Houston and gas prices - buy now

[Prairie Stash]

This morning the news mentioned refineries in Houston received damage from the hurricane, which will result in increased prices across the continent.

Perhaps filling the tank on the way home will save a few dollars.

[I'm a red panda]

This weekend was the time to get gas. At least in our area it has already jumped 20-30 cents.

[begood]

I locked in my winter home fuel oil price on Monday by prepaying for 600 gallons. $2.07/gallon.

[SC93]

I fill the work van several times a week so I'm screwed. I did raise delivery prices already by $10.

[redbird]

I agree with this thread. I filled up my car on Sunday. Gas is 20 cents higher in my area today, and has been climbing every single day since I filled up.

[Channel-Z]

I filled up last Friday at $2.35. Today it's $2.67.

[Bracken_Joy]

Too late here in Oregon possible. It went up for the eclipse, then went up even MORE with the hurricane. It's $0.49/gal more than I was paying a month ago =( I'm curious to see if it keeps rising though.

[SC93]

Dallas/Fort Worth metro is just about out of gas due to so many people filing up.

[Tetsuya Hondo]

Yet another reason to break the car habit. I don't know what I last paid for gas a month or two ago, let alone what it is now.

I know it's not feasible for everyone, but if you can do it, it's pretty sweet not having to care about this sort of thing.

Not trying to be smug, just trying to motivate some of you that might be able to free yourself from cars.

[Vegasgirl]

I noticed prices up $ .20/gal this morning from Monday.

[Laserjet3051]

$0.02 - $-0.05 jump at Costco gas here in OC CA over the past week. This is going to put a major dent in my Sept. budget.

[Debts_of_Despair]

With my 4 cylinder, fuel efficient cars, the affect on my budget will be negligible.  I can't believe it would increase my overall spending by more than 0.2%.

Quite frankly I would welcome higher gas prices if it means less maniac pick em up truck drivers on the road.

[BuzzardsBay]

I'm in MA and prices are up 24 cents since Monday.

[Valhalla]

Yet another reason to break the car habit. I don't know what I last paid for gas a month or two ago, let alone what it is now.

I know it's not feasible for everyone, but if you can do it, it's pretty sweet not having to care about this sort of thing.

Not trying to be smug, just trying to motivate some of you that might be able to free yourself from cars.

I agree.

What's more crazy to me, is the fact that due to lower gas prices in the last few years, people are swinging car purchases towards cross-overs, trucks, etc.  It blows my mind that people make major vehicle purchase decisions (which should be long term - 5 years or more) based on current gas price trends.

I always buy the most fuel efficient vehicle that I can, and got a hybrid despite the fact that gas prices are so low.  You can never anticipate the future, and locking excellent fuel economy is a great way to have predictable transportation prices. 

I'm looking forward to buying a plug-in electric vehicle in the future as our other regular ICE vehicles age and need to be replaced.

[BFGirl]

Yet another reason to break the car habit. I don't know what I last paid for gas a month or two ago, let alone what it is now.

I know it's not feasible for everyone, but if you can do it, it's pretty sweet not having to care about this sort of thing.

Not trying to be smug, just trying to motivate some of you that might be able to free yourself from cars.

I agree.

What's more crazy to me, is the fact that due to lower gas prices in the last few years, people are swinging car purchases towards cross-overs, trucks, etc.  It blows my mind that people make major vehicle purchase decisions (which should be long term - 5 years or more) based on current gas price trends.

I always buy the most fuel efficient vehicle that I can, and got a hybrid despite the fact that gas prices are so low.  You can never anticipate the future, and locking excellent fuel economy is a great way to have predictable transportation prices. 

I'm looking forward to buying a plug-in electric vehicle in the future as our other regular ICE vehicles age and need to be replaced.

I traded in my 8 year old SUV last year when gas prices were lower and bought a used hybrid hatchback.  I got a lot more for the SUV than I would have when the gas prices were so high and everyone was buying cars and getting rid of their SUVs.  Gas prices went up $.20-.30 in the last 24 hours.  Very happy for my hybrid and train pass now :)

[I'm a red panda]

Gas prices could double and it won't affect my "budget".  They could probably triple. I have 10,000 miles in 3 years on my car...

I'm more worried about not being able to get gas. Biking to work is not possible right now since I cannot safely get my infant to daycare without a car.  (Don't tell me I can put her in a bike trailer. She can't support a helmet on her head yet, so I can't. But beside that my husband was nearly killed in the intersection that we have to go through to get to the bike trail.)

I don't know how much the pipelines in Louisiana being damaged is going to affect the midwest (like will our supply be diverted to east coast)- but there could be some major ripples in our supply chain and that will affect cost.

[acroy]

we're in north Dallas. People here caught the 'Gas-Tastrophe' bug today, everyone is wigging out. Lines 4 cars deep at stations, prices up 50c per gallon and rising.

