What will I do if gas drops to $1.50/gallon? I'll save money at the pump! I'm not going to start driving more. My car is already painfully fuel-efficient (I can't get it to perform worse than 30mpg if I try) and I already bike, walk, or use public transportation when available. As we all should. :) It's not only less wasteful, it doesn't only keep traffic down, but it gets you out there into the world, into your neighborhood, into other neighborhoods, and closer to your fellow men and women.
I got a chase credit card about 2 months ago that gives me 6% cash back on gas and i'm lovin'it. I got one more month left with this deal and i already plan on getting another with similar deal. I found it here:
I will continue to conserve. I already do for enviromental purposes, and while it is so nice for it to be cheap for the time being, I would rather save that extra money that I'm not using on expensive gas for more important things like bills.
Same thing,
Been very conservative with money for the last ten years.
When applied for a loan back then the bank told us we could afford 400% more than what we applied for, 400%!!!
But we went for the small 1300Ft home and paid a high interest rate, 7.5% fixed because i am self employed i was a risk.
Never missed a payment and still drive driving the same van as ten years ago, never took cash out of the house, never. Our neighbors drive a brand new mercedes with money from the house, their house is double the size of mine, they just got bailed out at a rate of 3% for the next 5 years, they can keep their mercedes. I wanted to take some advantage of this too by selling my house and buying one like theirs. Again my interest rate will be 7.5%. And I will never be able to afford the 2600Ft home, because my equity dropped and my down payment will be too low. I can stay in my tiny home, earning 40% more tan him, not driving a mercedes, and not qualifying for a better mortgage.
Let's unite and collectively skip a payment on January 2009.
Spread the word
I'm usually all for change, but there is absolutely no reason for us to change our driving/gas consumption habits now. For me, gas prices going down simply means that I'm saving money every week. Buying a bigger car would be pointless (and who can afford the car payment anyway?).
Lower gas prices benefit people who take public transportation too. After all, transit authorities have to pay for fuel for their buses, and their budgets took it up the ass this year. Some are talking about raising fares. So if gas stays low, it will benefit the pocketbooks of those who don't drive.
Love your posts, AG. Just a note for the health of everyone's teeth as cavities are expensive and no fun:
1. It's better to eat the same amount of candy in fewer settings than spread out, dentally speaking.
2. Sour and sticky/gummy candies are particularly bad for teeth. Sour candy has acid which can eat away at enamel. Sticky candy sticks to crevices in the teeth.
Outstanding, Phillip! Like Debt Hater said, I wasn't nearly as meticulous when deciding whether to take the 100% match. Free money is hard to pass up. Low interest consumer debt is not fun, but the match is an incentive worth taking in most cases. Seems like you covered all the bases on this one.
Michael's response also surprised me. I am wondering if, by the time they bring him in, there is buy-in at the corporations. Some of the corporate training may be called Diversity training with gender-intelligence training as a subcategory.
I also wonder if some training can backfire, if people make the wrong assumptions based on gender. For example, I wonder if financial services sales people with whom I have interacted try to build rapport and totally miss that I am a numbers-kind-of-female. Of course, if they paid attention to me saying "hey I have a degree in Business/Finance," maybe they would take a different course of action.
I do believe, though, that people can take totally different approaches and get similar results, and that I don't have to value one certain style. In the realm of education, I have found the All Kinds of Mind's neurodevelopmental framework interesting and useful. I have learned to see what my thought-processing differences are and then address my problems; fixing problems is easier when I can name them.
That smiling politely doesn't mean "I agree" resonated with me also.
Every time I get excited about some super low mpg vehicle in the news, I'm quickly disappointed by follow-up reports that say that the vehicle will not be sold in the U.S. (if at all)! Granted, I can't afford to replace my vehicle yet, but I've been trying to picture my dream car for years and I don't feel like I have many options, especially if I don't have a lot of money come purchase time.
It's worse for those, like my mom, who live in rural areas and often need a more powerful vehicle. She'd love it if her SUV got better gas mileage. It's not like she wants to spend more money on gas on her very low, fixed income. But, she needs a vehicle that can haul heavy stuff around. For her, a high price of gas means worrying about how much of her own necessities she has to sacrifice so she can take her friend to dialysis treatment. A lower price is at least some help.
As for me, my driving habits won't change much. I hardly drive at all since I work from home. (My husband and I actually share a vehicle.) And regardless of the price of gas, I still want my greener vehicle. However, I hope that the lowering gas prices will positively affect other things -- like the cost of food.
Even though gas prices have fallen, I'm still trying to resist the urge to drive to work. Even though gas prices are delightfully cheap right now, there is still the cost of parking, and mileage, not to mention environmental impact!
If gas drops further then I'll take my old car out for a spin more often. I have a 1967 classic car that only gets about 10MPG. With gas over $4 I wasn't driving it much given the costs.
