HOW MUCH DO YOU PAY FOR GAS ? IT'S RISING LIKE CRAZY !

We've been hit hard all over, and I don't think it will end son. Gas is expected to continue rising here through the summer, and it is at $5.24 US per gallon right now ($1.33 per litre is how we sell it up here) but expected to hit $6 by June. Milk is at about $6 a gallon, but $4.50 back where I used to live and there are a lot more dairy farms. I am grateful to be working from home and being able to economize on my trips out as much as possible, and eat local as much as I can. We have let too much farm land go and ship a lot of stuff here from out of province which is so foolish. In a province of one million people and 450,000 households, 40,000 of them rely on food banks.

4/17/2011

Pam..

I just noticed you live in Nova Scotia, I know an
artist who has a house there his name is Ken Nishi.

Cheers..Joe

I'm paying 1.66 Euro per Liter. That's about $2.30 per Liter or roughly $9.00 per gallon. Whenever I go anywhere, my wife wants to know if the trip is necessary.
We went grocery shopping last week to a store that also carries other accessories and tools. When we entered the store, she said, "If we can't eat it, we don't need it." (She knows how I peruse the tool section). In the second Isle, she threw a roll of paper towels into the shopping cart. I said, "with some salt and pepper, it might not taste too bad." She didn't see any humor in that.

4/17/2011


Abe..

The situation seems to get worse than better, I
have cut back, supermarket 5 mins. down the hill, here
where I live no transportation, there is buses but further
away and the schedule sucks !

Cheers..Joe

Quote :

In a province of one million people and 450,000 households, 40,000 of them rely on food banks.

Out of context, this means nothing. Canada is SUCH a generous welfare state, and imports so many impoverished people who rely on its benefits, along with its homegrown lazy.

Joe, I have not run into him, but there are lots of folks who have vacation homes up here and come up from time to time.

LC, are you suggesting that people who rely on foodbanks are lazy? Or that there are so many of them in what seems a generous welfare state to people who live outside of it? I think if people outside the country actually experienced or researched the state of welfare here, the true nature of government assistance and what is called universal health care and isn't, they would have a much different perception. Immigrants to the country do not arrive impoverished and although refugees often do, they are not helped much nor for long.
Am I misreading the intent and tone of your comment?

Saying that 40,000 people are using foodbanks is a dramatic comment that, I assume, is meant to illustrate how bad things are there. What I'm saying is that yes, many of those 40,000 people are probably refugees from elsewhere that would be starving in their home countries and others are probably yes, long-time able-bodied welfare recipients. I know for a fact how easy it is to get welfare there, my husband's side of the family has a large contingent there of cousins - single parents raising lots of kids who have been sucking welfare for years, holding jobs only as long as they don't require waking up too early or interfere with anything else they've got going on. They're happy users of Canada's food banks, too.

Pam,
your comments are appreciated. A country that looks out for its citizens and/or opens its doors to refugees is a positive thing. There are always exceptions. Many target the exceptions and try to classify them as the norm. My stint in Canada was both positive and negative. I can say the same thing about the USA. Today it is less than positive, in my view, but there's always hope. Love of country doesn't mean ignoring what's wrong. I know of no country where everything is positive. We have our personal perspectives that are simply that.

Good morning everyone,
I looked at food bank numbers for the US, and they show more usage there than in Canada; I was trying to look at the bigger picture and see where things are at. I think no matter how we look at it, the aspect that stands out is that prices continue to rise and our incomes don't keep pace, and that seems to be one of things we have in common no matter where we live.
Abe I agree that there is no country where everything is positive, and there are certainly lots of positive things everywhere that I have visited.
LC it is so sad that we both know people who take advantage of a system like this. I know of plenty of examples of people who are unable to "get on". It's a system that frustrates me at the same time I am grateful not to need it.
I wonder what we'll all be driving when gas hits $15 a gallon. Hopefully by then I shall have practically no need to drive at all, and can hop in my electric car when it's too cold for the scooter or horse and buggy.
Speaking of horses, I have started eating steel cut oats for breakfast. I thought they were kind of a fad, but they are so much cheaper than boxed cereal that I had to give it a shot! I like to add the same kind of spices that I do to rice pudding (cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves) and then it's almost like having dessert for breakfast, instead of feeling like I am eating horse food. And it's equal to about $1 per box instead of the $6-7 we are paying for cereal.
Small changes at a time make a tangible difference for me.

