# Anything good about high gas prices?????????????????????



## enjoytheride (Oct 5, 2007)

We all know what is bad (and it can be very bad) about the rapid increase in gas prices but I was thinking that there may be some good from this too so in that spirit...............

Since I can't go into town at the drop of a hat, I have been getting some projects done at home that I never found time to do before this.

I have become very nervous about my income covering my expenses so I have become much more responsible with buying things- so I have wasted less money and actually have saved some (not much but some.)

Maybe there will be less joy riding by teeagers who then have those horrible accidents each year- even if only one less dies..............

Maybe those with family can now find more time to spend together as parents may have to say no to so many different activities that necessitate driving to three different locations each evening. Maybe even dinner together??????????

Anyone else have a positive change because of this situation?


----------



## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

I have another postitive - 

My goat and lamb sales have skyrocketed!!! I know it sounds weird, but people are wanting more weedeaters and home grown meat. They get them, use them to mow the yard and to get milk and really if you think about feed for a couple goaties just through winter is not that bad.... but it beats the lawn mower, weed wacker, and then the milk is a bonus. With the lambs, they let them eat the weeds and then right about time to pay for feed through winter - off to the freezer - again a double bonus and saves money.

Now I am kind of upset with myself about selling off most of my unregistered stock..... could make more off of them then my registered - LOL!

Also, we ARE spending more time as a family also.... we are carpooling the 45 minutes to and from work (saves about 300 in gas a month for us) and we are eating together - a little later - but together. Chores in the barn - hubby now helps with - and we are also getting things done around the ranch. The kids are learning that they can plan 1 whole weekend to "stay in town" but don't ask otherwise, as we are not driving 1 hour each way to go to a friends house for a night.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

my mom is not as upset about my goats because she knows we will be getting milk from them.

so far I haven't come up with any other real money saving options but I really need to think on it.

Spening $450.00 at Jeffers.com is not helping! but I do want to do this showing thing........


----------



## hornless (Oct 5, 2007)

There are not as many gas guzzling giant SUVs on the road anymore. They used to be very prevalent in my area, but they are not as common as they were since Katrina, and people have been walking and biking a ton. So less pollution as people step back and conserve gas.


----------



## enjoytheride (Oct 5, 2007)

Well- another thing is that more home grown food may be produced. The is a big thing going on in the west about Salmonella contaminated tomatoes. One person has already died in California - yesterday I treated myself to a hamburger at a restaurant and it had a tomato on it- just waiting to see now. No one has said but the rumor is they are tomatoes from Mexico- not that California hasn't had it's issue- just not this time.
But with home grown produce, you are in charge of the health of your growing conditions. Although I use composted horse manure (not goat- I don't know why) for vegetables, I do try to keep it clean from fresh stuff. I think home grwon stuff is safer.


----------



## kelebek (Oct 5, 2007)

We also are going to be growing alot of our own veggies this year.

For Mother's Day, I told my hubby that I would like seeds and also planters to start my seeds in the house. So we started 2 types of tomatos, 2 types of squash, green beans, pumpkin, and cucumbers - anyways, there is 72 plants so far that I will be transplanting out to the garden (hubby sleared it for me and mixed horse manure and top soil for nutrients), I am soooo excited!


----------



## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

I don't know if there is anything that satisfies me more than harvesting veggy's from my own garden. We've had fresh spinach, red leaf lettuce, green onions already. My peas are looking good. I started some strawberry plants this year and 3 different tomatoes 
(9 plants). Last year I had 4 tomato plants and I must have sent 75lbs or more to my husbands dental assistants. 

Anyway, I'm consolidating my trips. And, Hubby wants to buy a Prius. Or a Mini. Or a Civic. Hard to imagine my husband in a Mini! :ROFL: So we'll see. :GAAH:


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

anybody hear of the new scooter craze? I am SO wishing I didnt live in a busy area or I would JUMP at the chance to get one. They are like 4,000-8,000 and can hold 1-2 people and have cargo space. Big draw --- 72 mpg!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yah thats what I am talking about!

Just google Vespa scooter and you will see the cute little things. They are very popular in Europe and becoming more and more popular here (so the paper said this morning, strange thing I never read the paper but decided to this morning :shrug: )


----------



## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

Just recently, a big suv pulled onto a street, and bam, dead motorcycle guy, the guy in the suv didn't see him coming. Hubby wanted to look at scooters, yeh they are cool, I begged him not to buy one. I'm too young to be a widow.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

yup thats the problem ----- or I would jump at the chance like I said. To crazy around here with people not paying attention.

