With Gas Prices Rising, What Next?

[matuawarrior]

Gas prices here are currently at $2.77/gal and rising. Economy analyzers say that it'll be $3.00/gal before years end. Since we get our fuels from Brunei, we are basically a captive consumer. As with gas prices rising, so are goods, services, materials, utilities, and other items.

 

Our Scout Troop is now doing more hikes and camping within the village municipality. The local public transportation is not very reliable. Many of our Scout families are working more than one job to make ends meet. In order to save money and cut expenses, we try not to give undue hardships to our Scout families.

 

We have stored our propane containers and are now back to using wood as fuel for campouts. Charcoal is just to expensive to use anymore. We carpool more now than ever before.

 

I will not be surprised if I see one of my neighbors start using a carabao and cart to do ranch errands. I see alot of bikes, scooters and motorcycles hitting the roads now. Many SUV's, and Pick-Up trucks are now seen parked in driveways. My Dodge 4x4 Pick-Up is parked and only used to haul heavy loads.

 

I would really appreciate it if I can get more ideas on how to help cut expenses for our campouts. Please keep in mind that I live on an island in the North Pacific.

 

Matua

[John-in-KC]

When I was a Scout (cue fog of past...)

 

We had a couple of favorite campgrounds. We visited them usually 4 times a year. Part of it was one of the Commitee members owned the land.

 

There's nothing wrong with using the same campground over again. One time we used the tents; another time we improvised shelters (someone had access to surplus parachutes. Still a third time we slept under the stars, and left the tents behind.

 

Patrols could do flag football, softball, whatever we chose.

 

Sometimes we had all day cooking contests.

 

Let your imagination work.

 

 

[hacimsaalk12]

we have the same problems here. gas prices are up, and families are having trouble paying for everything. what we did here, was collect junk. you would be amazed at all the junk you can collect and trade in for money at the local salvage yard. (by junk i mean metal suck as old cars, old buses, fridges, ect.)

 

also, cut as many things out that u dont need, as u can.

[scoutldr]

I just filled up at Costco ... 2.479 per gallon regular. The Shell station on the corner is at 2.599. I know that is low compared to other places, so I'm not complaining. The lady on the other side of the pump island struck up what I thought would be a friendly conversation, commiserating about the prices. As she got into her Mazda to leave, her parting shot was "of course you guys in your SUVs are just enabling them." Yes, I just bought a 2005 Ford Explorer 4x4 to replace my 1999 Jeep Grand Cherokee that was costing me about 1500 a year in repairs. As I have stated before, I refuse to feel guilty. I have a good job and can afford it. My SUV routinely transports scouts and gear while their parents sit at home and my own sons have aged out. My SUV gets me up the mountain to my in-laws' rustic cabin near the AT. My SUV is safe. My SUV has room for a wheelchair and oxygen tanks to transport my terminally ill Mother in law who just moved in with us. My SUV will safely evacuate her in case of a hurricane and power failures that will threaten her life. My SUV gets around 17-18 mpg around town...probably more than those souped up Honda civics driven by 16 year olds at two speeds...fast and faster, always at full throttle and high noise levels. The gas prices haven't seemed to slow them down...they probably buy their gas with Mom's credit card.

 

So to all of those self-righteous ladies at the gas pump...as soon as all the teenagers get off the road and back on the school bus, I'll trade in my SUV. Then you can get off my back and figure out how to get your own kids to camp, while I sit home in the A/C.

 

Sorry for the rant.

[Scoutndad]

Pretty good rant scoutldr and I'm with you except both genders and all age brackets are fair game...

And believe it or not, those silly 4 bangers that are tuned up and running 6" diesel exhaust pipes, still get better mileage than my good ole American Suburban -

Now here is my problem, oh sure gas is going up, but if you had a deal on a Ford Excursion that will never come along again in a life time, would you trade the 14-18mpg Chevy for a 10-14mpg Ford???

By the way, I WANT (not need) the room for my kids and the many miles that we drive...and there is no sense in talking about minivans or station wagons...

