Rising fuel costs lead to desperate measures!!!

[LeslieDean]

Hi friends. I don't know about you but the cost of fuel is eating into our family budget. We live about 20mins from the nearest grocery store/gas station--so it takes quite a bit of gas to go get gas. WE have an F-250 diesel truck that can't pass a gas station without stopping. Can someone tell me please why diesel use to be cheaper than regular gas but now it is a full 75cents higher a gallon than regular.

So, we all put are heads together to try and come up with some ways to conserve fuel. We have been doing the obvious for some time now. You know, running multiple errands and not make unnecessary trips. No "Sunday drives" anymore. We thought about making our own moonshine fuel, but that is an awful lot of trouble. (not to mention illegal being blown to smitheriines!]. So instead of risking the law coming down on our tails we came up with a different method of conservation. Actually my son suggested this. Through his limited vast knowledge of problem solving and his quick mind to recall any worthless meaningful piece of information he suggested that we could invest in skateboards, rollerblades or bicycles and attach ourselves to the neighbors vehicles and let let take us to town. I am thinking it would look much like this:

Of course I am only kidding! Rick and I would definitely never make our neighbors pull us into town this way. We don't even have roller blades or knee pads! Yet.

[rocket]

WE have an F-250 diesel truck that can't pass a gas station without stopping. Can someone tell me please why diesel use to be cheaper than regular gas but now it is a full 75cents higher a gallon than regular.

Supply and Demand. There were not so many diesel cars and pickup trucks that used diesel years ago. The Federal government also seized upon the chance to raise revenue by raising the Tax on diesel. Commercial trucking has always caused the most damage to the roads so now everybody that drives a diesel vehicle gets to chip in a large amount to fix the roads that never seem to get fixed even with the extra money in the coffers.

[GrumpysWife]

Leslie, you are soooooooooooo funny. When my sister and I get together, we reason like you do. Are you sure your last name isn't Green. We have to find things to laugh about, because things are so sad now-a-days. I really enjoy your sense of humor. Thanks for helping me expand my horizons. I'll never view a skate board the same again.

[LeslieDean]

Thank you for the reasonable answer-I just thought it was another way for Big Brother and oil companies to get to us. We have always had diesel trucks and it was always cheaper than gas until about 2 or three years ago---but almost a dollar seems really unbelievable! I have heard it does not cost as much for the oil companies since it does not require as many steps to get it to the pump but I have no idea what that involves---just repeating what I have heard from old men cussing and discussing things at the bar over their heated domino games and such...but I can see where big rigs would do more damage to the roads . thanks again

[retroHelen]

This advice only works with DIESEL cars usually made before 2003. Gasoline/petrol cars are NOT suitable as they inject fuel differently and possibly non flexfuel modern diesel vehicles with computer censors. We had a German (old VW) made diesel car and when veg oil was cheap we ran it 30% veg oil and 70% diesel only in summer. Winters are too cold here to start a car with any veg oil - it gets too thick. Then veg oil companies realised what people were doing and put the price of their veg oil up higher per liter than diesel - literally tripled the price! You may be able to source it cheaper in bulk though and use it 50/50, or better, if your fuel injection can handle it and you are a warmer climate - better on older vehicles. There are websites that tell you if your make/model can handle it, check them out so you don't make any expensive mistakes.This is just a straight veg oil/diesel mix and not biodiesel though - that requires chemical reaction to remove the glycerines and soaps.

Making you own biodiesel from used, then filtered veg oil is quite common here in UK where diesel is about £6 a gallon and there are recent tax concessions/freedoms up to a certain level. After that you download a form from the Inland Revenue (IRS) to pay a small duty on each liter - but still cheaper than at the garage, especially as they collect used oil from takeaways and restaurants for free. Most town buses and supermarket truck fleets run on it.

If you make your own biodiesel you just have to be careful with goggles and gloves when dealing with the methanol and caustic soda that has to be added to it to cause the separation. There's no chance of being blown to smitherines with the method shown on the video as there's no heat, other than chemical reaction warming.

http://www.5min.com/Video/How-to-Make-Homemade-Biodiesel-155733616

http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/homemadebiodiesel/a/biodieselquest.htm

http://alternativefuels.about.com/od/biodiesel/ss/makebiodiesel1.htm

http://www.biofuelplanet.com/Biodiesel/make-biodiesel-overview.aspx

[LeslieDean]

Wow Helen! You did much research. Thank you. I would have to look up 6pounds (currency) I think that is what you wrote for each gallon? I guess I will keep my complaints to a minimun re the diesel costs here. The truck is a "green" truck there is a tank that sits next to the gas tank and the dealer fills it up with each scheduled visit (q 7500 miles) we only have 600 miles on the engine so far so it has a little ways to go. Anyway it has something to do with the emmissions and such and is a 2012 model F-250 King Ranch. It rides like a dream though and my husband is happy for me to take it out in service. We are rural territory and the 4WD comes in handy--especially with winer approaching.