There are all these "Look twice save a life - motercycles are everywhere" signs on peoples lawns and you can only think of what caused them to put that there.


----------



## Di (Jan 29, 2008)

My hubby is a car FREAK! It's so funny to watch him go from the beautiful, fast, car guy (Dodge Stealth, red), to the beautiful, classic car guy (Lexus SC400), to the practical, still beautiful, (Lexus RX330), to the "it's gotta get 40 mpg guy"! Wow, we've been together a long time! 

(Disclaimer: these vehicles were actually a good deal at the time we had them, and the first two where purchased at auction, less then half the price of new, with less then 20,000 miles on them. We are not rich enough to buy these new.)


----------



## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

Want gas mileage? I've got just the car for you:

























Disclaimer: Brother at back holding choke on not included. Not responsible for anything breaking or spontaneously combusting. Buyer beware and hope you enjoy your hot tub on wheels 

LOL anyway but seriously.......

As farmers, there is really nothing we can do to save on fuel. We put fuel savers and oil conditioners in our fuel which does help.

We have been driving our smaller cars around more. When we go into the city though, there are still a lot of big SUVs, but not as many as their used to be.

For those of you wanting to save on gas and wanting a different car, I'd go with a Volkswagen(heavens please don't get that Dune Buggy though :ROFL: ) My uncle bought a Volkswagen Jetta with a diesel and that gets 62 mpg!! My parents are saving up for one  Also, go with a foreign car company(Toyota, Nissan, Honda etc) vs. an american one(GM, Ford, Chrysler) We have been driving 'imports'(well they are made in america) for 20 years and they literally will drive till the wheels fall off. We had a NIssan Stanza for 13 years before we sold it, by that time you could put your hand through the side, it had no muffler and was really loud but it still ran  We drive Chevy trucks and they are pieces of ****. My dad's truck isn't that old and the doors are about to fall off and the brakes hardly work.


----------



## enjoytheride (Oct 5, 2007)

I have a 15 yr old Dodge 2500 that out tows and carries more weight than any of my friend's trucks. And before that I had a Ford Ranger that is now over 20 years old that I still see running around looking as good as the day I bought her. And before that a Ford 150- now that truck kept running with more things wrong with it than you could ever fix- but it kept running. It had a motor mount that kept breaking so I stopped fixing it- the whole front end would lift up when I started from a stop with a trailer- but it ran fo 10 years that way and I sold it to someone who kept doing the same.
Maybe I was lucky- but the only two car's I owned that were foreign- an Opal and a VW beetle had lots of problems. The Beetle though kept going although I never could get the defroster to work in the winter- I made up for that by not being able to turn off the heat at the floor. I drove with an ice scraper in one hand and holding my foot up in the air to keep from burning it off.


----------



## goathappy (Oct 5, 2007)

Yeah, the older VWs are death traps(was yours older?) but the new ones are really heavy duty little cars. Don't know about the Beetles and Bugs though, those always seemed cheap.


----------



## StaceyRosado (Oct 5, 2007)

my 1997 Ford is great so far! I love it. Though my new truck will probably be a toyota as I just like the look of them


----------



## redneck_acres (Oct 18, 2007)

Well, we were acctually really good before high gas prices arrived about staying home and not being on the road a lot-but since gas prices have been high we really do work to combine errands in one trip. My dad has been riding his scooter to work-which saves a lot on having to buy gas. I only work about a mile down the road so that helps to. The only thing that I worry about is if we will be able to afford traveling to nationals this next year. I was really excited about going since it would be my first ever national show. And i've never been to California either so that would be neat to be able to go somewhere i've never been before. I have also heard that more people are putting in gardens. And our neighbors have been doing better on yard work since gas prices went up. They still seem to travel more than what I would think is necessary and some in a couple separate cars that aren't all the way full with pasengers.


----------



## enjoytheride (Oct 5, 2007)

*******, Where's Nationals for you?


----------



## redneck_acres (Oct 18, 2007)

Nationals are in Sacremento CA next year. I am just crossing my fingers in hopes that i'll be able to go to the show. If anything my mom and I may send a few of our goats with a friend who will be going for sure. I will for sure have one doe-if not two that will go. Miss Scrumptious needs to have a bit more height on her to be able to compete at National standards. I like her otherwise though. And she appraised pretty good for a 4 year old.


----------



## enjoytheride (Oct 5, 2007)

I was thinking that I might be able to be a stop for you but Sacramento is 6 to 7 hours away from me- and as I'm on the coast , that is clearly out of the way. I hope you can go.


----------