[Aardvark]

Actually, gas is cheap here!

 

I'm a Land Rover owner and am on many British Forums for this legendary British Vehicle.

 

Petrol (gasoline) is going for 99 pence a liter in England-roughly $7.50 a gallon!

 

I still dread filling up the tank tomorrow at $2.52 for the Troops trip to North Carolina, but still count myself lucky!

[SeattlePioneer]

The lesson to learn is to buy oil and gas stocks, especially when they are at a cyclical low.

 

Many such stocks can be bought for little or nothing in commissions using DRIPs.

 

Write this advice on the palm of your hand and then don't wash.

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

Not a victim of higher energy prices

[matuawarrior]

Correction. I didn't check the newspaper Wednesday morning. The local headlines state that gas is now $2.85/gal.

 

When I was in Kona, Hawaii a couple of years ago. Gas there was $2.50/gal. Wow, I can only imagine what it is now.

 

Yeah, I know what you mean about driving your SUV. I enjoy driving my Dodge Pick-up, a Club Cab 4x4, around the island. One elder gentleman ranted at me, when I first got my truck, how I could buy a huge truck on an island that is 30+ miles long. I could fit 3 big teens comfortably in my truck and carry most of the unit's camping supplies to the campsite. I can drive on the outer lane during a heavy rain downpour while the lowriders and cars are on the inner lane trying not to flood their engines. I can also visit secluded beaches and hills that are impassable to cars or vans.

 

It looks like we'll be having an interesting committee meeting next week on the posted topic. I'll keep you posted on what goes on.

 

Matua

 

(This message has been edited by matuawarrior)

[Fuzzy Bear]

I drive a '91 Toyota PU. It is small, gets 30+ MPG. I have stacked, racked and tied things up and over the height of the cab. I have moved several times in the past few years; put a packed trailer on the back, gone over mountains and down them. I have carried people to the hospital and back again along with their wheelchairs. I have loaded tons of wood in the back and emptied it. I drive to work and back every day. I have driven in traffic in large and small cities and have never had a problem. A few times in high winds and torrential rains driving next to an 18 wheeler, it got a little creepy. I just backed off to a safer speed and kept my windshield wipers going full tilt. The pull-keeper on my back side windows have broken, so I have wired them shut with bailing wire, about once a year I have to tighten them. I have trouble with the Honda kids blaring their boom boxes, so I just turn NPR up a little louder and drive on. I don't care if people are driving super-tankers and the price of gas goes to $10.00 a gallon, it will then be good reason for me to buy a hybrid. I also plan to keep my Toyota that is now getting close to 300,000 miles. I get a little emotional when thinking of getting rid of her.

FB

[SeattlePioneer]

WALK to those campouts and there will be fewer posts about flabby Boy Scouts and Scouters!

 

 

 

Seattle Pioneer

[packsaddle]

This summer I saw so many huge RVs clogging the highways that the thought that kept coming to mind was: 'When dinosaurs roam the earth'. At least in the form of fossil fuel in those guzzler tanks. I wondered how those folks could afford to drive all over the country in those monstrosities. Now I am beginning to see them for sale in front yards everywhere. Who in their right mind would want one?

 

This topic had brief discussion a couple of years back in a different thread. I made an observation that I have thought about since. If the government had added tax that brought the price to a mere $2, we probably would have seen a huge outcry. But we merely shrug if the market (and the oil industry) does the same thing. Interesting.

 

Even more interesting...We have consistently supported a national policy that promotes free market actions. We have elected leaders who support marketplace mechanisms and capitalism in general. In doing so we have placed our futures in the unseen hands of the magic of the free market. The market is working. It will continue to work. Why are we whining about this? If the price is too high, stop buying the gasoline. But if we ARE buying it, by definition the price is not too high.

[scoutingagain]

If I was a skeptic I might ask, "Gee I wonder what Dick Cheney and all those oil industry execs talked about a few years ago in the "secret" energy policy meetings? How to keep the price of oil low?" Glad to see the free market is working.

