That Sound You Hear…
May 29th 2008
Julia LondonOn Writing!
Every week, when Jack London does the grocery shopping, he comes home and complains about it. He hates it. The prices are too high. My eating habits (healthy) are a lot more expensive than his (junk, if I’d let him). I have learned to tune it out. I smile and nod and say things like “Really?” and “Oh my.” But I really don’t hear anything he says.
This weekend, on a lark, I accompanied Jack London to the grocery store. On the way there, we had to get gas. I drive a car that requires premium gas. We pulled into the station and knock me over with a feather, gas was $4.07 a gallon. My car holds 15 gallons. It was $60 to fill up my puny little tank! Seeing my shock, Jack London took the opportunity to say, “See??? See why I don’t want to drive my truck?”
At the grocery store, I got a bunch of oranges. “No,” he said. “Put some of those back.” I told him I couldn’t, I had already handled them. He told me I was not allowed to put anything else in the basket without talking to him first (and I think he almost meant it). But then he showed me why – he weighed the oranges, printed out the little tab, and for five oranges, we paid over $6 dollars. I think half of Austin heard his rumbling roar.
I’m a Pollyanna. I said, “They must have lost some of the crop this year, do you suppose?” Jack is a grinch. He said, “It’s the economy!” I realized by being a Pollyanna, I had done something I never, ever do – I gave him An Opening. Jack London proceeded to tell me about how it was all going down the tubes as we wandered the aisles and how we’re going to have to grow our own food.
Okay, enough about Jack – he listens to way too much talk radio. But seriously–$6 for five oranges? No wonder he’s so testy when he comes home from the grocery store. I was telling my father about it later, and he said proudly, “We don’t eat oranges! I’m not paying more than 50 cents for an orange!” I didn’t tell the old man that he might never eat an orange again.
96 Comments »
96 Responses to “That Sound You Hear…”
Karen Rose on 29 May 2008 at 4:51 am #
Julia, send Jack London to my house. We have an orange tree in our yard and the oranges are delicious! Of course after plane fare, he’d be paying a lot more than six bucks for five oranges, LOL.
I’ve also noticed my grocery bill going higher as I eat healthier. Somehow, that just doesn’t seem fair.
Karen Hawkins on 29 May 2008 at 6:32 am #
Dear Pollyanna/Julia,
Come and sit by me, dear. Let me tell you how it is.
We’re in a recession. And yes, though our administration would rather we use a phrase like ‘temporary economic downturn’, even Old Man Greenspan said it was the Big R. He does, however, think it’ll be short term. So tell Jack London to pour himself some wine (That’s still cheap.), climb into the economic bunker, wait it out with the rest of us.
I read an article the other day that said oil/gas prices are pushing the recession even more than the housing crunch and weak dollar. I was ready to raise my fist and curse the oil companies to the skies, but the article said the prices were being driven by ‘artificial speculation.’ I don’t know what ‘artificial speculation’ is, but I wish they’d cut it out.
Welcome to the real world, Miss Sunshine! Btw, how on earth do you get Jack London to DO the shopping like that? I haven’t quite gotten my guy there yet, but we’re working on it.
Kim on 29 May 2008 at 7:22 am #
Julia–I think Mr. London and I had the same conversations this week. My mom and I hit the local Meijer because they were supposed to have Grillers on sale, buy 1 get 2 free. The entire trip through the store, the way home and for about 7 days after all I did was complain. EVERYTHING has gone up. Gallons of water that used to be .50 are now .74. You couldn’t pick up a loaf of bread for less than $3. But are anyone’s wages going up? Heck no! Did my mom get a bump in her social security? No! Its insane and I hate it. Its just not good for my poor little cheapskate heart.
Karen–this is repeated from my DH and hopefully correctly *g* A while back he said a recession has certain criteria and that our economy met it a few months ago. I think 6 months of continuous…something or other. Yesterday I was doing my “we need to plant a garden and learn how to make our own flour” speil. I’ve been very freaked out about where our economy and world is going. Anyway, he told me that it is all oil
Kathy/Cookiedough on 29 May 2008 at 7:23 am #
my friend’s husband does all the grocery shopping- he’s the lone male in a sea of five females. but sometimes the shopping backfires. I used to be their nanny and still bake for them. If we circled an item meaning “this is important, do not forget” He figures it was already in the house don’t bother getting it. I laughed at him one day and told him if they didn’t need it, there would be a big fat no written through it.
they can afford the groceries lawyer and banker
but me- yipes! a teeny bag of flour cost me 5$ the other day, I was shocked.
why is the more you try to eat healthy, the more it costs. No wonder the working poor subsist on ground beef and noodles!
Kim on 29 May 2008 at 7:26 am #
cont…
It is all oil prices but its not even the oil companies here in the states. Its where we get the oil overseas. That they’re purposely socking it to us in a way we can’t control. He told me (and I’ve been chanting it ever since) “Just wait two years, this is a cycle our economy needs to go through, and it will go back to normal. Some things will stay high just due to inflation but the rest will settle where it needs to be.” He got into a lot more but it could start a political debate and I’m staying away from that
Jessie on 29 May 2008 at 7:49 am #
You know, I heard that Chevron found all this oil (like millions upon millions of gallons) down in the Gulf, and that they could start drilling as soon as next year. Even though I guess it would be better to not have to depend on oil for fuel, it’s nice to know that maybe we’ll be experiencing some relief next year.
