The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Throw Down the Gauntlet => Topic started by: JoyBlogette on July 30, 2014, 10:37:10 AM
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For the month of August I am lucky enough to be working from home. My only co-worker is on vacation so no need to trudge into the office every day. This has led me to think of a great challenge for our family. We will fill up the car with gas tomorrow and then no more fill-ups until September. Anyone want to join me in this single-tank challenge?
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I'll join you on it, it might be hard though with a friend coming in from out of town who wants to go out of town. I know, doesn't make sense to me either, I'm hoping that we can find fun things to do around HERE where he is visiting rather than having to go somewhere else.
Other than that I don't really have any hurdles, I generally use a tank of gas every month and a half, especially since I started hypermiling and just not driving like a maniac. I ride to work every day, and sometimes to the store, which I could do better at.
Other than not driving to work do you have other plans to keep the mileage down during this last leg of summer?
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Great Challenge! Just wrong month for me...
August is one of the two reasons we even own a car -- we are embarking on a 30 hr driving / camping vacation trip as I write this.
the other reason is getting my son to his sports team practices in April / May / June. That is an un MMM reason, but we did manage park the car for 6 months over winter. (and a parked car is not very MMM either... ack! I think I am facepunching myself now too!)
Anyway -- why not go whole hog and cancel insurance on the car for a month to push you into it?
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Other than not driving to work do you have other plans to keep the mileage down during this last leg of summer?
No driving to the grocery store or for running errands. Walking only unless I get my bike fixed.
Anyway -- why not go whole hog and cancel insurance on the car for a month to push you into it?
My husband will still drive to his hockey games once a week and we have a bunch of out of town bbqs to go to plus a week at the cottage, which is 300 km away. 1 tank will be a stretch for all that driving... but a fun challenge.
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How far away is the hockey rink? I play hockey also, and last winter, I decided it was ridiculous to clown-car drive myself back and forth to the rink three times per week. Bought a bike trailer and haul my hockey gear. It's awesome. Granted, the hockey rink is only 1.5 miles away from my house, but I think I would still do it if the rink were further away.
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How far away is the hockey rink?
It's about 20 km away and his games are late at night.
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My games are late at night, too--often starting at 10:30. Yuck.
Yep, he'd be way more hardcore than me if he were to bike 20km each way!
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My games are late at night, too--often starting at 10:30. Yuck.
Yep, he'd be way more hardcore than me if he were to bike 20km each way!
Late night games are so common (and yucky I agree). The rinks are dominated by kids/teens during "regular" hours around here. 20 km is pretty hardcore... I estimate about 45-60 mins biking... maybe I'll casually bring it up... he used to run for about 15 mins before hockey... ha ha... would save a lot of gas :)
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I'm starting the month at 3/8's of a tank. Should make it through this weekend with still 1/4 tank left. The next weekend we might use the car, depending on where we go we will probably end up filling up on the 11th, which would be 3 days later than we did last month. Then the friend comes for the weekend. Sounds like we're staying local (Yay!) but will have a little bit more driving around than usual.
For this contest I'll say we succeeded if we stay above 3/8's of a tank by August 31st. My stretch goal would be to have the rest of the tank last until after September 11th.
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I cannot join you in this challenge, because I will be using my vehicle this month to camp/hike and to visit my 91 year old friend who lives 160 miles away form me.
However, I can commit to continuing my self-imposed ban on clown car driving.
I use my vehicle so little that I have not needed an oil change in 2014! (And my fuel costs have come way down compared to 2013 and 2012, also.)
I hope you get lots of folks to join you in this challenge! Good luck!
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I'm in.
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Getting a wrench thrown into my plans, but I think we can still do it. The peaches weren't ready this week, so we're going to have to make another trip out in that direction. Right now my car is still reading a total range of 670 miles, up 35 miles from when I took the car out! (total range is odometer reset from last fill up + current range listed by computer, this helps me judge the mileage that I am getting on this tank between fill ups.)
Debating on when to fill the tank, I like having it last for more than a month, so waiting for this next Sunday put me at a month + 2 days. If I can last through Sunday then I might wait until my friend gets here Thursday night to fill up the tank. I know it seems a little silly since I won't be driving those days anyways, but the numbers make me happy.
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My little man got sick so we had to cancel our weekend plans to visit the grandparents and my sister. Sad for me, but good for the challenge. I am debating driving in to the office tomorrow just because I feel like I need to leave the house to get any work done. Help! Talk me out of it.
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One week in, haven't used the car at all. DH used it once to go to hockey. So far so good. This weekend we have some out of town plans. Time to optimize our route.
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One week in, haven't used the car at all. DH used it once to go to hockey. So far so good. This weekend we have some out of town plans. Time to optimize our route.
Awesome work! Keep it up and soon it'll just be second nature to not turn to the car. My wife has come around now and for short trips she suggests just taking the bikes.
We're down to just above a quarter tank (from 3/8's) and might make it through this weekend on that. That should get us through to Thursday, just before the halfway point. As stated before we are trying to keep it from going back to 3/8's after we fill up. Today we have reached 1 month since our last fill up.
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Today we have reached 1 month since our last fill up.
Woo hoo! Congrats!
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Today we have reached 1 month since our last fill up.
Woo hoo! Congrats!
+1 -- that is awesome!
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Despite my desire to last until Thursday, we went to a different Costco and it was $0.10 cheaper per gallon so I filled up yesterday. Still made it 1 month and 2 days. Now the goal is to just make it the rest of the month without going below 3/8s. If I can make it this week with my friend in town I'm sure I can make it the rest of the month.
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Lots of driving the past few weekends. Visited my inlaws and attended an out of town bbq (last weekend) and my mom and sister at a cottage (this weekend). Down to half a tank.
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I failed the challenge; I just drained my tank. :( We did, however take a 600 mile RT road trip this month...
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Friend is back home now, and we managed to end will still having roughly half a tank left. Now I just have to make this last another two weeks to the 3/8's mark. This included a 140+ mile round trip to the beach, and the 80 mile round trip dropping him off at the airport.
It's going to be a stretch, but I have plans on getting groceries by bike this week, and I did a hardware store/grocery trip yesterday by bike.
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Goddam it, I was on target for this. Then my 18yo interstate son rang and asked me to send him his box of bits that he left behind - transferred some money, all I had to do was drop it off at the courier depot.
Catch is, it's a rather large box of bits (computer, guitar, bike etc.) and I couldn't fit it in my little convertible, you know, the one with the almost full tank. I had to put it in the family car which, of course, was empty. :( Resulting in a trip through the station on the way to the courier depot.
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I haven't bought gas in 2 months.
http://forum.mrmoneymustache.com/share-your-badassity/nissan-leaf-almost-paying-me-to-drive-it/
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@MrsPotts - oh no! Where did you roadtrip? Sounds like it might have been worth the challenge fail...
@ohyonghao - sounds like you're doing well. Have fun on your grocery trip! We are lucky in that we can walk to the grocery store from our house. That's coming in super handy this month.
@Primm - hmmm... seems like an unfair disadvantage. I grant you a pass if you keep your driving down for the rest of the month.
@forummm - cool car!
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@Primm - hmmm... seems like an unfair disadvantage. I grant you a pass if you keep your driving down for the rest of the month.
Thank you!
I've planned my commute for the rest of the month - rides with people (I pay their parking in lieu of fuel) and train. So I'm well and truly on top of it. :)