Otherwise I won't change my driving habits at all. I'll still look for a fuel efficient car next time I buy. We hit $4 a gallon once so it can get there again.
I bought my motorcycle back when gas was under $1.50 a gallon and its nice to be able to fill the tank for $6.00 for a weeks driving instead of $12.00.
I still remember the day the cost passed $10.00...May 10, 2008...was I P*ssed.
The savings go into just that...Savings...Vangaurd here comes another check!!
What terrific points you make! Veterans are very skilled at working as a team and have the ability to stay calm in a pressured work environment. Their life experiences are truly valuable assets in the civilian world. I am on the board of directors of a non-profit organization that assists vets interested in pursuing careers in the fire service - an excellent fit with all of the skills you mentioned above. Thank you for helping to get the word out about hiring vets!
Seriously, this has a small impact on our finances, and when it comes down to it, we all suffer in the long run when gas prices are this low and it pushed buyer behavior back to large gas guzzlers. I was loving $4 a gallon gas. Innovation was being forced through. Now, it's a side note. Of course, I'm a lot more comfortable saying all of this because I only use about 10 gallons a month.
In our area, gas prices are above @2.50/gallon, but that's still well below the high prices earlier this year.
My husband has commuted by bike for about 18 years now, and I've been taking the bus for nearly 3. We've moved to a location that gives us a longer commute, and we're still planning to use some combination of bikes and buses. I may drive to the bus stop a mile away, depending on weather and health, but most days I won't use the car even for that.
Our home is reasonably close to a supermarket and a Sunday farmers' market, and we'll get to both by bike unless we need too many items for the panniers.
There are plenty of occasions on which we'll drive, but money is only one of the resources we want to conserve. Relative location to amenities played a major role in our house hunt; there's no reason not to make the most of that now that we're here, even if gas is cheaper.
If gas prices get down under $1.50 (and stay there), it'll only be because the economy goes down the tubes (and stays there). So, I expect that most people would respond by pinching pennies and economizing on everything--including cheap gas--simply because they'd be worried about their job, if they're lucky enough to still have one.
My driving habits haven't really changed all that much with the fluctuations in gas prices. I bought a new fuel efficient car two year ago to replace my aging truck. Although that was more out of a desire for more passenger space. The added fuel efficiency was a nice bonus.
I generally don't do a lot of driving (~350 miles, 1 tank, every two weeks or so), so even when gas prices were higher, it didn't effect me as much as it did many others.
But, with lower gas prices it will be nice to be able to go to lunch with friends in Dallas (a 70 mile round trip) on the weekend, without having to factor in the extra $8-$10 for gas.
1. All those who can't pay apply for help.
2. Determine how much they can pay.
3. Issue a mortgage viability certificate for a mortgage tht reflects how much they ca actually afford.
4. They go and find a home that reflects that amount, somewhere else. If they want to stay where they are they must get the money from their savings or a private lender not a bank (family).
5. Everyone falls from above into a home that works financially.
6. All homes taken at appraised values of a specified date. say June 2006.
7. Result, no bailout, no foreclosures, no unpaid property taxes. no responsible people feeling burdened and unappreciated. People living within their means.
The best way to insulate yourself from economic calamity is to diversify income streams. As a young guy my largest asset is my human capital, meaning I have most of my working years ahead of me and quite a bit of education to translate into labor market value. Remaining in the labor market is the only way to capitalize on this potential. In fact, I'm actively seeking a second job in the evenings/weekends to boost income. The second job will be a resume builder and help refine qualities that will make me even more valuable as an employee.
That's not to say that entrepreneurship is not a good alternative. I also have two reasonably sized small businesses I can operate at odd hours (especially since my consulting job is flexible), and experiment with various micro-businesses on a trial-and-error basis. These are usually product-oriented ad campaigns launched with Google Adwords or other flexible marketing programs.
The goal is to fail as often as possible. The more ideas I try the better a sense I'll have of what works. Launching a small business doesn't have to be a laborious bureaucratic business, filling out federal, state, and local paperwork. It can be as simple as finding something you can sell on Ebay and starting a basic account. We often psyche ourselves out about starting a business, when it can be extremely simple.
I also find the limited investment requirements for micro-businesses to be advantageous. I've sunk plenty of funds into larger projects, and have learned that experimenting with a few hundred dollars is all it really takes to get the majority of business ideas ready for trial by fire.
Finally, I urge caution in transitioning entirely into entrepreneurship. If you have the option of retaining your job while experimenting with a business, try that first. At least you have your job to fall back on.
And most importantly, remember that we will all likely fail countless times before succeeding..trying not to get discouraged early on.