Lisa H on 29 May 2008 at 7:57 am #
Tuesday, I headed out of the house with my kids in tow…I took my husband’s car instead of my van because my van gets 20mpg and his new car gets 30. I was driving down the street, minding my own business when an OLD man in a huge Cadillac was stopped for no reason in the middle of my lane. I slowed down and saw he wasn’t going anywhere and decided to circle around him. As I was passing him in the left lane, I hit another car. (It had been in my blind spot, and since I was driving an unfamilliar car, I didn’t check another mirror)
So in my effort to save feul, and hopefully drive gas prices down, I just cost myself $500.00 deductable, an increase in my auto insurance and a husband not too pleased with my banging up his new car!
I hate this recession. Oh, and BTW, I’m driving my van from now on. I’ll just stop eating to save $.
Gannon on 29 May 2008 at 7:58 am #
Eating healthier should be cheaper, don’t you think? Not fair at all.
Oh, Julia, don’t get me started on gas prices. Between my SUV (yes, I should drive a Smart Car, but with 3 kids, we wouldn’t fit) and my dh’s diesel truck, we are paying WAY too much at the pumps. When my dh bought his truck last summer, diesel was much cheaper than regular gas. Not now. It cost my dh over $100 to fill his truck. YIKES!!! Maybe he should drive the Smart Car!
Karen H, my dh loves to go grocery shopping, but unlike Julia’s Jack London, my dh just fills up the cart. Much cheaper if I shop alone.
Claudia Dain on 29 May 2008 at 7:59 am #
I’m glad I’m not the only cheapskate on Mt. Oly!
My question: why did you have to buy the fruit you touched? I don’t follow this rule. Am I guilty of some grocery store faux pas?
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 8:10 am #
Gannon, we are exactly the opposite. Jack London agreed to do grocery shopping years ago, and I never let him out of it. But he likes it that way, because I tend to throw stuff in the cart without looking. He’ll say, “how much did those greek olives cost?” Me – shrug. “I don’t know. How much can they be?” hahahaaa.
Claudia…I have this thing about people touching the fruit. I can hardly stand to watch people pick through it, and I can hardly put one down once I’ve touched it. Wierd, I know.
Lisa H on 29 May 2008 at 8:13 am #
Claudia – would that be faux paws?
Claudia Dain on 29 May 2008 at 8:36 am #
Whew! Okay, it’s only you being weird and not me being rude. I can live with that.
But did you know that you can *wash* the fruit before eating it? *G*
Claudia Dain on 29 May 2008 at 8:36 am #
LisaH, no, would it? Is paws a French word?
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 8:39 am #
Yes, you can wash it, but….ick.
Hey, the other thing I noticed that is totally outrageous is soda. I rarely drink soda, but I bought one the other day in the plastic bottle for $1.40! When did they get that high?
SuzyQ on 29 May 2008 at 8:41 am #
My kids only drink orange juice and milk, and both of these have gone way up! I’ve been going to the local warehouse club now because for the amount I go through in my house it is cheaper than the supermarket.
BTW, I just saw an email regarding a solution to the gas problem:
We buy oil at 128.00 a barrel
We sell grain at 7.00 a bushel
Solution: Sell grain at 128.00 a bushel and watch oil prices drop.
Kathy/Cookiedough on 29 May 2008 at 8:42 am #
faux pas! paws! LOL!!!!
funny
I always tell the kids to choose with their eyes first. so grubby hands aren’t all over the food.
If I make them follow that rule, i have to as well
Kari on 29 May 2008 at 8:48 am #
I am going to go against the grain here and say that since we have started eating healthier we have saved a little, not a lot, but a little on groceries. No more cookies, soda (seriously!!), cereal, Little Debbie snacks, and no more stupid foods. We switched from canned veggies to frozen and found that one bag will last for 2 meals where as one can would last one meal. For fruit that is out of season I try to buy the frozen fruit. I just take out what I need and don’t have to worry about it going bad before I use it up.
We’ve started drinking water a lot more in recent months so the price of water has been the same for me.
Gas, argggghhhh. I work at home so driving to work is nothing for me, but a couple weeks ago I took my son out of daycare. Not only for the cost of gas, but also the cost of the daycare itself. I’ve found I am saving us 150 a week by keeping him home. He starts kindergarden this fall so this arrangement is only for a few months. I hope I’m not too gray by then.
Kari on 29 May 2008 at 8:50 am #
I’m a fruit fondler. How else will you know if a peach is good??
RachelG on 29 May 2008 at 9:19 am #
I fondle fruit. Sorry.
I’m putting my fingers in my ears and refusing to acknowledge the big R. I imagine the first time I have to fill up the boat, it’s going to slap a little reality in to me.
rg
Kathy/Cookiedough on 29 May 2008 at 9:24 am #
hahahahaha! you fruit fondler you!
wuhahahahahahaha
I call myself a fruit fly (instead of the yuckie term fag hag)
that is so funny.
elsiehogarth on 29 May 2008 at 9:26 am #
Julia, your husband sounds just like my Dad when he gets home from the supermarket. My Dad, who has been retired for the past 15 years or so, is a total coupon clipper and drives around looking for bargains. Every Sunday, he goes through all the flyers to compare and check where his travels will take him during the week. Luckily, the area where he lives has a farmers market down the road so he gets his produce much cheaper then the supermarket. If ever any of us need anything, we ask him first because he’ll know if it’s on sale or not or better yet where you can find it.
Claudia Dain on 29 May 2008 at 9:32 am #
Faux PAWS. Now I get it! Duh.
cail on 29 May 2008 at 9:46 am #
so i was at an unemployment meeting the other week when the guy teaching my class told us that the unemployment rates in the city were not even this bad during the Regan recession. I’d say about half of my friends are currently on unemployment or have used up their 6 months. It’s pretty bad. Gas in this area has hit 4.20 a gallon or higher. It’s horrible. That’s for regular. It’s times like this I wish I lived closer to New Jersey.
