[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('peaker_2005', 'S')orry, my bad.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', ' ')Oil Drum calculate their decline at? 8%. Could it be that the Saudis indeed are going down as Twilight in the Desert predicts? I think so. But I agree that we must wait and see.

[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', ' ')Oil Drum calculate their decline at? 8%. Could it be that the Saudis indeed are going down as Twilight in the Desert predicts? I think so. But I agree that we must wait and see.

[I_Like_Plants]

Yep the pot of water we're in is being heated slowly.... gas is over $3 out here and it's only mid-march, no one's complaining.....

[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('I_Like_Plants', 'Y')ep the pot of water we're in is being heated slowly.... gas is over $3 out here and it's only mid-march, no one's complaining.....

[I_Like_Plants]

That's what I mean, gas is above where it was at this time last year, and we've just used daylight savings time to begin the "driving season" earlier.

[Revi]

I'm filling the heating oil tank in April. That way we're covered for next winter at least. We can make it through the winter on 275 gallons if need be, no problem. We only used 345 last winter, and this winter we have used less than that , and it's been colder. This next winter could be the winter of our discontent. I don't care if we can't drive around much, but I don't want to be cold.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', ' ')Oil Drum calculate their decline at? 8%. Could it be that the Saudis indeed are going down as Twilight in the Desert predicts? I think so. But I agree that we must wait and see.

[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', ' ')Oil Drum calculate their decline at? 8%. Could it be that the Saudis indeed are going down as Twilight in the Desert predicts? I think so. But I agree that we must wait and see.

[PenultimateManStanding]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', '
')I don't know if excited is the right word . . . but I have to admit that things are getting VERY interesting.

[Revi]

Things are getting more expensive now, right on schedule. The price of electricity is going up big time. We are using about the same amount of kilowatt hours of electricity as last year, but it costs over 1/3 more now. Everything seems to be climbing by over 20% per year. The price of gas will probably average over $3 this year. Wasn't it $2 a gallon just 2 years ago? Everyone is bewildered by the changes. Why don't they do something?

[RdSnt]

Who'se "they" Revi? And what are you expecting from them?

More importantly what are you expecting can be done?

I have a big diesel engine, an antique really, that is a true diesel in that it doesn't require any electricity to run and no glow plug. Runs simply on compression. To stop it I have to turn the fuel off and wait. There is nothing else to do, it has a big flywheel, and no amount of outside interference is going to shorten the time it takes for the engine to come to a stop. It would just rip my arm off if I tried.

[Revi]

"They" is anyone who is paying attention. I see monster trucks driving around, people aren't insulating their houses, aren't investing in more energy efficiency. Why not? Do they prefer to go bankrupt? If we can barely make the bills and we have reduced our fossil fuel use by half, and I'm still employed, what is it like for the average person? They must feel totally clobbered by their bills. That monster truck eats three times as much gas as mine. Their house costs three times as much to heat. They get an electric bill every month that's over $100. How do "they" do it?

[I_Like_Plants]

Revi the answer is CREDIT CARDS.

[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('PenultimateManStanding', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Newsseeker', '
')I don't know if excited is the right word . . . but I have to admit that things are getting VERY interesting.

[Revi]

Any port in a storm. Start looking for a hurricane hole. It's gonna get nasty soon. We'll have to make our stand here in Maine. At least we have wood to heat our house and some solar to keep the lights on for a while. Good luck everyone!

[Newsseeker]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Revi', 'A')ny port in a storm. Start looking for a hurricane hole. It's gonna get nasty soon. We'll have to make our stand here in Maine. At least we have wood to heat our house and some solar to keep the lights on for a while. Good luck everyone!

[Revi]

Thanks! I'll try to do that.

It's getting harder and harder for the average person to keep afloat. We are working 5 jobs and cutting expenses, and still slipping. I feel that every day we can live some semblance of a lower middle class lifestyle is a bonus.

[I_Like_Plants]

I'm in the same boat - debt = my annual gross income, not sure if I can pay it down or would be best off gearing way down and living poor for a few years and doing a bankruptcy.

Make a chart, make many charts, and keep track of expenses - you may find some "money leaks" you weren't aware of that way.

I'm giving myself 8 months, to the end of this apartment lease, to have made good progress at paying stuff down, or to have a skill developed that's relatively portable - I've been working on street musician skills but my old art skills are still in the running and may be more useful on rainy/foggy/cold days.

Just staying in the "lower middle" class is becoming a dream for most people.

[Revi]

We are much more frugal than most people, but the cost of things is going up so fast that any amount of frugality can't cover it. The next things to go, garbabe pickup and the newspaper on weekends will hurt. I can take the garbage up to the dump, but the newspaper is nice. Oh, well, I suppose it could be a lot worse. 2007/8 seems to be the breaking point for us. We'll move into ultra frugal mode next winter.