds worth gas.

Most temporary tags are now on sedans. Car lots are choked with behemoths, the things my Dad used to call "those $#($!)&$!!! rolling billboards.

My own other car is an electric scooter.

I expect the same thing to happen now as happened in the 70s. The gas guzzlers will be sold at bargain rates to poor folks who will be hard pressed to get enough gas to drive them.

[kestrel91316]

2. I changed my behavior years ago. The only thing left is to not drive at all......

I think I'll pass. Somebody else can do the conserving this year.

[DJ13]

3. Im disabled on a fixed income, and my wife doesnt make much money

I paid $3.99 per gallon yesterday.

My tipping point happened back at $3.00 per gallon.

[kestrel91316]

13. I wish we had a way to subsidize pluggable hybrid cars for

people like you. Instead of major multinational corporations. Sigh........in a truly just world.......

:hug:

[glowing]

5. Interesting times.. that should have been addressed.. but thanks to

Ronnie Reagun, we have Oil addiction.. instead ot 30 yr gains on environmental ingenuity.

[pitohui]

6. most people changed their behavior years ago

there is nothing left to change

no one goes on sunday drives any more,n haven't since what the 80s, people used to take two one week vacations a year to the beach or another driving destination, now a vacation is something most people don't do even once a year or if they do it's for a weekend instead of the real thing and so on

people have already been cutting back and cutting back, there's nothing left to cut

the price of gas was too high at $2 a gallon but people these days never drive for pleasure, only for a reason, so there's nothing left to cut back

i've skipped meals over the last few months and i doubt i'm the only one

[GoesTo11]

7. Tipping might be good for me.

I already have pretty fuel efficient cars. I take regional driving vacations. Could go by train.

I sort of have let car-pooling slip away, but it's time to get serious about that.

I don't take a bus because it would add 1/2 hour each way to my commute, but at some point I'd consider it - just have to pack reading material.

I drive too much for close errands, so I can just switch to walking or biking for those.

I don't always arrange errands to combine trips, but I could do that and save time overall.


These changes would actually improve my life overall, now that I think about it. Just need the discipline.

[CTyankee]

15. My hubby takes the bus to work every day and he loves it!

He gets a little walk in going to and from the bus stop. He doesn't have to pay horrendous parking charges, he doesn't have to fight traffic. Also, he has developed "bus buddies." He likes the camaraderie. People used to look at us funny when we said he took the bus; they don't anymore!

[drmeow]

19. My Aunt and Uncle met as bus buddies

and have been married for over 30 years. Great way to meet people.

[PetrusMonsFormicarum]

8. Revenge of the buggy-whip makers

Like the frog that sits contentedly in a pan of water as it approaches boiling, many of us have just sat in our cars and taken it right in the arse.

I think my tipping point will be reached when next quarter's fiscals come out and Exxon/Mobil is sitting on another 36 billion in profits.

We can get pissed off at oil companies until the morbidly obese gal croons, but it is the Federal Government and Dick Cheney's STILL obfuscated energy policy that deserve the full wrath of our righteous indignation.

[NightWatcher]

11. are you getting mad enough to throw a rock through a gas station window yet?

I am not advocating this because you would only be hurting the small owner and not the oil company, but I see frustration on the rise that will manifest itself in new and more deprived ways in the near future.

[Sal Minella]

18. Maybe Cheney visited Saudi Arabia to tell them NOT to pump more than 12.5 bbl

because Exxon's profits are so good he doesn't want the market flooded with cheap oil.

[harun]

9. I changed my behavior over a year ago. Have changed it more

lately though. Cutting down on trips far away from home on the weekends. Cutting down on working in the office, working from home more. Have cut way back on the items at the grocery store. Shopping almost exclusively at a low price Asian store near the house now. Veggies and rice on sale and sometimes fish if on sale. I like cheese but only get that a couple times a year now, way too expensive. So I guess my family has "gone Chinese". Little bit of rice and veggies, more walking and riding the bikes :-).

[JackDragna]

10. I'm already there, along with many others, apparently.

I don't go out as much as I used to. I try to arrange trips to shopping centers with lots of different stuff grouped together so I can shorten my trips. For example, if I need to get groceries and drop something off at the cleaners, I always try to go to the shopping center with both stories close by. I also tend to patronize businesses close to where I live, rather than driving too far, even if I can get better/cheaper stuff elsewhere.

[glowing]

12. I agree.. the reports coming in from people still travelling is that the

highways are so dead.. its like driving on the ghost express..

[TooBigaTent]

16. Drove to/from Rhode Island/Philly this weekend. The number of huge SUVs,

trucks, and other gas guzzlers was at least 50%. And while I drove my Altima the speed limit (+5 maybe), the bulk of the traffic flew by at 15-20 mph over the limit. Americans have been spoiled by low prices for decades.

Compare us to Europe and you see what responsible people who understand consequences do in the face of a difficult situation. In addition, their high prices is due to taxes that go to provide social services that do not exist here.

Personally, I would love to see gas go to $5 or $6 a gallon. I think it would take something like that to get us selfish Amerikans to change our behavior enough to make any difference. The downside is that the additional dollars would go to the oil companies and therefore, to the repukes.

As each week goes by, I see less reason for the US to survive.

[drmeow]

17. I've been walking to work since 2003.

Being able to walk/bike to work was the most important variable in my house purchase decision. My 1998 (purchased in Dec of '97) Honda Civic Hatchback has about 65K miles on it and that includes a drive across the country, 1 1/2 years of 150 mile/week commutes, and a few vacation trips.

However, I'm about to start a new job about 10 miles further away than my current job - I just picked up my bus pass today.

The only aspect of my driving behavior I MIGHT change would be shopping at Costco which is about the furthest I drive on the semi-regular basis.

Most of the gas stations in my area require you to pre-pay so even if I would steal gas (which I wouldn't), I couldn't. The small gas stations around me are already pretty much all closed and I have to drive about 1 mile to a QuikTrip to buy gas.

My SO and I are going to Spain this summer to go to a conference and combine that with a vacation. We're DINK's who make pretty good money so we aren't being affected by the inflation as much as many others are. In fact, I'm looking for ways to increase our spending to keep putting money into the economy but I'm pretty opposed to buying stuff I don't need ... but we may move up some planned future purchases (a new bed, for example).

[uppityperson]

20. My Big tipping point is when I can no longer afford to buy food.

When I can no longer afford to buy healthy food, I don't know what I'll do. I've a garden and am already changing my driving AND eating habits.

[DesertFlower]

21. we have 2 cars that get 28 mpg. we also

have a pickup truck that gets about 15 mpg. we only use the pickup when we have to. the other 2 cars are sports cars that only seat 2 people and don't hold too much cargo.

[MindPilot]

22. I don't know what else I could change.

I drive a fairly fuel-efficient car and commuting to work and back is almost the only driving I do.

I would never steal from or vandalize a gas station because that's only hurting the poor bastard who runs the station--he's in the same boat as the rest of us.

[Beregond2]

23. What more could I do?

I drive a car that gets 40 mpg on the highway, I walk to work, I only drive when absolutely necessary.

[Horse with no Name]

24. I tipped over a few weeks ago

Gradually I am uprighting myself...but in doing so, have become very jaded.

[dysfunctional press]

25. $10/gallon...? i don't drive all that much anyway.

as far as the price goes- it is what it is...:shrug: