Price of Gas Affecting You, Too?

Welcome to America. Land of the free. Where you are free to do anything you want, except you have to drive everywhere. Which means you have to purchase a car, insurance, and gas.

Not to mention as the cost of living goes up, minimum wage just sits there...

Everyday I am thankful to have a job even though I don't get paid as much as I should. I am thankful I live close to my job and have options such as public transit, biking, walking, and driving if needed.

Once gas becomes completely unaffordable, we as a country will be screwed.

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Originally Posted by Raptor

Didn't see this post last night.

I live in a rural area and drive into the city, meaning there isn't any public transportation. With that said, it's not exactly wise for a woman of my size to be biking by herself in an area like that. At least if I have an issue with the suv, I can lock the doors and wait for someone.

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Locking the doors and waiting for someone seems like a good, safe option to you? What real protection does an immobilized vehicle provide vs a truly determined attacker? It's not as though it's difficult to break auto glass if you have any kind of tool at all. (At least, that seems to be the concern you're implying.)

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I spend about $160 a month on gas, sometimes less. It just depends on if my parents decide to use the suv, which is theirs. More often than not, they'll fill it up.

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Ah, so the truth I've been suspecting comes out. Living with the parents rent-free and with a vehicle you only have to cover some of the fuel costs for is how this enterprise functions. I had really been wondering how the ridiculous commute thing was better than just moving into an on- or near-campus apartment, and now I know.

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Can it do 75 mph? That's what I do on the toll roads.

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In most areas, that speed is illegal, you know. :P

Again, this is from memory, and it's been a while since I talked with my brother about it, but I *think* it tops out at about 75 or 80. It *is* a viable single-person good weather transportation solution.

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Regardless of it all, for my situation, a bike, motorcycle, or scooter isn't viable for my situation. Rainstorm? I'd end up arriving at college/back home soaked. Snowstorm? Yeah. Driving in last week's blizzard was bad enough in the truck. Visibility was down to 10 feet, at best. If I lived in the city, sure.

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I did agree that a bike was not viable for your situation, in case you missed that. I also said that biking in the rain sucks. I never suggested that public transit would be an option with a commute as long as yours, nor did I (or anyone else that I recall) claim that any of those options are the be-all, end-all solution to your transportation problems. They are all options that CAN work given appropriate conditions and that save you significant money when they do. Obviously even if you got a bike, scooter, or motorcycle, you'd have to fall back on a car/truck/SUV in inclement weather.

Finally, and I say this for the good of *your* blood pressure, try to take a step back for a minute and realize that no one here is trying to attack you. Rather, we've simply been discussing options that work for some people some of the time, and several times, you've interjected short statements that are light on detail. This leads the rest of us to draw sometimes erroneous conclusions about your situation. (For example, it was several posts before you said it was 32 miles each way for you - had you mentioned that right away instead of just saying "I'd be exhausted," I think the conversation would have gone quite a bit differently.) I suggest that in the future, it'd be better to provide some detail to go along with your declarations so that people understand where you're really coming from.

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Originally Posted by olstyn

Locking the doors and waiting for someone seems like a good, safe option to you? What real protection does an immobilized vehicle provide vs a truly determined attacker? It's not as though it's difficult to break auto glass if you have any kind of tool at all. (At least, that seems to be the concern you're implying.)

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x) truck has various heavy tools that I can use to hit someone. However, I'm also thinking wildlife. We have coyotes, stray dogs, and the occasional mountain lion.

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Ah, so the truth I've been suspecting comes out. Living with the parents rent-free and with a vehicle you only have to cover some of the fuel costs for is how this enterprise functions. I had really been wondering how the ridiculous commute thing was better than just moving into an on- or near-campus apartment, and now I know.

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Not exactly rent free. I'm essentially the baby sitter for the livestock when the parents go out of town. Regardless, I've been paying the majority of the fuel costs since mom lost her job. Not to mention, an apartment would mean an roommate, and I don't like people enough for that.

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In most areas, that speed is illegal, you know. :P

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Perfectly legal on toll roads where the minimum speed is 50 and the maximum speed is 75. Excluding construction zones where the speed tends to be 55, as well as slowing down for exits. Even then, it's not unusual for people to be hitting 85 or 90.

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Again, this is from memory, and it's been a while since I talked with my brother about it, but I *think* it tops out at about 75 or 80. It *is* a viable single-person good weather transportation solution.

I did agree that a bike was not viable for your situation, in case you missed that. I also said that biking in the rain sucks. I never suggested that public transit would be an option with a commute as long as yours, nor did I (or anyone else that I recall) claim that any of those options are the be-all, end-all solution to your transportation problems. They are all options that CAN work given appropriate conditions and that save you significant money when they do. Obviously even if you got a bike, scooter, or motorcycle, you'd have to fall back on a car/truck/SUV in inclement weather.

Finally, and I say this for the good of *your* blood pressure, try to take a step back for a minute and realize that no one here is trying to attack you. Rather, we've simply been discussing options that work for some people some of the time, and several times, you've interjected short statements that are light on detail. This leads the rest of us to draw sometimes erroneous conclusions about your situation. (For example, it was several posts before you said it was 32 miles each way for you - had you mentioned that right away instead of just saying "I'd be exhausted," I think the conversation would have gone quite a bit differently.) I suggest that in the future, it'd be better to provide some detail to go along with your declarations so that people understand where you're really coming from.

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Nice of you to assume that I'm getting upset over things. I'm not; I generally don't get bothered by things online. However, considering I have low blood pressure, I doubt it'd harm me.

Not anymore. :D

2013 Chevy Spark
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