I switched from name brand cereal to the malt-o-meal stuff recently. Can’t justify spending 5 bucks a box for cereal anymore when the other is 2$
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 9:47 am #
The oil prices on speculation are not just caused by the cars we drive, but also the food we eat, the packaging, etc.. buy locally, the cost is less because your produce is in season and has to travel less to get to your farmer’s market. The plastic bags we use and the plastic bottles we consume at an alarming rate are petroleum based products, in fact, most of the packaging (which is a great deal of what we pay for in products) is waste and ups the production cost and how much it takes to deliver. The explosion of the economies in China and a few other countries has led them down the path the US went on a long time ago… you have more money? buy a car rather then ride a bike or take the bus, show people how successful you are.. have a car already? buy a bigger/fancier one. This has also led to the increase in the prices of oil – demand goes up..since it is a global market, it effects us all. Since our dollar is garbage right now, it costs us more to buy things…
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 9:52 am #
off season product shipped in from Mexico.. or Austrailia costs a fortune to get here. Instead of bottled water, try a filter.. costs a fraction of the price and reduces the amount of plastics used and then tossed into a landfill to live for thousands of years. Buy local from the farmer’s market.. the prices have gone up a bit, but will be cheaper then the grocery stores. and reduces demand for the transportation. Reduce beef consumption.. the carbon footprint of a serving of meat is unreal, not to mention how raising beef/chicken, etc then causes all that corn and feed to be trucked in to the feed lot, then the cattle, etc transported to the house, where it is packaged in plastic and styrofoam, then trucked to the store… it is all a big snowball effect… sadly.
I hope that some good comes out of this recession in that we become more conscious of what we consume and buy.
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 9:52 am #
Please, continue to fondle your fruit and throw it back in the bin. I admit its just my little idiosyncracy, (or however you spell it). Just one of those things. I wash all your fondled fruit thoroughly, but I do have a toddler in the house and what if someone picked up my fondled fruit and didn’t wash it? Who knows what danger lurks on that peach?
Elsie, my dad gave me a lecture about coupon clipping, too. He really cracks me up. He’s so adamant about what an orange should cost, willing to fall on his sword for it.
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 9:53 am #
and because I always like to take up 3 messages in a row, I am adding this gratuitous third so as not to break the (overly verbose) Sheridan trend
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 9:53 am #
Does anyone drive a prius or a hybrid? We’ve been counting them in the ‘hood and it seems like everyone around here is driving one. But I read somewhere they really don’t get better gas mileage. Is that true?
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 9:59 am #
Sorry, Sheridan – -didn’t mean to break your stride!
Kim on 29 May 2008 at 10:13 am #
Everybody–I’m putting a thread up in the Forum under Off Mt. Oly for us all to share ways we save money! Pop in and share your little tricks!
um, Julia, $1.40 isn’t too bad for soda. Our Kroger had it at $1.79 yesterday. DH is a soda sucker but he only gets it if 2liters are under $1.50 or cases are $5.50.
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 10:19 am #
what were you thinking, Julia? sheesh…. this IS the Sheridan Show, after all!
tee hee
Kim on 29 May 2008 at 10:23 am #
Sheridan–you’re very right about plastic and stuff. Recently we started recycling and even my husband can’t believe how much stuff we can recycle that we were throwing away.
I drink mostly water and our tap water is disgusting so I do go through a lot of water bottles. Almost a full trash bag a week goes to the recycle bin.
Claudia Dain on 29 May 2008 at 10:26 am #
Julia, DH, the Car Nut, swears by his ooooold diesel Jetta. It gets 60MPG and because it’s old, the taxes on it are less than $10 a year.
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 10:31 am #
our water here sucks.. but the filter takes the icky taste out. This is the first place I have lived in where the tap water was icky enough for me to put a filter in. I also love that I don’t have to go bring gallons of water home. I did that for a bit when I first moved here, and it got old quickly.
Check this out: http://www.comparehomewaterfilter.com/bottled_water.html
Bottled water per gallon: $2.00/gallon (smaller 24 oz container.. gallons can be $1 each)
Whole House Filter per gallon: $0.01/gallon (much better quality of water)
most bottled water is filtered tap water, anyway.. you are paying for the packaging transportation
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 10:32 am #
oh.. the above is for a whole house filter.. I just use tap filters.. still a huge cost saving.
Suzanne Enoch on 29 May 2008 at 10:40 am #
Julia, I haven’t gotten my hybrid yet, but it’s supposed to get 45 mpg. It does cost a little more at the outset, but at least it’s something I can see. A car. Not gas, that just goes away.
So once we suck up all the oil from inside the planet, will the crust collapse? And will we then have no fuel with which to escape to another planet? Maybe I should buy a horse. Nicole, can you keep a horse in your garage? *g*
Kari on 29 May 2008 at 10:42 am #
Is the cost of food really this bad?:
http://www2.tbo.com/content/2008/may/29/sales-spam-rise-consumers-trim-food-costs/
I still can’t bring myself to that. :p
Kari on 29 May 2008 at 10:45 am #
Suzanne- Better yet, they need to find a way to use animal poo as a natural fuel. But only if the emissions smelled like roses, not like… well, poo.
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 10:45 am #
you know what makes no sense about the spam thing? it is a hell of a lot more expensive per serving then buying a pork roast, cooking it, freezing part and using that (MUCH better for you.. and tasting) meat then the processed, sodium filled canned meat product.
plus.. just.. ew.
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 11:00 am #
Kari, that’s hilarious. You know Austin is the home of the annual spam festival if you decide to get into it.