My mother is an expert at money stretching. I watched her all my life saving rubber bands that were wrapped around broccoli and cutting them into two; saving bread and cracker bags to package lunches; making pillow slips from the solid pieces of old sheets - and never, ever buyi8ng anything for which she didn't get a huge bargain or use a coupon. The list includes every aspect of daily life.

I swore I would never live my life like that; that I would have a career that gave me the freedom to live like everyone else; that I would save and invest so I would have financial freedom from worry.

I had a career as an educator. I saved and invested. I lived modestly so that I could save.

The economy under the Bush years tanked. Period. President Obama has not been able to make up for eight years of freewheeling that took us into wars and corporate greed. The amazing thing to me is that so many talking heads get away with blaming him for our present condition - a world condition by the way.

I am now my mother. I know many people like me; they were not and are not now lazy. They only had one paycheck in a world where it took two paychecks to maintain a standard of living previously possible (the years before the Bush years) with one.

The exceptions stand out - every system from income taxes to food programs have those who work the system. Those who work the income taxes have high incomes so they are seen as clever; those who work the food programs are seen as scamming. Believe me, even if you "work" a social service system, your lifestyle isn't anything to envy.

Diane I swore similarly; I did not want to have to save and budget like my mom and grandmother did, but I am sure grateful I learned from them. I order the coupons that I want online and save my pennies wherever I can that way. I learned that I got more value in turning my Airmiles into grocery coupons than using them to travel, and every once in a while my grocery store offers gas coupons depending on what you spend.

Have any of you seen the American TV series about people who are extreme coupon users? I watched a couple of episodes in fascination, and I think for some of them it is the thrill of the bargain much more than the need to save some money, although some of them are making a great savings in doing so. I do get a little thrill when I look at the bottom of my receipt to read that I saved $10 or 12 now and again, but it doesn't happen all the time.

I get enjoyment out of saving. I enjoy eating fresh vegetables that I grow, they seem to taste better than store-bought. It doesn't bother me to cut worm holes out of apples. If it wasn't a good apple, I don't think the worm would have enjoyed it so much.

My mother was great at being frugal. She had to feed six children and a hungry man. We kids learned to work in the garden and in the barn. We earned our food. My mother made a huge pot of soup. If we had company, she stretched it by adding water. It was always good. By today's standards, we were poor. I never felt poor. We always had clean clothes to wear, even though they may have patches on them, and that wasn't because it was fashionable.

My Dad worked with cattle when he was a kid. He knew which calf would be best for raising as a milk cow and which was better suited to be fattened for slaughter. May sound curel, but that's where meat comes from, no?

When he got his first car, he had to crank it. That could be dangerous since the kickback could easily break an arm. We had a horse, a mule, a goat, chickens, pigs, cats and dogs. The dogs were hunting hounds and we went hunting for the meat. The cats took care of the mice that were intent on eating the food grain reserved for the animals.

It was a simple life and I wouldn't change it for the world. I have fond memories of those meager times.

We had old Doc Hoff who came by once a week to see if we were all okay. He often got paid with food when there was no cash. Many couldn't pay anything and he still was their doctor. His medical oath was taken seriously.

We all went to church and were thankful for what we had. Can't remember kids complaining that they didn't have a certain toy or even a bicycle. I worked part-time to earn the money to buy my first used bicycle. I kept it washed and shined. I even hung squirrel tails on the handle bars as decoration. That looked neat.

I'm sorry; I have some other ideas about the thrills I would like to enjoy. It's also not comforting to know that the majority of what once was middle class are now coupon clippers and sale shoppers while the wealthy class are living better than ever. It doesn't appear likely to change with the airwaves dominated by those who support the wealthy becoming wealthier and bamboozle the peasant class.

However, I am grateful that I enjoy the beach, the swamp (though I don't drive to my favorite haunt anymore because each trip is $10 in gas) and activities at the Y and my church. The simple life has its pleasures; but I miss the opera, the philharmonic, live theater and yes, my swamp. They do not fit in my budget.

Quote :

My mother is an expert at money stretching. I watched her all my life saving rubber bands that were wrapped around broccoli and cutting them into two; saving bread and cracker bags to package lunches; making pillow slips from the solid pieces of old sheets - and never, ever buyi8ng anything for which she didn't get a huge bargain or use a coupon. The list includes every aspect of daily life.

