[jdmartin]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Arsenal', 'I') was in Bar Harbor Maine this past weekend and talked with a gas station owner. He told me the following.

1. He gets emails every day for pricing. current price is $4.14 for 87.
2. His price and the price of all the other stations is $4.19.
3. He bought a "unit" 5,000 gallons of gas for his station at $4.04 a couple of weeks ago.
4. After the credit card companies take their cut, paying for worker hours, lights, etc.. He is making about 1-3 cents a gallon or $50-$150 a unit.
5. If his supplier raises gas even 2-3 cents, his "profits" disappear and he is now forking over $100-200 out of his own pocket to get his gas.

This guy owns three stations and is selling tons of gas but is about to close down. Here is an interesting quote that he told me... "Have you ever heard of a business selling $20,000 dollars of merchandise and only getting $50 in profit or losing money and have it stay in business?"

Arsenal.

[CarlinsDarlin]

Our little mom and pop store sells gas at about 10 cents higher per gallon than Wally World. Still, I buy my gas there. While others gripe about his price, I know he's only making 3 cents per gallon. Because he buys from an independent distributor, and in smaller quantities, his costs are higher. In fact, he's stopped taking credit cards for purchases of $10 or less, because with the service charge the cards charge him, he actually loses money. I'm bound and determined to keep him in business as long as I can, though. For one, that store is the closest to our home. Second, he has been known to let us charge items from time to time. Mom-n-Pop stores will work with you. WallyWorld will not.

As for the earlier article about alfalfa. I can relate to that. I don't even buy alfalfa hay because I can't afford it - instead I've been buying alfalfa pellets (pressed "fines") for my dairy goats. Even the pellets, though, have increased in price by about $2 per 50 lb bag since the end of last year.

Kathy

[Waterthrush]

Maybe the easiest way to cut back: turn on the tap and put a glass underneath it for water. Link

I'm counting this as a positive, as it spares the natural world the costs of shipping water and allows petroleum to be used for more critical purposes.

The second duty (after defense) of any government that left a trace of its doings (and I'm talking clay tablets, or even remnant green mounds) is to provide a water supply. When we let our government off the hook for providing such an essential service, and think we can buy it instead, we will see a deteriorating water supply.

Here in NJ, the legislators protected a big swath of territories in the northeast to shield the water supply of a large population. There are costs - but they are less than that of buying bottled water. Clean water is an imperative, not a luxury.

[Beignet2]

This is a great thread.

Last night on two different AM talk radio shows the main topic was oil and the economy and how it is affecting you.

A few truckers called in and were in dire strights. They are not making it. Many phone calls and the desperation of these people is getting clearer and clearer of where America is heading.

I am know beginning to see this come into fruition across America.

A friend of mine, who owns his SUV, went into a dealership in Orlando to trade in his truck for a car. The dealer would not take it; they didn't want it. The sales person did tell him in 5 years he would sell him an electric converter for 5k and until then. . . . basically - good luck.

Beignet

[wisconsin_cur]

We went to our local "free fair" yesterday. The boys are too little to ride too many of the rides but they like to go and see the rides as well as the animals.

Two observations:

1)there were about 25% of the normal number of cows in the stock barn. In my experience cow showing is the most serious of the animal contests due to the market in selling genetic material to other farmers down the line... it is also an opportunity for these farmers to involve their kids in the business and a way to try to show off what they got.

The free fair would be the lowest fair on the pecking order (county being a bigger deal and the state fair after that). Are they cutting down the expenses of going to the free fair? Fuel plus registration plus eating out etc? I would expect the county fair to be as popular as ever.

2) Attendance was up with a lot more people buying their kids the unlimited ride wristbands instead of the tickets. My thought was people might be staying home and making a bigger deal of the fair.

[joelcolorado]

Yeah, I feel sorry for a guy who makes $5 million a year selling boats...hah...and he has earned that or more for how many years/. ??

Look, there are ups and downs for every kind of business. Some make it and some dont. If this guy didnt see this coming he is stupid. I was going to buy a new boat but didnt due to the cost of fuel and getting to the lake too. Just priced me out of the market.
Even a ski boat or bass boat can use up to 27 gallons per hour so that is REAL money.

Branson Missouri is way off, state parks are down down down, and ppl are just not going. Boats are stacked up at the marina with for sale signs on them. I would sell mine if i could but no one wants a boat now.

[joewp]

The whole marine industry at the Jersey Shore is hurting bad...

Asbury Park Press
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')Fishing? There's a catch
Rising fuel costs hurting all marine interests

POINT PLEASANT — On the fuel dock at Clark's Landing Marina, the pump numbers whirled as the crew of the Lady Jane took on 250 gallons of diesel at $4.57 a gallon, preparing to chase sharks offshore in the annual Mako Mania tournament.

"A lot of people aren't even putting their boats in the water this year," said fisherman Bill Tallman of Waretown. To make the most of their fuel bill, the Lady Jane anglers said they had entered in not one but two shark tournaments this weekend.