Sheridan and everyone else who complained about the cost of water — we had a reverse osmossis water tap put in at our kitchen sink. The filter changes once a year–about $50, and the whole thing was about $500 to purchase and install. But I drink a lot of water and I think we have more than made up for the cost in what we’ve saved in buying filtered water.
Claudia, a diesel jetta, really?
Jack London informed me last night that he’s looking at used Honda Civics for us to buy. US. In one ear and out the other.
Suz, can’t wait to hear about your hybrid!
Ronlyn on 29 May 2008 at 11:02 am #
My DH also does all the grocery shopping. He clips coupons, will make rounds to various stores if the sale is good enough and gets rainchecks for items that aren’t stocked so he can get the sale price later. He LOVES being able to tell me “I saved $38 today at the grocery store.” Right on dearie. If I go I simply grab what I want and move on to the next thing….admittedly not checking for sale prices or anything. LOL. So, as a result I don’t grocery shop anymore. (Gosh, I couldn’t have worked that better than if I’d planned it.)
Scott has also found a local farmers market that sells produce at about 1/2 the cost of the grocery store.
Kari on 29 May 2008 at 11:02 am #
Sheridan, I agree. But a lot of people look at the price of the whole vs. the price per serving.
Same with nutritional values of stuff. Oreo’s for example, only 160 calories per serving. BUT it is only 3 cookies per serving. Who only eats 3 Oreo cookies at a time?? Especially when you have a whole 8 oz cup of milk to dunk them in.
Margaret Garland on 29 May 2008 at 11:05 am #
Wow, Sheridan. I enjoyed reading your 3 in a row. Some of that stuff I knew and some I didn’t. What sort of filter did you get?
I’m a water-holic. Rarely drink soda and, then, only a few sips. It’s mostly wasted. I’d rather have water. I re-fill the plastic bottles and freeze them in the summer. My DD does the same with the 1 liter bottles. We take them when we go out and have cold ice water for quite awhile before the ice all melts. I also have several of those neoprene drink holders I get at Walmart. The have a belt hook on one side and a draw string on the other. Love them. I probably have 5-6 of them. They keep the ice from melting too fast.
I confess to being a fruit fondler also. How else can you tell which is ripe and ready to eat. Julila, washing fruit is the best thing you can do. Think about how many people have their mitts on it before it ever even arrives at your local grocery store.
Margaret Garland on 29 May 2008 at 11:13 am #
My step-daughter does coupons. I was visiting her one time and went with her to do her grocery shopping. She had a ton of coupons in her fanny pack. All sorted according to what was needed today expiration date, etc. We went to Giant (big east coast chain), Aldi’s and Walmart. She has coolers in the back of her minivan to put frozen food and stuff than needs to be kept cool in.
By the time we got to Walmart, I was a whipped pup and chose to stay in the car with the baby. She has 3 children, BTW. She can pinch pennies till th ey scream in agony.
When we got home that day, she showed me her savings. Total stuff bought was about $180 or so. What she paid in cash was around $75. I almost fainted. I tried doing what she does but it’s almost a full time career. And I’m not as disciplined. I forget I have coupons in my purse. What I”d really like is some of that family’s energy!
Margaret Garland on 29 May 2008 at 11:18 am #
Yawn!!! It’s all Rachel’s fault. I started NABD last night and read till around 2:30am. And thought it was only about midnight! I love this book! And I’m only up to chapter 6. They haven’t even hit the sheets yet.
Rachel, how different this is for you. Same humor but a different approach. By the time I was at chapter 2, I was READING in a Texas accent. Bless your heart. LOL
The funeral made me laugh and also gave me a clue that I was going for a very enjoyable ride. I already don’t want it to end. This is absolutely nothing like anything SEP would write, BTW.
However, I’m going to need a nap today.
Karen Hawkins on 29 May 2008 at 11:25 am #
Margaret, I’m bleary-eyed, too. I finished it last night and laughed myself senseless.
My daughter has a Civic and it gets 36 mpg hwy. She’s pretty crazy about it and ‘has run the wheels off of it’ as my dad would say. Seriously, that chica puts 30k a year on her car — it never stops. She’s going to have to get a second job to pay for gas, though.
I fondle fruit, too. You have to in order to make sure it’s ripe. I always wash it, though. What makes me made is when people dig through apples or something that bruise, and just let them bang around and ruin what’s left. Gettin’ rude with the food is so . . . lewd.
BWHWHAHAHAHAH!
Sorry. I’m punch drunk from too little sleep.
evlqn on 29 May 2008 at 11:27 am #
We drink a lot of water at our house and I find that if we run out of the bottled stuff before I go tothe store I just refill the bottle with tap water. If it is refrigerated overnight it loses the tap-taste. We are so into recycling that my sister lives from trashday to trashday. Our recyclables are picked up every other week and we always have more than our blue bin can hold. Our much smaller trash bin is rarely filled.
I hate going shopping now because I really hate the prices. It isn’t quite as bad if I buy in bulk, even the meat. I repackage it into meal size portions and freeze it for later use. I buy the Foster Farm boneless chicken breasts because there is no waste and I use only what I need.
Fruit has nearly disappeared from our table because at $1.19 a pound I am not willing to throw away any apples or oranges. Thankfully we have several orchards in the area so when they come in season we can pick them ourselves.
evlqn on 29 May 2008 at 11:34 am #
When I stilled lived with my husband he used to complain about the cuts of meat I bought and various other grocery related things. So one day he asked if I were going to the store for the week and I said “no”. I told him if he ever wanted to eat in our house again he would be going to the store with me and he would pick out the meat himself. The first few times were a bit trying but then we developed a game, who could come closest to guessing the total at the checkout. The winner got to put the difference into their personal “go to Vegas” stash.