I swore I would never live my life like that; that I would have a career that gave me the freedom to live like everyone else; that I would save and invest so I would have financial freedom from worry.

This has nothing to do with patronizing a food bank. My parents are actually much as you describe -they save twist ties, recyle plastic bags, use broccoli rubber bands, etc. There is NOTHING wrong with this; it is all great frugal living skills. And they are skills that many people are UNWILLING to cultivate. It's easier to snuffle at the public trough. I am disgusted with the "saving tips" articles the newspapers always run whenever gas goes a cent higher. It's always a family sitting around a kitchen table discussing how they'll cut back on eating out now, and other elementary frugal living strategies.

Dear LC,
Those saving tips in the newspapers are for people who have plenty and do not need saving tips.

I agree that some, perhaps many people 'snuffle at the public trough' ( I love that expression ) Perhaps they are in the majority, but there are people who just need a little help for a little while. But who is to judge whether a person is a lazy sponger or a person who really does need temporary help.

Of my youth, I remember the welfare that the government provided from what they called surplus commodities. It consisted of powdered milk, cheese, pinto beans, flour and lard and cornmeal. That stuff kept me alive. When that was depleted there were days on end that there was nothing to eat and the result would be to drink water. Then vomit bile from a swollen stomach.

Some states require repayment for the assistance given if it is in food stamps and money. They can only collect when the person dies and his or her stuff is sold for what it will bring. The state gets the money. I think that is a good idea. The thing is that some people never acquire anything and when they die the state they live in takes care of their burial.

Hardly living high on the hog, but those who are willing to live off public assistance and are comfortable with their living conditions will do it. It is a way lazy way of life.

Those who find public assistance a last resort are painted with the same brush as the those who work the system.

Love,
Betty

4/19/2011


In 1960 we were eight in the family, six children, two
adult parents. My step-father mad $200- per week, he
always came home with a ton of groceries, we lived
normally. If I did my chores I got $2.00 per week, I
thought I was rich, He took us fishing, our living room
at Christmas looked like Macy's Dept. Store, he always
made sure we came first , I still miss him , he died at 78
19 years ago, he was a great step-dad....These are
memories no one can take away.....


Cheers..Joe

Great memories, Joe.

I finished high school in '61, and started college the next fall. One of my first courses was a sociology course, and early on in that course, I remember looking at a chart defining income and its relation to "classes." I was shocked to learn that $10,000 a year was considered the beginning of "upper class," because I had overheard my parents talking, and knew that he was making that amount.

When Bill and I married in '63, his income for that first year was $4,800 for the entire year, and he was a college grad. My grocery budget that year was $50/month.

Inflation sure makes a lot of difference, doesn't it?

Ann

4/19/2011

Ann..

I remember as a kid in 1963 the store downstairs
a Jewish Deli had a war with the bakery across the street,
milk, 2 quarts for a dollar, the bakery 3 quarts for a dollar.
I remember The New York Daily News was 7 cents during
the week and 15 cents on Sunday. An egg cream was 15
cents, a pizza 20 cents, a hamburger 15 cents, a hot dog
15 cents. When I started working in 1966 the subway in NYC
was 15 cents, I made $50- per week, took home $36- my
mother got half $18- per week to teach you to pay your way !
Those were the good old days, movies 75 cents, two films , a
news reel and cartoons that was in 1960...A haircut 75 cents..


Cheers..Joe

Good memories Joe and Ann. Thanks for sharing.

And gas prices? During a gas war, some stations would sell regular at 27 cents a gallon.

I enjoy looking at the birthday cards that tell the news and prices of things at time of a person's birth.

Cost of living is relevant. My friend from New York considers living in Naples a luxurious lifestyle at minimal cost.

Many years ago I moved from Naples to Boise, Idaho. My income was the same but my spendable income grew.

When you retire in New York or Idaho, the Social Security amount is the same.

At one point, my son was helping me retire in Panama because my income would go so much further in a quite comfortable country. It didn't work out; but I am glad. Many people do move to more economical countries or those with affordable medical care as they age.

My house mortgage is fully affordable here. The issue is the cost of insurance due to hurricanes and taxes. Those will continue to rise regardless of fixed income. However, my New York friend says taxes here compared to New York are "nothing."