I'll ride my bike home with a big smile today!

[Mr Griz]

All our neighborhood gas stations are out. Just in time for Labor Day too.  No problem for me. A few days telecommuting and biking to the grocery store if necessary.

[dycker1978]

My pedal bike doesn't use gas :)

[ketchup]

Yet another reason to break the car habit. I don't know what I last paid for gas a month or two ago, let alone what it is now.

I know it's not feasible for everyone, but if you can do it, it's pretty sweet not having to care about this sort of thing.

Not trying to be smug, just trying to motivate some of you that might be able to free yourself from cars.

I agree.

What's more crazy to me, is the fact that due to lower gas prices in the last few years, people are swinging car purchases towards cross-overs, trucks, etc.  It blows my mind that people make major vehicle purchase decisions (which should be long term - 5 years or more) based on current gas price trends.

I always buy the most fuel efficient vehicle that I can, and got a hybrid despite the fact that gas prices are so low.  You can never anticipate the future, and locking excellent fuel economy is a great way to have predictable transportation prices. 

I'm looking forward to buying a plug-in electric vehicle in the future as our other regular ICE vehicles age and need to be replaced.

This is a very puzzling and depressing phenomenon, though the opposite worked in my favor buying a gas guzzler (for a purpose, not because I felt like it) in 2014 right before gas dropped in price.  I bought it for $700 and could have sold it for $2000 six months later when gas was cheap.  I didn't, and it was a great car that died courageously at 200,775 miles last year, but it would have been a decent short-term car flip.

Now though, it's nice that fuel-efficient cars aren't nearly as in-demand as they were a few years back, keeps prices lower for us sensible folk.  I know pricing on some gas guzzling big-boy bro-dozer trucks has gotten insane.

[talltexan]

We've seen a 20% spike in prices here in Charlotte, NC. I made a big fill-up on last thursday, think I'm good for a while.

[Capsu78]

It's a big decision to stop production at a refinery...They can stop quickly, but all the lines need to be re-pressurized to restart, IIRC, a process that takes up to 3 weeks.  Probably looking at higher prices for the fall, as the new blends need to be resupplied, another excuse to fall back on for higher prices.

[I'm a red panda]

Friend in San Antonio said it was a 2 hour line to get gas. Then the guy in front of her filled up 3 extra containers.  I'm surprised they are allowing that.

[Optimiser]

With my 4 cylinder, fuel efficient cars, the affect on my budget will be negligible.  I can't believe it would increase my overall spending by more than 0.2%.

Quite frankly I would welcome higher gas prices if it means less maniac pick em up truck drivers on the road.

My thoughts exactly. I'll probably still do a bit of bike commuting in the next week though just because.

[Bateaux]

Personally hope gas prices spike to $4 like they did before.  New technology is waiting to burst out and that would springboard it into play.

[talltexan]

Radio said the NC governor has implemented an "anti-gouging" law. How do those work? Is there a daily limit on the price increase?

[I'm a red panda]

Radio said the NC governor has implemented an "anti-gouging" law. How do those work? Is there a daily limit on the price increase?

Can't tell you what NC's law is- but I happened to have Iowa's up on my desktop (because people are crying gouging on a 30 cent increase. But by our definition, it isn't gouging. Also,it's labor day weekend, gas would have gone up anyway.)

61—31.1(714) Excessive prices. The charge of excessive prices for merchandise needed by victims
of disasters is hereby declared to constitute an unfair practice under the Consumer Fraud Act, Iowa
Code section 714.16 (1993), and is subject to all penalties provided therein. For purposes of this rule, a
per se violation of the Act exists when it is shown that a person has charged an excessive price for merchandise
to be provided to persons within an area declared to be a disaster area during the period of any
declaration of emergency and for the subsequent recovery period. This includes, but is not limited to,
the provision of water, food, medicines, sanitation supplies, utilities, building materials, and materials,
goods, or services for cleanup or repair. For the purposes of this rule, the “subsequent recovery period”
is that period when the disaster continues to cause market disruptions in the disaster area, but shall not
exceed six months from the date of the declaration of emergency.
An “excessive price” is one that is not justified by the seller’s actual costs of acquiring, producing,
selling, transporting, and delivering the actual product sold, plus a reasonable profit. In calculating the
seller’s actual costs, no allowance shall be made for the replacement costs of merchandise if the seller is
reasonably assured of recouping the replacement costs as a part of the price of subsequent sales of the
merchandise. The existence of an excessive price shall be presumed from a substantial increase in the
price of any merchandise over the price at which the merchandise was sold or offered for sale in the
usual course of business immediately prior to the onset of the emergency or from a substantial increase
in the markup from cost if wholesale prices or costs have increased.