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 11:37 am #
I had to console myself with Sex, Lies and Online Dating… I want a Quinn of my very own *sigh*
the water filter I put in is by GE .. though PUR makes one.. you install it to your kitchen tap.. change the filter every few months or so.. Here is the one I have.. the filters are a 2-pack, so on this site, they are $15 a piece. http://www.waterfilters.net/GE-FXMLC-Replacement-Faucet-Filter_p_0-346.html
and I, too, fondle fruit.. and I smell some of it as well.. I am extra bad. :/
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 11:42 am #
Hey, everyone, I DO wash the fruit. I still have a hang-up about it.
So what is gas going for in your neck of the woods? This is what I don’t get. I live in Texas where oil is produced. Why is it so much higher here? Same for California. It can’t be the cost of transport.
Kari on 29 May 2008 at 11:47 am #
2 days ago I topped the tank off at 3.89 a gallon. These days I try not to let it go under a half a tank. Makes filling up a little more bearable. Pretty sure it’s just a mental thing.
evlqn on 29 May 2008 at 11:49 am #
Julia I’m in Oregon and according to the receipt I got last night I paid $20.00 for 5.209 gallons @ $3.839 per gallon plus the $.45 transaction fee and I only got a third of a tank of gas. I really wish the oil companies would if not kiss me first at least still respect me in the morning.
Kari on 29 May 2008 at 11:51 am #
Forgot to meniton I am in Southwest Florida. I know there is drilling in the gulf so I, too, know its not the cost of transport.
cail on 29 May 2008 at 11:56 am #
It really depends where I go to the pump. The one closest to me (and cheapest for miles) is around $4.17 for a gallon. Most other local places are close to 4.30 a gallon or higher. It hurts since I have an 18 gallon tank. Thank goodness I get around 26 mpg. Prices go up like a few cents every day.
Lisa H on 29 May 2008 at 11:59 am #
I fondle fruit, actualy squeeze and caress might be better terms. I too always wash my fruit, but sometimes I don’t wash my lettuce.
I’ve heard it said you can tell how good a woman is in the bedroom by the way she chooses her produce…
Sherri Erwin on 29 May 2008 at 12:00 pm #
Am I the only one who would just loooove to watch Julia London go on The Price is Right? HAHAHA! If we’re lucky, her challenge would involve fondling fruit.
No, seriously, I can understand the fruit thing. I was buying bananas the other day and this woman in front of me insisted on taking a single banana from each bunch. Who does that? Some weren’t good enough for her, so she would set them aside and tear off more. It made me crazy!
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 12:26 pm #
Actually, it is not where the oil is drilled, it is where it is refined. Though they are drilling for oil near you, it has to be trucked/or sailed somewhere else to be refined, the it is refined, then trucked or piped back to your “local” distributors, then trucked to your local pump…
average breakdown of a gallon of gas price wise:
* Crude oil — 57%
o Finding the crude oil
o Getting the crude oil out of the ground
o Transporting the crude oil to the refinery
o Maintaining a reserve capacity of crude oil
o Profit
* Refining the crude oil into gasoline — 18%
o Producing special blends of gasoline to meet local clean air government regulations
o Transporting the gasoline to the gas station
o Profit
* Selling the gasoline at a station — 11%
o Operational costs
o Marketing costs
o Profit
* Taxes, federal and state — 20%
dbrown3400 on 29 May 2008 at 12:41 pm #
Whew! Sheridan. That is some breakdown. It almost justifies, but not quite, the $3.89 gas price here in Central Jersey (although many pump prices are higher).
Our farm markets tend to have better produce than the supermarkets, but vary on prices. What I miss are the many roadside stands with really fresh produce that beat all the others hands down.
We’re lucky with our tap water here, which is good because I drink a lot of it like many of you. I don’t have a stove, just a microwave and small refrigerator here in my room which eliminates bulk buying except for paper products. But there still is a lot you can do with fresh veggies in a microwave. I don’t test the veggies (just the fruit, Julia). I do sniff the cantaloupe to see if it’s ripe, but I don’t know any other way to buy it. Other shoppers do it the same way and it’s got that thick skin . . . I thump watermelon. I guess I do abuse the fruit. But I don’t rip bananas.
Margaret Garland on 29 May 2008 at 12:44 pm #
LOL, Sheridan. What is it you do again? You left out the pork barrel costs.
Sherrie, I would have gone straight to the manager of the store. I’m not sure the produce manaager could help. Depends on the store. What that woman was doing was stealing from the rest of us. Nobody’s going to come along behind her and buy those individual bananas lying there. I would like to see somebody like that publicly humiliated in front of other shoppers as I’m fairly certain there’s no law against. But it is stealing in a very senaky way. Grrr
Sheridan LA on 29 May 2008 at 12:51 pm #
Sorry… I sound like a know-it-all wench, don’t I? I tend to research a lot of topics for shoot ideas.. I am a producer in commercial photography (and a photographer) so I am scouring all sorts of things looking for inspiration for stock shoots. With the prices of food, environmental concerns, gas prices, etc.. I have been looking into it a lot lately.. I also remember lots of stupid facts that I tend to throw out there.. sorry if it comes across being preachy or know-it-all.
Kathy/Cookiedough on 29 May 2008 at 1:08 pm #
I’m bleary eyed too but because my nephew is having major girlfriend issues so we im’d into late late late.
I got my local library to order the new Rachel and JQ books.
I feel really poor right now.
no car to fill thank you, but looking out my window I see the price per litre is 1.44- it gets stinky when they fill the underground tanks, living so close, but hey I can’t beat the rent at less than 500/mo
I watched a Dirty Jobs not long ago and Mike- hunky-Rowe was with a man who converted used cooking oil he gathered from local restaurants into fuel for his car.