"It's expensive," said boat owner Mark Grek of Blackwood, "but you've got to have fun."

Fuel costs are hitting marine interests hard, magnifying the effects of tightened fishing regulations.

"Fuel was never a significant part of our business until the last couple of years. It was just a cost that went up and down, like bait, and you dealt with it. Now it's the most significant cost of our business," said John Williams of Brielle, a 25-year charter captain on the Manasquan River.

"It's been devastating, up and down the river," said Peter Grimbilas of the Greater Point Pleasant Charter Boat Association. "They are way down in the number of charters."

[Ache]

Gas tanks and I-95 on empty

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'I') took a Sunday afternoon drive down Interstate 95 toward Broward County last week and thought I'd crossed into a dimension between space and time.

It was broad daylight, and there were five lanes of open highway ahead - not a car between me and the horizon. Not even a mail truck.

[Cyrus]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('joewp', 'T')he whole marine industry at the Jersey Shore is hurting bad...

Asbury Park Press
$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '
')Fishing? There's a catch
Rising fuel costs hurting all marine interests

POINT PLEASANT — On the fuel dock at Clark's Landing Marina, the pump numbers whirled as the crew of the Lady Jane took on 250 gallons of diesel at $4.57 a gallon, preparing to chase sharks offshore in the annual Mako Mania tournament.

"A lot of people aren't even putting their boats in the water this year," said fisherman Bill Tallman of Waretown. To make the most of their fuel bill, the Lady Jane anglers said they had entered in not one but two shark tournaments this weekend.

"It's expensive," said boat owner Mark Grek of Blackwood, "but you've got to have fun."

Fuel costs are hitting marine interests hard, magnifying the effects of tightened fishing regulations.

"Fuel was never a significant part of our business until the last couple of years. It was just a cost that went up and down, like bait, and you dealt with it. Now it's the most significant cost of our business," said John Williams of Brielle, a 25-year charter captain on the Manasquan River.

"It's been devastating, up and down the river," said Peter Grimbilas of the Greater Point Pleasant Charter Boat Association. "They are way down in the number of charters."

[kpeavey]

Drifter, this is becoming an outstanding body of work.

[mos6507]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Drifter', '
') The mass exodus from the suburbs to the cities may begin soon.

[jdmartin]

Drifter, excellent job on this thread so far - my favorite thread of this forum.

[joewp]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('jdmartin', 'D')rifter, excellent job on this thread so far - my favorite thread of this forum.

[jdmartin]

No questions about the stuff attached to cars. I've changed all the oil in our vehicles myself all my life, and it's getting closer to being almost as expensive to do it at the house as somewhere else, if you have a bigger engine.

4 quarts of Advance oil brand oil runs about $2.25/qt now, add in tax and you're at $2.50 so that's $10. Filters, on sale, are about $4, plus tax, add in a little bit of gas going to get all the stuff and bring the recycled oil back, and you're at about $15 to change the oil yourself on a 4 banger. My weekend-duty pathfinder takes 5.25 quarts, so add another $3 on for it. Now if I can find a place that'll change the oil for $19.99, it's just about worth it to not have to get dirty or take up my own time.

[patience]

jdmaartin is right, there isn't much to be made doing an oil change. I've found that my advantage is using better quality oil and filter, and still save about $6 to $8 on a change. If I do 2 vehicles, plus the lawn mower and garden tractor all the same day, it saves time over individually.

I buy Shell Rotella 15w40 at Wally World for around $40/5 gallons, which = $2/qt., and Fram filters for $3.50 on sale at Auto Zone. What I save from doing our own, I put into extra oil and filters for the future. Got a few on the shelf now, for when money is tight. Our driving is down now, so it takes fewer changes/year.

[joelcolorado]

If that much food has to be imported from the mainland, it sounds like they have way overpopulated that island. Good grief. Not exactly paradise is it?

[patience]

Tires and rubber goods are up a lot, and more on the way. A garden tractor tire that I paid $60+ for about 2 years ago, is now $153.40, and will increase 12% this month. Today I paid $34.78 for 2 inner tubes, 7.50" x 16" that cost about half that last year.

Look for belt, hoses, and such to go up too, since they are all hydrocarbon based. My tire dealer says he gets price increases DAILY now, on the same article.

[joelcolorado]

Saw a report on TV about cost of plastic packaging. They showed like butter tubs and ice cream and the cost had gone up like 25% BUT.......the tub size had ALSO been shrunken 25% ..
Same design and unless you had them side by side the average consumer would not know.
Tricky? Yep. Smart? YES> DUmb...US..
hah

[jdmartin]

Manna Food bank running out of food

Apparently stocks are down to about 30%. Sounds like there's going to be a lot more hungry people this year. Of course, that might be a good thing, really, for some people.

[joelcolorado]

ARe they really hungry or just too fat.
HMMMM
Diabetes is set to strip our economy and most of it due to lifestyle. A new case every 4 seconds.
1 in 4 have it and most dont know it YET.

EAT EAT EAT...buffets,,,,all yu can pork in..
cant wait to see those whales riding scooters