 

If gas prices stay at current levels, (and everything I've read recently gives me no reason to believe they won't for a while) folks will begin to trade in those SUVs, or at least trade in the hugh V8s that get 14-17 mpg to V6's that in some cases get upto 25 mpgs, maybe even a hi-brid. Can't wait to get rid of my Durango, but I'm still making payments on the darn thing.

 

It would help if we would encourage China to stop making economic reforms that encourage capitalism and return to a true state run economy so their economic growth slows down. It would help if we could get an ineffective communist government to set up shop in India as well. I don't know why we keep wanting to spread democracy. It just encourages these other countries to grow their own economy and compete for resources. If it wasn't for capitalism, these countries would still be growing rice and riding bicycles and we'd be making are own TV's, answering are own computer problems, and paying $0.99 a gallon.

 

 

Seriously though, I agree with those posters that encourage the idea of more backpacking outings. For a number of reasons.

 

First of all, it forces everyone, even the adults, to pack less. You can then fit more persons/vehicle, cutting transportation expenses. Don't take the big propane bottles, lanterns, stoves, tables, canopies, chairs, chuck boxes, troop trailers, etc. and you'd be suprised how much better milage you get.

 

 

 

SA

 

 

[PNWscouter]

 

Okay, it has been a long day at work, let's see if I can do some math. My truck gets 16MPG with a V8. A newer truck or SUV will get 25MPG, a difference of 9MPG. Now, this new SUV will cost me 30k+, less the 5k the dealer will give me for mine. Sales tax, dealer fees, higher insurance rates, license etc wil eat up the 5K so we are back to 30K for the new truck. Now, with that 30K I keep my truck and buy gas. At 3 bucks a gallon I can buy 10,000 gallons of gas. Now, at 16MPG, I can drive an extra 160,000 miles. This does not factor in the interest I would have to pay on this new vehicle since I don't have 25k in my pocket. Heck, I just realzed gas is now free for the next 5 years, wow!

 

I have been thinking about this though. It does not bother me to buy gas to haul the boys around but a few of my regular drivers may not be in the same shape as I am. They have never complained but I think it is unfair that nobody else ever offers to drive. I have been thinking about proposing to the committee a "gas fee" charged for outings. Many places we go end up being 200+ miles round trip mostly in pickups. Do any other troops do this?

 

 

[hacimsaalk12]

in our troop the people who drive pay for their own gas. if we go on a big trip, then we raise money to pay for it. to save on gas, most of them have switched to smaller, more economical vehicles (for example, instead of driving a F250 around, he bought a small ford. instead of driving around a Nissan Frontier, my dad bought a Toyota Matrix w/ AWD.)

 

thats just wut we do.

[concerned_scout66]

My wife and I both own smaller cars that get 35-40 MPG. My family of 4 will easily fit in either car and these work for virtually all of the travel we do. On the weekends that we go on Scout outings, we rent a large cab pickup truck from Enterprise. This will carry 5 people and gear. It seems odd but works very well.

 

We've been doing this for about 6 years now. We average about 24 rental days per year. In my area I can get a pickup from Enterprise Rental Cars for < $50.00/day. If I need an SUV I'll get one but a pickup usually does the trick. By making the reservation at the local office instead of the 1-800 reservations line, I (usually) get the vehicle for less by telling them it's for a Boy Scout function. Week rates (for summer camp) are actually cheaper.

 

This math is pretty simple (24 days * $50 = $1200). Taxes on rentals here are about 13% so the total comes to about $1356/year.

Our regular insurance covers rental cars so we always decline the additional coverage. It's like owning a 3rd car but without all of the costs. We never pay for financing, registration, car tabs, insurance, repairs, tires, oil, or even to clean the vehicle. It's always new and doesn't even take up space in my garage/driveway. Best of all, we only have to pay for the poor gas mileage when we are using the vehicle.

 

I know this sounds a bit odd but my wife and I love this system. It may not work for everybody but it sure helps keep our costs down and helps to insulate us when gas prices increase.