My sis and I were having this discussion- practically every day about how the fuel was going to run out eventually, why aren’t we moving towards more alternative sources like wind power, solar power etc.
The biggest complaint about the wind turbines was that they were very loud but my feeling is what would you like to have: a bit of noise or no power whatsoever?
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 1:16 pm #
Sherri, NO one does that! That’s insane! There’s gotta be a name for that kind of behavior, like Its All About Me syndrome or something.
Kathy, I am sure you meant Julia Quinn above, but I wish you meant JL’s reissues
(a not-so-subliminal suggestion).
you know, that cooking oil thing is not a bad idea! Aren’t you always trying to figure out what to do with it? Well, not me, as I don’ cook, but I remember once…
Freshechelle on 29 May 2008 at 1:17 pm #
You’re all going so fast tody, I’m still laughing at “fruit fly”. That’s brilliant.
Sheridan, keeping up the triple tradition. Way to go. You’ve provided heaps of good info to continue to raise my awareness.
I’m trying so hard to be eco-wise lately. I always carry a large handbag, so lately, I’ve been refusing shopping bags for small sized purchases like make up or lunch or accessories.
It’s with a sense of multi-leveled irony that I say I’m luck to live in NJ but I drive a car that requires premium so for a $60 tank of gas, damn straight you’re gonna clean my windshield. I recently left a station before filling up because they wouldn’t. I don’t mean to give the attendant a hard time but when I paid $20 a tank, you did it, why not now? BTW, we don’t have self-service gas here.
Margaret Garland on 29 May 2008 at 1:18 pm #
My uncle told me that far west Texas is coverred in the wind turbines. I just wonder how effcient they are when it takes so many of them and they take up so much land. Plus they are only usable where the wind blows.
Sheridan, neither preachy or know-it-all. I’m an amateur fact collector myself and I know how that sort of thing can get stuck in your brain. Google is my best friend.
BTW, my late DH was a room set/travelling photographer for Armstrong floors for many years. You know the pictures in the front of magazines? That’s what he did. Armstrong has a great studio in downtown Lancaster, PA.
Margaret Garland on 29 May 2008 at 1:27 pm #
Here’s something I do that I got from my mother. Who did it for years. She did this mostly at cafeterias because that’s where she ate a lot.
Instead of using those awful, leaky styrofoam containers, put a few small ziploc baggies in your purse. If I have leftovers I want to bring home, I quietly put them in a baggie and make sure it’s sealed completely. I dont’ know how anyone carries a small purse. LOL If you’re more thrifty than I, you can wash the baggies out and use them again around the house.
Oh yes. This is good for embarrassing your grandchildren. My rugby playing gc practically crawls under the table and cuts me out of her will when I haul out a baggie. I say what’s the fun of having adolescents around if you can’t embarrass them. *bad Nana, bad*
SuzyQ on 29 May 2008 at 1:30 pm #
I just paid 3.79 for gas in Northern NJ, but it’s 3.89 by the highways. Here’s a site that lists gas prices in your area to see who’s the cheapest:
http://www.internetautoguide.com/gas-prices/index.html
Kathy/Cookiedough on 29 May 2008 at 1:40 pm #
I BEG your forgiveness Goddess Julia !!!!!
I DO mean your books! I do I do!!!!
I’m gonna get holds on them right now!
did I suck up enough or you need more????
:0)
according to Mike Rowe, the car smelled really good going by and made him hungry.
Sheridan, I go full tilt on info too. I’m driving my friend crazy right now looking up Survivor challenges 10-12 yr olds can do.
I have print outs, and have planned on ordering buffs.I got the purchaser for teh local store so excited about the project she called the designer to find out if we could have real show ones.
They had one last yr and I really wasn’t involved other than to make a tribal council box and an immunity idol. ( a pooh bear I massacered, painted like a tiki doll and strung a strap around him)
this year I’m going, filming and supervising
Kathy/Cookiedough on 29 May 2008 at 1:45 pm #
did I mention I just got the “confirm the date” phone call YESTERDAY??
PJ on 29 May 2008 at 1:50 pm #
Sorry, Julia. I’m a fruit fondler too. We’re coming into the fruit and veggie season here in South Carolina so I’ll be buying most of my produce at the local farmer’s market. They’re open two mornings a week which makes it very convenient for me. I watch for the specials at the stores. I was in Walmart this morning and navel oranges were 40 cents each and large cantaloupes $1.00 each but eggs that were 74 cents a dozen last year are now $1.49 and milk is inching up to $4.00 a gallon. Crazy!
Regular gas here is $3.69 a gallon today. Last week I paid $3.57 a gallon.
Paula on 29 May 2008 at 3:12 pm #
Hi, this fascinates me and will probably give some of you the shivers. The $ to £ exchange rate is $1.97 = £1.00.
Over in England at the moment a gallon of Diesel is £5.25
Bread is £1.30 a loaf(for a decent loaf)
Canteloupe melons are £1.75 each
Milk is £1.80 for 4 pints ( = 2.27litres)
eggs are from £2.50 for 12(a dozen).
I’ll let you all work it out in dollars as my brain can’t manage it as it is getting late here (2115hrs).
The cost of living has just gone crazy my weekly shop at the beginning would be about £65/70 but now it is hard to do it for less than £80 per week.
How come wages don’t go up and reflect the cost of living?
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 3:40 pm #
Margaret, between here and New Mexico, there really isn’t much besides oil, cows, and wind, so the wind farms don’t take up too much space. You usually see them way off in the distance.
Fresh…you have ATTENDANTS? I remember when I was a BABY there were attendants, but I never see one now!
