Filled up the wife's car this morning

[goose-em]

Took the wife's car to work this morning so that I could fill it up for her.

While the pump was pumping I stood and watched as the price grew at an alarming rate compared to the fuel pumped.

Started thinking back to when we purchased that car, December 2004.

I remember filling that car up for $17 dollars, 15 gallon tank.

This morning I put in 15.35 gallons and it cost me $50.65

This is roughly a 300% increase on the cost of the fuel compared to December 04.

Since I fill her car once every two weeks this means that I am currently paying $1316.90/ year.

In 04 that would have been $442

This means that I am spending 874.90 more per year than I was in 04 or $72.91 per month more than in 04.

Had I planned ahead for this and put that $874 in the bank for the past 7 years I would have accumulated, not counting any interest, $6124.30

Just thinking about the next seven years is really frightening. Think about it, I paid $3.29 per gallon this morning, multiply it by three and you get $9.87 per gallon in 2018.

This means I should sock away $97.05 every two weeks for the next 7 years at which time I would have, $17663.1 in the bank not counting interest.

Pretty cool huh?

 

[Neverdone]

it makes me sick.....

 

[roddguy1]

Did you know that you can still perchase that gallon of gas for what the silver is worth in a 1962 quarter. Imagine that, buying a gallon of gas for a quarter. This is what using debt based currency has done to all of us. It adds up to built in inflation and mathimatically ends in unavoidable bankruptcy. End the Federal Reserve, print your own money interest free and prosper. Google "Money as Debt" It will open your eyes and leave you ****ed at these Banksters.

 

[maverickmk]

Ow! My head hurts now

 

[donsrods]

It's all relative. Everyone wishes for the old days when a new car was $ 2000 or thereabouts, gas was 20 cents a gallon, homes were $ 5-10,000, etc. But we have to remember our salaries were only a fraction of what a guy would work for today.

When I got out of HS in 63 I went to work at a gas station and made 80 cents an hour. A buddy of mine got me a job in the steel mill and I was making $ 120.00 a week, but it was backbreaking work. My Mom decided that an office job was for me so she had me interview for the credit dept of Montgomery Ward, the salary was about $ 55 a week, but I thank her because it got me into a career path using my head instead of my back.

So, at, let's say, $ 50 a week, that is $ 2600 a year, so you basically earned the equivalent of a new car every year. Now cars cost upwards of $20K and the average worker makes that or more, so it all balances out. Even though things cost more today my money goes further because of the increase in earnings.

Don

 

[Neverdone]

Still, that doesn't mean you can't wine and complain about it for a while and make yourself feel a little better. That's what I do.........

Scream at the government and complain about how they are killing us, maybe go as far as right a few letters to governors, senators, what ever, not like they really read them but it makes you feel better (I have done that too).

Bottom line is you are still going to pull up to the pump every week or so, why, because you have too. No matter what, nothing you can do about it. The turban tuckers have us by the short and curlys and they know it, we know it, everyone knows it.

The whole thing with gas prices is just driving everyone deeper into a hole.

 

[Old Iron]

I served our country with the army in the illustrious country of Vietnam and I would serve again at the drop of a hat but, I do have a problem with where we're being led and a sour pit in my stomach
With all the belly aching going on no one seems to have been the persons responsible for voting in these people in our government and their ridiculous ideas of how to get America back on track. It seems to me it's a, worse, self serving government than ever, giving a lot of lip service to the people hurting the most in our country
OK, I'm done and headed towards a great day thanks for the aggravation relief

Jim

 

[donsrods]

Oh, believe me, I understand the frustration only too well too. The world, and not just the USA, is in really sad shape right now, on all fronts. I am so glad I grew up in the time I did and wouldn't trade those times for an extra 30 years of life if they could give them to me.

When did we ever think we would see a time when people who wanted to work not being able to find jobs? The old feeling was that if you were out of work it was because you were lazy and not looking. Today there are thousands, maybe millions, of people who WANT to work but can't find it. Yeah, you can flip burgers at McD's, but try to support a family on those wages and hours.

Also, when did we ever think we would see a time when there was so much crime and turmoil in the world? The days of not locking your house doors, like we did in the 50's, sure doesn't fly these days.

There were a couple of very excellent shows on TV last week (Never thought I would udder those words) and they were on the History Channel. One was 1968 and the other was a multipart program on Viet Nam. I watched every second of both shows and they really showed how we got from the days of Ozzie and Harriet to where we are now. The late 60's are one time I would pass over if I could relive my life, and those days were when America went from innocent to not so innocent.

Don

 

[Neverdone]

Oh, believe me, I understand the frustration only too well too. The world, and not just the USA, is in really sad shape right now, on all fronts. I am so glad I grew up in the time I did and wouldn't trade those times for an extra 30 years of life if they could give them to me.

When did we ever think we would see a time when people who wanted to work not being able to find jobs? The old feeling was that if you were out of work it was because you were lazy and not looking. Today there are thousands, maybe millions, of people who WANT to work but can't find it. Yeah, you can flip burgers at McD's, but try to support a family on those wages and hours.

Also, when did we ever think we would see a time when there was so much crime and turmoil in the world? The days of not locking your house doors, like we did in the 50's, sure doesn't fly these days.

