Wednesday, April 30, 2008

Feeling the Bite

With the quickly rising gas prices and the prediction that it could be as high as $5.00 per gallon by the end of summer Dirk has suggested some adjustments at the ManyMeadows.

He is considering leaving his work truck at one of our rent houses in Oklahoma City and riding his motorcycle to get his truck each workday to save gas consumption.

We will not be mowing as often this year. Some of the orchard and other out-of-the-way areas will just get tall. (gas cans filled for the rider mower and the tractor tonight came up to $50…eek!)

I know some of you may have to make some adjustments of your own to off-set that rising gasoline expenditure.

What are some of your ideas and suggestions?

The price of gas is getting up there with the price of milk. Did you start buying less milk when the price went up?

24 comments:

  1. We wont get to see our family much this year since they live out of town! We wont drive around to "take a drive and talk"

    We only buy one gallon of milk a week now. Its gone in 2-3 days, then its water for The Knox's!

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  2. We've talked about looking into a hybrid. We have an Expedition and OH MY. It gets about 12 miles to the gallon. I'd like to drive less, but I don't know how. You are like us, hauling kids around to different life church campuses! But what can you do?

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  3. Jonathan has started riding his bike to work. We fill the van up once every two weeks and the truck up once every three weeks. We use to drive around but not anymore. Also, I was planning on visiting my sister at the end of May in Kentucky but now, I don't think I will be able to b/c of gas prices.

    No I didn't stop buying milk, but we are much more conservative with it.

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  4. Okay, I just read the picture. That is so funny! I love it!

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  5. We just bought a suburban. And we acquired two teenagers. And we are about to finally get a second vehicle. We are going to have a talk tonight with our teenagers about doing less stuff. We are drinking less milk too. We are also trying to take the bus too. I had plans for the summer, but with two extra people, its not going to happen!

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  6. Life is going to change for a lot of us, I'm afraid. But we can do it. It is a little bit exciting to be able to look at life in new ways (don't mow the orchard for you, or what things can we NOT do to save money). Okay, it is annoying, but it's going to be life, so might as well get used to it!

    (Case in point, taking my kids for a haircut with Ana at SuperCuts. It's a 30-min drive from our house. Wah)

    We are considering taking the Amtrak to visit my family in Michigan this summer. Still $$$, but not much more with gas prices.

    And we are trying to get our youngest some street bicycle skills so we can do more riding TO places.

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  7. You know how in the "olden days" when people from the country would only go "in to town" on Saturdays?

    Yep. That just might be us this summer.

    And I might be watching a whole heckova lot of the internet campus.

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  8. Hi there! Linked over to you from kimheinecke.com . Love your blog!

    My husband and I did not buy less milk when the price went up, but we made sure NEVER to throw any out. We drank every drop out of our cereal bowls and made sure not to pour more into a glass than what we would actually drink.

    As for gas, we have two cars: the economy car, and the gas guzzler. We sit down at the beginning of each week and determine who will drive more miles that week (usually him because his work is farther). That person drives the economy car while the other one drives the guzzler.

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  9. We are going to san antonio the end of this month and I'm scared of what the gas might cost us!! I should stay home more during the week, but I start going crazy with my kiddos if we don't get out!

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  10. I've been walking more or just not going at all. Luckily, my car gets really good mileage.

    I've also increased my gas budget by decreasing other budgets. Carpooling and meeting friends halfway has also helped.

    Also, I didn't realize milk had gone up. Guess I haven't been buying it that often or something...or maybe people just aren't talking about milk prices as much as gas prices! :)

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  11. Hey, nice to see some "newbies" on here! Thanks for your comments!

    Abbi-milk really went up last year.
    Ali & Cindy- come see me! I'm closer! ; )
    Deleise-I know...we try to take a car that gets the best gas mileage. Easier with less kids, I know.
    MMKT- you're right. We just need to adjust---it won't be easy, but we can do it!
    GinaL-we used to have a Suburban..ack! Scary fill up! $$

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  12. With a home daycare, we're required to serve milk with breakfast and lunch, at least. Plus, I cook for all these little mouths and a lot of recipes require milk....so, we buy about 6 or 7 gallons each week. We don't eat cereal, so that saves a lot of milk which would be used in most houses.

    As far as gas, we decided against buying an SUV right now. Michael and I both have cars that get 38-40mpg, so I'll just be stuck in the house most days this summer (because I have too many daycare kids to fit in my car.)

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  13. We will just suck it up in the budget. We like to get out too much to let the price of gas control that

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  14. I've certainly been more deiberate in my errands. I map it out now and make only 1 trip out during the day. It not only saves my gas $$ but I've spent a lot less on random stuff too (coffee, Eileen's Colossal Cookies, etc.)

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  15. I saw a sign at Walgreens yesterday saying their gallons of milk for $2.99- I was thinking "wow- what a bargain!". Then I thought back to only a few short years ago when that price might have seemed high. It's crazy how we get used to consuming many items despite the cost.

    I think I need to re-evaluate our driving as well :)

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  16. We bought a motorcycle and seein' as how I get out twice a week, we're doing ok

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  17. I don't get out much, so I haven't really noticed. Is that sad? I love the sign and Dirk's ideas!

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  18. This may make you laugh...but last night I rode my bike to Braum's to buy milk! Go figure:)

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  19. EEK! By the time I can drive, which is about a year and a half from now, gas will be up HIGH! Well... At this rate, I probably won't be able to drive until I'm married! tee hee.

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  20. EEK! By the time I can drive, which is about a year and a half from now, gas will be up HIGH! Well... At this rate, I probably won't be able to drive until I'm married! tee hee.

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  21. I work 2 miles away from my house but drive 12 miles to get to work. I have just informed my daughter that next year she may not be taking zero period at school because I won't be able to afford the gas. Also the grocery stores here do the pricing of milk weird. If you buy a gallon it si $4.29 but if you buy 2 you only pay $1.40 for the second one. I always buy two.

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  22. thankfully right now we only need one car and live on campus and work on campus and study on campus....
    so.
    not much gas needed here.
    whew!!!!

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  23. Robin I so enjoy reading your blog.

    We are also out there, I guess not as bad as some but it is a 16 mile round trip for milk for us here in Texas. A blessing is when we moved here we only have one car which was driving us crazy (we thought) but now it is so good. Matt leaves in the morning for work and the kids and I stay home. Rest and not going is going to be a whole new concept to many people. We get out 2 days a week and it is for scheduled things and oh the planning that goes into it.
    Oh milk, I can't even go there. I am just thankful we qualified for that wic thing.

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  24. Thanks so much for the comments---and LOVE seeing the new ones here!

    We'll all have to agree to hang in there with each other, share our ideas on $$ saving and encourage each other as we stay home more!

    It's really not such a bad thing---I did it for YEARS when our kids were young...and I lived to tell about it. LOL

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