Kathy, that was excellent suck up. Thank you. I feel so much better
PJ, I am apparently surrounded by fruit fondlers. I would love a farmer;s market, but the only one I know of is a 40 miles away.
Paula, we can roughly double everything you are talking about. That makes eggs five bucks a dozen (ohmiGOD), gas, 10 bucks a gallon — yikes!
SuzyQ — thanks for the tip on the gas prices! That’s great to know!
Paula on 29 May 2008 at 3:53 pm #
Julia bet you don’t think you’ve got it so hard now?!!
bananas are £1.19 for 5 fairtrade ones!
I culdn’t believe it whern I worked out the price of Diesel into $, you’ve got it cheap. It all works out relatively with wages etc.
this week over here there have been road hauliers protesting in London about the cost of fuel.
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 4:01 pm #
Yep, Paula, Jack London works in the freight industry and he told me independent truck drivers are parking their trucks because they can’t afford fuel.
Judy F on 29 May 2008 at 4:12 pm #
You all have been chatty today. Love reading all the comments.
I just filled up my car last weekend to the tune of $40.00 at 3.89 a gallon. I was looking through old receipts the other day and just back in DEC of 07 it was 3.09 a gallon. That is just plain wrong.
A friends daughter is graduating from HS this weekend. I am really debating the 4 hour drive. I just see $$ floating away.
I can really tell at the grocery how prices have changed. THere is next to nothing in my card and its an easy 70.00. I have switch to off brands or store brands to cut cost.
Judy F on 29 May 2008 at 4:14 pm #
I was watching the evening news last night and they showed this guy whose family owns a trucking company. He drives to Mexico from AZ to get diezel gas. He converted a flatbed truck to haul 200 gallons of gas. Even with driving that far he is saving over 200.00
Sherri Erwin on 29 May 2008 at 4:20 pm #
Julia, New Jersey has attendants for gas. No self-serve. It’s illegal to self serve gas in NJ, am I right NJ residents? We have family all over NJ and we love to visit. I wonder if any other state is down on the self service gas?
colinfirthfan on 29 May 2008 at 4:37 pm #
Gas here today is $4.23 – for the lowest octane rating. A month ago I was complaining that it was $3.20. Sigh!!
I too am a fruit/vegetable fondler. How will you know if your fruits and tomatoes are squishy or firm???
Julia, my DH also hates it when I go grocery shopping. He will ask me how much I paid for something or the other and I will say 3 something. He knwos I am faking it. My point is we have to buy fruits, veggies and cereal regardless of the price. Why check it??? I have improved though.
I know the cherries I bought from Coscto was $13.00 for 4 lbs and the flat of Strawberries was $7.00
We switched to Organic milk – $&.00 a gallon. I make sure the kids drink every drop of it!!!
colinfirthfan on 29 May 2008 at 4:38 pm #
That is $7.00 a gallon for Organic milk.
Margaret Garland on 29 May 2008 at 4:38 pm #
I’d love to have attendants here in PA. I remember the days when there was no self serve. You got your tanked filled, tired checked, all windows cleaned with *clean* water, oil/transmission fluids checked, and the radiator for water. Those were the days, goddesses. A person could just sit in her car, relax and pay the attendant a whopping $5 for a full tank.
I think I’d better stop looking back. $2000 for a car. A dinosaur car. Not one of the wieny ones of today. Of course, those cars threw out an anchor at practically every station they came to. LOL
Julia, I’m very familiar with west TX and the Big Bend area. I haven’t been there in years but I loved it when we did go.
Judy, you could send the graduate a really nice gift what the gas would cost you.
Karen Hawkins on 29 May 2008 at 5:15 pm #
WOW, Paula. Those are REALLY high prices to me. I stayed in England in a little cottage one time and we had to go to the grocery store to get supplies for the week and the prices were outrageous, even when the dollar wasn’t so bad against the pound. But what REALLY got me were those crazy shopping carts. ACK! THEY DON’T STEER! I knocked over a whole stack of canned beans because I took a corner too fast and the cart just kept right on going — sheesh! Crazy!
Margaret, when I first learned to drive, I got gas as the tiny little gas station down the road. I lived in TN and when I say ‘tiny’ and ‘little’, I mean it. Anyway, they did it all –pumped it, washed the windows, checked the oil and other fluids — everything. Then I went away to college, pulled my car into a self serve and had no clue how to pump gas. None! I couldn’t get the little door open and it was all gas-smelly and ugh! I was soooo spoiled and didn’t even know it!
evlqn on 29 May 2008 at 5:27 pm #
I know that I am a dinosaur and I can prove it, I remember when I was in HS gas was $.25 a gallon. True, true, true. We used to scrounge up quarters so we could “drag main”.
Oregon is a right to work state so all of our gas stations have attendents.
Margaret Garland on 29 May 2008 at 5:38 pm #
evlqn, I have a feeling we are near the same age. I remember gas at a quarter per gallon, too. $1 would give us all the time we needed to cruise the drive-ins.
Yes, Karen H, I want to be spoiled like that again. Especially when the outside temperature is 15F with windchill making it feel like 5F.
There are a few stations around Lancaster that have a lane for self-serve. However, the price for having your gas pumped is astronomical. I don’t know what it is right now.
I went to get my gd at school. On the way, I notice several stations/minimarkets with the price of $3.89 for regular. I wouldn’t p
Judy F on 29 May 2008 at 6:03 pm #
I remember full service stations. sigh…. remember handing them your credit card and they handed you a little slip of paper.
It doesn’t seem that long ago that I could just get 5.00 worth of gas and it would last for a good while.
Actually not getting many hours at my second job is actually saving gas for me.