[gocubs]

In my neck of the woods (DFW), people are waiting in lines 20 cars deep for gas.  And that's IF you can find a station that's not out.
Meanwhile I mowed my lawn yesterday with my reel mower.   The whole time I was thinking about what could happen if a disaster of a much larger scale were to hit.  Humanity would end up killing ourseleves while in a panic. 

[Schaefer Light]

Radio said the NC governor has implemented an "anti-gouging" law. How do those work? Is there a daily limit on the price increase?

I live in NC, and the "price gouging" law is ridiculous.  If people are willing to pay $10 a gallon, then let them.  The government should not have the power to restrict the ability of a seller to make a transaction with a willing buyer.

[Prairie Stash]

With my 4 cylinder, fuel efficient cars, the affect on my budget will be negligible.  I can't believe it would increase my overall spending by more than 0.2%.

Quite frankly I would welcome higher gas prices if it means less maniac pick em up truck drivers on the road.

My thoughts exactly. I'll probably still do a bit of bike commuting in the next week though just because.

Or you can fill up and save a few dollars when its known that a temporary price increase is looming...

[Debts_of_Despair]

With my 4 cylinder, fuel efficient cars, the affect on my budget will be negligible.  I can't believe it would increase my overall spending by more than 0.2%.

Quite frankly I would welcome higher gas prices if it means less maniac pick em up truck drivers on the road.

My thoughts exactly. I'll probably still do a bit of bike commuting in the next week though just because.

Or you can fill up and save a few dollars when its known that a temporary price increase is looming...

It would be an extra trip to the gas station to save maybe $4.

[HipGnosis]

I just saw a news bit on gas prices.
The expert they interviewed said prices will rise for at least 2-3 weeks, to around $0.70 higher than pre-Harvey.
He said there are to many variables to estimate how fast prices will recceed.

[TomTX]

At the moment it seems to be largely panic buying. You waste a lot of gas sitting and idling at the gas station for an hour every day waiting in line...

I took my bike to work Friday.

[undercover]

At the moment it seems to be largely panic buying.

It's people telling you to "buy now" and other factors that make prices go up even farther due to a sort of induced artificial scarcity. Prices would probably be 10-15 cent cheaper if it weren't for everyone freaking out and lining up like sheep.

It's the same "do this now" emotional reactions that keep people poor so I'm surprised to see this thread.

[Davids]

How bad is an increase in gas prices for one's budget at the end of the day. Let's assume you fill your car up once a week for gas and gas has gone up 40 cents on average. For a car with a 12 gallon fuel tank capacity (which would be a small car) at the end of day you are talking about a $4.80 weekly increase. Yeah it is an increase but it is not some ridiculous increase. If people struggle with coming up with an extra $4.80 per week on gas they need to look in the mirror and get their shart in order.

[Debts_of_Despair]

How bad is an increase in gas prices for one's budget at the end of the day. Let's assume you fill your car up once a week for gas and gas has gone up 40 cents on average. For a car with a 12 gallon fuel tank capacity (which would be a small car) at the end of day you are talking about a $4.80 weekly increase. Yeah it is an increase but it is not some ridiculous increase. If people struggle with coming up with an extra $4.80 per week on gas they need to look in the mirror and get their shart in order.

Exactly.  Most people on this forum don't have to worry about gas prices because a.) they are smart enough to drive a fuel efficient car and b.) gas is a very small portion of their spending.

Not sure why this is even a topic on here.  Maybe on a monster truck forum but not here.

[SC93]

It could have been worse for me. I offer delivery for my business so that means I fill up a minimum of 1 time per day. That was also true when I had my cleaning business PLUS I would have had to worry about all my girls having gas if I was still in that business. Since the 90's I've driven a mini van that gets from 21-35 mpg depending on which van I have at the time. I don't drive a gas hog yet it could have been a huge problem for me. Luckily the smaller towns outside the metroplex had plenty of gas and I make a lot of deliveries to them every day.

Specifically to Debts_of_Despair, if more people on this board owned their own business this would have been a HUGE topic here and for good reason. Not to mention do you realize your food and everything else relies on fuel to get it to the store or to your door. Even for bike riders this DOES have a huge affect on your life. Just because they bike or walk means nothing in the grand scheme of things. Your transportation may not be in jeopardy but your stomach growling with no food on the store shelves could be. I drive by 2 of Amazon's large distribution centers all the time and guess what is lined up outside..... 18 wheelers that use lots of fuel.

For us in the DFW area we now have fuel again for the most part; although lots of stations do not have diesel yet.

[CanuckExpat]

Exactly.  Most people on this forum don't have to worry about gas prices because a.) they are smart enough to drive a fuel efficient car and b.) gas is a very small portion of their spending.

Not sure why this is even a topic on here.  Maybe on a monster truck forum but not here.

I filled up a 40 gallon tank today, and it might have been an inconvenience enough to notice, but I probably won't drive it again for weeks, so eh.