[retroHelen]

£6 = $9.30 per gallon diesel and is more expensive than petrol/gas and will have another 3 pence tax added in January. The government takes 60% in tax.

[onzomanie]

you are lucky that you even have fuel in the pumps but here in Malawi there is no fuel at all ,hence a rise in inflation and the thing has become political in nature which is becoming difficult for brothers to maintain neutrality because it is talked about everywhere

everything has become expensive by 10-15%.,and it is had here.we are feeling these end times indeed.

[trottigy]

you are lucky that you even have fuel in the pumps but here in Malawi there is no fuel at all ,hence a rise in inflation and the thing has become political in nature which is becoming difficult for brothers to maintain neutrality because it is talked about everywhere

everything has become expensive by 10-15%.,and it is had here.we are feeling these end times indeed.

Hang in there my friend. Our father knows what we need and provides. You are in our prayers often.

[GrumpysWife]

you are lucky that you even have fuel in the pumps but here in Malawi there is no fuel at all ' date='hence a rise in inflation and the thing has become political in nature which is becoming difficult for brothers to maintain neutrality because it is talked about everywhere everything has become expensive by 10-15%.,and it is had here.we are feeling these end times indeed.[/quote'] Hang in there my friend. Our father knows what we need and provides. You are in our prayers often.

Yes, I'd like to 2nd Jerry's comment.

[retroHelen]

The rise in fuel costs has lead to a rise in these crimes in UK as warned from the Automobile Association website:

http://www.theaa.com/motoring_advice/security/number_plates.html

Theft resistant number plates

To combat 'cloning' and other crimes

If the number plates are stolen from your car you should report it straight away – you might start receiving parking fines, speeding fines or worse as number plates are used to disguise the identity of cars used in a wide range of crimes.Number plate theft is a big problem in the UK – rates have more than doubled in the last five years and there were at least 40,000 cases last year. Thefts from cars are significantly under-reported.

According to the DVLA government department Stolen plates are used by criminals to:

change the identity of stolen cars so they can be sold (car-cloning)

disguise cars used in activities like ram-raiding or driving from petrol stations without paying

evade congestion charges, parking and speeding fines

What to do:If you're in the process of buying a new car ask the dealer to fit theft resistant number plates with tamper-proof screws when the car is first registered.

Benefits:

Fewer motorists facing fines for crimes they didn't commit

Fewer motorists innocently buying cars that turn out to be stolen

Reduced incidents of fuel theft

If your plates are stolen contact the Police immediately. It may seem trivial at the time but it's no fun if you subsequently start receiving fixed penalty notices or are suspected of committing crimes yourself. People who steal fuel don't drive away from a filling station having spent £20, they will be filling to £100 -250 and you will get the invoice based on CCTV camera evidence reading your stolen plate.

[CMWYW]

£6 = $9.30 per gallon diesel and is more expensive than petrol/gas and will have another 3 pence tax added in January. The government takes 60% in tax.

I think gallons are different in the US.

In the UK a gallon is 4.54 litres

In the US a gallon is 3.78 litres

In Oklahoma, sand springs it is around $3.49-$3.59(£2.22-£2.28) per US gallon which works out around $0.92-$0.94 (£0.58-£0.60) per litre

In the uk Diesel prices avarages are £5.29($8.30) per US Gallon and £1.40($2.19) per litre.

Which is around 230% more.

Sheesh good job we don't have to travel everywhere as far as you guys in the US. Although we do have some of the biggest car parks(err i mean motorways ie M25, M6) in the whole world that burns a lot of fuel in a not very productive way.

@ Leslie I think it is a good idea to get in the habit of alternative forms of transport. I have often imagined the great tribulation and maybe even the paradise being a Petroless and Dieseless society. I love camping and getting a fire going and getting back to nature. Growing our own food and maybe harnessing the power of the sun for lighting etc etc is how i imagine the perfect new world. One day we will run out of petrol/diesel so eventually it will happen and we will probably use sustainable perpetual energy systems. The more we are prepared for it the better. I cant wait for community witness barbeques and cooking on a fire and getting together around it afterwards and praising Jehovah all night long. Its going to be brilliant. All done without petrol/diesel.

[onzomanie]

this is very nice retro and Symon,an insight on alternative transport .the problem is that people are not willing to seek alternative transport because a car more especially in Africa is a symbol of status,and to part ways with it becomes demeaning to them in terms of status,but financially it a bomb.

the fuel situation in Malawi has gone from bad to worse and the government has come out in the open to say that we Will have to Wait for another six month ,but to tell you the truth we are coping with inflation and all this because we know the truth and the truth has set us free that these are critical and had times to deal with

(2Tim3:1-5)

[onzomanie]

thank you troggity for the players,vernalee for the hug and leslie that video is cool