Margaret. I stopped and got cards after work. Driving 4 hours for a 2 hour thing just isn’t worth it money wise.
cail on 29 May 2008 at 6:43 pm #
I remember when we were livid that gas had hit $1 per gallon. Ah, those were the days. The car companies need to hurry up and get some better alternatives.
doglady on 29 May 2008 at 7:09 pm #
Good evening, ladies! I feel you on the fruit fondling, Julia. The bakery is next to the produce depart at Wal-Mart and if you saw what we saw handling the fruit you would steam everything you eat! Most of these people I would not let fondle my dipstick (the one in my car,ladies!) Really! Gas here is riding at 3.79 per gallon and buying another horse is looking better and better. There is an open field behind Wal-Mart. I could hire him out as a lawn mower and MAKE money. I swore after Taz died I would never get another. Having an animal for almost 30 years and losing him is too hard.
I totally agree with finding something the oil countries really need and trading it for oil. High priced oil? High priced corn!
Man, the dollar sucks against the English pound. When I lived there (eons ago) it was $2.40 to one English pound. Sheesh.
And I agree that healthy eating is more expensive! My dear DH was so clueless. When I lived in Germany I made a shopping list and budget and got his best
doglady on 29 May 2008 at 7:12 pm #
friend’s wife to do the shopping for him. Shopping confused the poor man with the IQ over 200!
I did find a gown for the Golden Heart awards at a second hand shop, no less. Midnight blue with a train at the back.
Here is the big news. I got a call from RWA and one of the final judges requested the full of LOST IN LOVE!!!!!! I am officially a PRO, right? Or do I have to wait for the rejection for that, LOL!
Kari on 29 May 2008 at 7:14 pm #
Congrats, doglady!!! Sure your a PRO!!!
Kate on 29 May 2008 at 7:35 pm #
Hey ladies,
I almost responded earlier this morning but felt it was too early to go into a rant. Oil prices are high and getting higher because there is a limited supply. We used up our oil in the 1970’s. This means our oil peaked. The oil in the middle east has peaked. They cannot produce more because there is no more to get. There were only so many dinosaurs. The other oil fields that they are finding are mere drops in the bucket. Wouldn’t really effect the amount of oil available. We need to find an alternative. We are trying with ethanol – which the current oil companies are circulating all these myths about it. To find out some solid facts google set america free. They have some interesting information.
yes you should grow a garden. There are ways to do it that don’t take so much input. Something else my dh and I are learning about.
Thanks for listening…sorry I just couldn’t resist adding to the conversation. One more thing about ethanol – my dh always says
Kathy on 29 May 2008 at 7:37 pm #
hey my post didn’t post!
I was just saying how I got back from my sister in law’s 50th birthday dinner. She and my brother got two new cars.
all this talk about the price of gas and they get much needed new cars.
I gave her the dvd so I’m posting the vid now on youtube.
it has to process first…
Kate on 29 May 2008 at 7:38 pm #
that we can do a good thing badly. The distiller grains left over from the use of corn in ethanol production is actually better feed for the cattle, but they denature it to stop the fermentation process and they use chemicals which would be harmful for the animals.
I agree that China has contributed to the rising demand and results in the higher costs.
I’m really done this time.
Take care ladies!
Writing farmer in MN
Sabrina Jeffries on 29 May 2008 at 7:49 pm #
I got gas for $3.89 last week. Fortunately, I don’t drive much, so I can usually swallow it. But still …
Anybody else remember the energy crisis? I remember lining up to get gas in my old gas guzzling 71 Buick Skylark. It was a nightmare.
Julia London on 29 May 2008 at 11:14 pm #
Doglady, congratulations!!
Kate, its a good day to rant. I saw a thing on oil the other day — they said the easy oil is gone. There are more reserves but a lot harder to get to. Another guy said something interesting, I thought. He said WE aren’t dependent on oil, our cars are, and where is all the technology that can get us to the moon–why can’t we come up with a vehicle not dependent on oil?
Anyway, here’s my last rant of the day — I took a pair of linen pants to the dry cleaner. One pair of pants. it was 8.44! Eight and a half bucks to dry clean one pair of pants!
Cail, I remember those old days when a buck a gallon was outrageous. I bet my dad said he’d never pay more than 75cents a gallon. hahahaaaa…..
Kim on 29 May 2008 at 11:30 pm #
Gas is $3.99 here. 20 miles north in Michigan it’s topped $4. I am SO glad to work from home, let me tell you. If I were still doing my merchandising job where I drove 1200 miles a week it would cost be about $200 a week!
evlqn on 30 May 2008 at 12:03 am #
Margaret I just turned 59 last week , I EARNED every grey hair I possess!
I had a friend several years ago who worked for Shell Oil, he was a scientist and surveyor for them. He told us in 1971 that Colorado,Wyoming and Nebraska has enough oil reserves to keep us in gas for 200 years.
Karen Hawkins on 30 May 2008 at 2:08 am #
I heard there’s a big enough deposit of oil in the Gulf of Mexico to keep us in oil for the next 200 years. However, there’s been a lot of pressure not to drill there because of fears of spills, etc, and a huge amount of tourist industry is based there. Plus, once someone starts to drill, everyone will start to drill and not all countries have high safety standards. Plus, oil spills happen — look at Alaska. So . . . I dunno. Frankly, I’d rather we found an alternative. Personallly, I’d like to hook up a huge windmill in my backyard. I don’t know what permits I’d need, but I’m willing to host one, if I’m allowed!
Paula on 30 May 2008 at 3:43 am #
Karen H, LOL! I know I shouldn’t but it is funny when you hear of something like that happening!! I hate the shopping carts (trolley’s) none of them ster or maybe it is just the ones I pick, and the heavier the load the worse they get. Tonight I’m off to do the grocery shopping again it is like a never ending task.