There were a couple of very excellent shows on TV last week (Never thought I would udder those words) and they were on the History Channel. One was 1968 and the other was a multipart program on Viet Nam. I watched every second of both shows and they really showed how we got from the days of Ozzie and Harriet to where we are now. The late 60's are one time I would pass over if I could relive my life, and those days were when America went from innocent to not so innocent.

Don

Amen!!! Well put, except for the part about reliving the 60's, I never lived it once (born in '85), sooooo.... not saying they were good times then, history books point out some bad things, but........... ahhh well you get what I am sayin........

Oh and locking your doors, that doesnt do anything. One of my friends down the road had his shed broke into 3 times in a month. First time they unscrewed the hinges on the door, so he replaced the screws with carriage bolts. They came back about 2 weeks later and popped the pins from the hinges and opened it. They came back 4 days later and cut the lock. This time Ron was sitting there watching them took their picture with a night vision camera then him and a neighbor cornered them and they were arrested. The best part............. it was three kids and they were 13, 13, and 14!!! Whats going on when there are kids that young out steeling stuff??

 

[darkk]

All I know is I live in Ct. The winters here suck. Right now heating fuel oil is hovering pretty close to $4.00 a gallon. I'm sure when winter sets, it will be higher. I see fuel oil costing me $1000 for a 250 gallon fill up. Considering I'm retired and only getting about $1200. month social security, it's gonna be a very cold winter. The Govt. says the cost of living hasn't gone up over the last 2 years, that's why there have been no cost of living raises. Where the hell do they live? Here the cost of living goes up daily...

 

[Timeless softshoe]

wait just a minuite there hold yer horse's ..lol..I thought they ...the king cheese's ...told us there was no inflation, yeah they said that, no inflation, .
yesterday milk 4.00 a gal. one loaf of bread $2.50 and not the high priced stuff, I agree with most of these posts .its gone crazy out there, the price of everything has gone nuts in the past few years,

 

[goose-em]

I got to pondering this a little more this weekend and thought to myself; if fuel has gone up 300% since 04 then it stands to reason groceries and everything else has had to go up that much at least.

So I dug out an old journal from around that time where I kept my budget and noticed that I had budgeted $150 for groceries for two weeks.

Now I budget $500 for the same two weeks, $500/$150 = 3.33 meaning I now pay 3.33 times the amount I used to pay for groceries with no change in the size of my family.

Keeping this in mind I looked back at what I made in 04 compared to now. I now make 2.38 times the amount I did back then.

Subtracting 2.38 from 3.33 means that I am losing money at 1 times the rate I was in 04.

For fun if I take a number say, 30k and multiply it by 2.38 I get, $71400. This would be todays wage.

In order to see the difference I then take 30k and multiply by 3.33 and get $99000

Subtracting $71400 from $99000 I get $27600 that a person would need in addition to the $71k to make ends meet today.

None of the above numbers reflect what I actually make they were just for fun.

Conversly if a person is only making $30k today and then you devalue that to todays COL 30k in 04 is worth around 10k today or therebouts, please forgive any mathematical errors as I was just fooling around, but you get the point.

 

[Old Iron]

I got to pondering this a little more this weekend and thought to myself; if fuel has gone up 300% since 04 then it stands to reason groceries and everything else has had to go up that much at least.

So I dug out an old journal from around that time where I kept my budget and noticed that I had budgeted $150 for groceries for two weeks.

Now I budget $500 for the same two weeks, $500/$150 = 3.33 meaning I now pay 3.33 times the amount I used to pay for groceries with no change in the size of my family.

Keeping this in mind I looked back at what I made in 04 compared to now. I now make 2.38 times the amount I did back then.

Subtracting 2.38 from 3.33 means that I am losing money at 1 times the rate I was in 04.

For fun if I take a number say, 30k and multiply it by 2.38 I get, $71400. This would be todays wage.

In order to see the difference I then take 30k and multiply by 3.33 and get $99000

Subtracting $71400 from $99000 I get $27600 that a person would need in addition to the $71k to make ends meet today.

None of the above numbers reflect what I actually make they were just for fun.

Conversly if a person is only making $30k today and then you devalue that to todays COL 30k in 04 is worth around 10k today or therebouts, please forgive any mathematical errors as I was just fooling around, but you get the point.

Exactly

Jim

 

[mikec4193]

Hey Goose-em

I have been working 2 jobs since 1981 to support myself and my family. My family is all gone now but I have a brandy new wife on board. We have steadly increased our garden size every year for the past 3 years. Our current gas bill is almost $60.00 a week for each of us...I will continue to run on this tread mill for another 6 years...I am planning to move to the mid-west to be closer to family and get away from this insane treadmill life style every one so craves (NOT ME). I cant keep this pace up just to try to keep up with a life....In my future I see....A small (5 to 10 acre) homestead...chop lots of wood...grow lots of veggies....can crazy amounts of food too....life will be good...this life we currently have is not even remotely right...
(Heres a good too...got a 2% raise last year...not bad but my taxes went up 5%...so I just lost 3% for staying where I am at...)
Thanks for bringing this up...
Just my 2 cent vent
MikeC

 

[goose-em]

I am with you mike. The wife and I are working on buying property and building a small house large shop combo on it, for cash.

After that I figure I could survive on $10 per hour if need be.

I read an article about two years ago in a manufacturing magazine that claimed that we make less than our fathers even though our total income has gone up.
They say gen X is the first gen for this to happen to.