I'll find someone to blame: an administration, a political, an "face-less" corporation. And while I'm at it, I'll sell my perfectly good 5 year old car and smugly buy a NEW battery powered car that poisons the water burns a hole in the ground and instead of the atmosphere....oh wait that's what I did when gas was $4.39 a gallon.
Never mind.
I'll find a new cause to hate on and believe everything politicians and the media want me to believe.
Oh wait, I just did that too.
What will I do if gas drops to $1.50/gallon? I'll save money at the pump! I'm not going to start driving more. My car is already painfully fuel-efficient (I can't get it to perform worse than 30mpg if I try) and I already bike, walk, or use public transportation when available. As we all should. :) It's not only less wasteful, it doesn't only keep traffic down, but it gets you out there into the world, into your neighborhood, into other neighborhoods, and closer to your fellow men and women.
I got a chase credit card about 2 months ago that gives me 6% cash back on gas and i'm lovin'it. I got one more month left with this deal and i already plan on getting another with similar deal. I found it here:
http://www.cardz.com/Compare_Credit_Cards/Gas_Auto
I will continue to conserve. I already do for enviromental purposes, and while it is so nice for it to be cheap for the time being, I would rather save that extra money that I'm not using on expensive gas for more important things like bills.
Same thing,
Been very conservative with money for the last ten years.
When applied for a loan back then the bank told us we could afford 400% more than what we applied for, 400%!!!
But we went for the small 1300Ft home and paid a high interest rate, 7.5% fixed because i am self employed i was a risk.
Never missed a payment and still drive driving the same van as ten years ago, never took cash out of the house, never. Our neighbors drive a brand new mercedes with money from the house, their house is double the size of mine, they just got bailed out at a rate of 3% for the next 5 years, they can keep their mercedes. I wanted to take some advantage of this too by selling my house and buying one like theirs. Again my interest rate will be 7.5%. And I will never be able to afford the 2600Ft home, because my equity dropped and my down payment will be too low. I can stay in my tiny home, earning 40% more tan him, not driving a mercedes, and not qualifying for a better mortgage.
Let's unite and collectively skip a payment on January 2009.
Spread the word
I'm usually all for change, but there is absolutely no reason for us to change our driving/gas consumption habits now. For me, gas prices going down simply means that I'm saving money every week. Buying a bigger car would be pointless (and who can afford the car payment anyway?).
I tired this but couldn't get past step 1. How can I read the rest of this list with my computer off?
Lower gas prices benefit people who take public transportation too. After all, transit authorities have to pay for fuel for their buses, and their budgets took it up the ass this year. Some are talking about raising fares. So if gas stays low, it will benefit the pocketbooks of those who don't drive.
Love your posts, AG. Just a note for the health of everyone's teeth as cavities are expensive and no fun:
1. It's better to eat the same amount of candy in fewer settings than spread out, dentally speaking.
2. Sour and sticky/gummy candies are particularly bad for teeth. Sour candy has acid which can eat away at enamel. Sticky candy sticks to crevices in the teeth.
Outstanding, Phillip! Like Debt Hater said, I wasn't nearly as meticulous when deciding whether to take the 100% match. Free money is hard to pass up. Low interest consumer debt is not fun, but the match is an incentive worth taking in most cases. Seems like you covered all the bases on this one.
Michael's response also surprised me. I am wondering if, by the time they bring him in, there is buy-in at the corporations. Some of the corporate training may be called Diversity training with gender-intelligence training as a subcategory.
I also wonder if some training can backfire, if people make the wrong assumptions based on gender. For example, I wonder if financial services sales people with whom I have interacted try to build rapport and totally miss that I am a numbers-kind-of-female. Of course, if they paid attention to me saying "hey I have a degree in Business/Finance," maybe they would take a different course of action.
I do believe, though, that people can take totally different approaches and get similar results, and that I don't have to value one certain style. In the realm of education, I have found the All Kinds of Mind's neurodevelopmental framework interesting and useful. I have learned to see what my thought-processing differences are and then address my problems; fixing problems is easier when I can name them.
That smiling politely doesn't mean "I agree" resonated with me also.
edited for a reader's concern
Every time I get excited about some super low mpg vehicle in the news, I'm quickly disappointed by follow-up reports that say that the vehicle will not be sold in the U.S. (if at all)! Granted, I can't afford to replace my vehicle yet, but I've been trying to picture my dream car for years and I don't feel like I have many options, especially if I don't have a lot of money come purchase time.
It's worse for those, like my mom, who live in rural areas and often need a more powerful vehicle. She'd love it if her SUV got better gas mileage. It's not like she wants to spend more money on gas on her very low, fixed income. But, she needs a vehicle that can haul heavy stuff around. For her, a high price of gas means worrying about how much of her own necessities she has to sacrifice so she can take her friend to dialysis treatment. A lower price is at least some help.
As for me, my driving habits won't change much. I hardly drive at all since I work from home. (My husband and I actually share a vehicle.) And regardless of the price of gas, I still want my greener vehicle. However, I hope that the lowering gas prices will positively affect other things -- like the cost of food.
Even though gas prices have fallen, I'm still trying to resist the urge to drive to work. Even though gas prices are delightfully cheap right now, there is still the cost of parking, and mileage, not to mention environmental impact!
If gas drops further then I'll take my old car out for a spin more often. I have a 1967 classic car that only gets about 10MPG. With gas over $4 I wasn't driving it much given the costs.
Otherwise I won't change my driving habits at all. I'll still look for a fuel efficient car next time I buy. We hit $4 a gallon once so it can get there again.
thing.
I bought my motorcycle back when gas was under $1.50 a gallon and its nice to be able to fill the tank for $6.00 for a weeks driving instead of $12.00.
I still remember the day the cost passed $10.00...May 10, 2008...was I P*ssed.
The savings go into just that...Savings...Vangaurd here comes another check!!
~ Roland
Good observation. If I ever need to hire someone, I will consider hiring a veteran.
Cheers,
A Dawn Journal
Dear Julie -
What terrific points you make! Veterans are very skilled at working as a team and have the ability to stay calm in a pressured work environment. Their life experiences are truly valuable assets in the civilian world. I am on the board of directors of a non-profit organization that assists vets interested in pursuing careers in the fire service - an excellent fit with all of the skills you mentioned above. Thank you for helping to get the word out about hiring vets!
Sincerely,
Kris Lord
Boots to Boots
www.bootstoboots.org
Seriously, this has a small impact on our finances, and when it comes down to it, we all suffer in the long run when gas prices are this low and it pushed buyer behavior back to large gas guzzlers. I was loving $4 a gallon gas. Innovation was being forced through. Now, it's a side note. Of course, I'm a lot more comfortable saying all of this because I only use about 10 gallons a month.
Being a student I already had to choose between gas and food, now that gas is cheaper I can eat full meals again!
In our area, gas prices are above @2.50/gallon, but that's still well below the high prices earlier this year.
My husband has commuted by bike for about 18 years now, and I've been taking the bus for nearly 3. We've moved to a location that gives us a longer commute, and we're still planning to use some combination of bikes and buses. I may drive to the bus stop a mile away, depending on weather and health, but most days I won't use the car even for that.
Our home is reasonably close to a supermarket and a Sunday farmers' market, and we'll get to both by bike unless we need too many items for the panniers.
There are plenty of occasions on which we'll drive, but money is only one of the resources we want to conserve. Relative location to amenities played a major role in our house hunt; there's no reason not to make the most of that now that we're here, even if gas is cheaper.
If gas prices get down under $1.50 (and stay there), it'll only be because the economy goes down the tubes (and stays there). So, I expect that most people would respond by pinching pennies and economizing on everything--including cheap gas--simply because they'd be worried about their job, if they're lucky enough to still have one.
My driving habits haven't really changed all that much with the fluctuations in gas prices. I bought a new fuel efficient car two year ago to replace my aging truck. Although that was more out of a desire for more passenger space. The added fuel efficiency was a nice bonus.
I generally don't do a lot of driving (~350 miles, 1 tank, every two weeks or so), so even when gas prices were higher, it didn't effect me as much as it did many others.
But, with lower gas prices it will be nice to be able to go to lunch with friends in Dallas (a 70 mile round trip) on the weekend, without having to factor in the extra $8-$10 for gas.
1. All those who can't pay apply for help.
2. Determine how much they can pay.
3. Issue a mortgage viability certificate for a mortgage tht reflects how much they ca actually afford.
4. They go and find a home that reflects that amount, somewhere else. If they want to stay where they are they must get the money from their savings or a private lender not a bank (family).
5. Everyone falls from above into a home that works financially.
6. All homes taken at appraised values of a specified date. say June 2006.
7. Result, no bailout, no foreclosures, no unpaid property taxes. no responsible people feeling burdened and unappreciated. People living within their means.
The best way to insulate yourself from economic calamity is to diversify income streams. As a young guy my largest asset is my human capital, meaning I have most of my working years ahead of me and quite a bit of education to translate into labor market value. Remaining in the labor market is the only way to capitalize on this potential. In fact, I'm actively seeking a second job in the evenings/weekends to boost income. The second job will be a resume builder and help refine qualities that will make me even more valuable as an employee.
That's not to say that entrepreneurship is not a good alternative. I also have two reasonably sized small businesses I can operate at odd hours (especially since my consulting job is flexible), and experiment with various micro-businesses on a trial-and-error basis. These are usually product-oriented ad campaigns launched with Google Adwords or other flexible marketing programs.
The goal is to fail as often as possible. The more ideas I try the better a sense I'll have of what works. Launching a small business doesn't have to be a laborious bureaucratic business, filling out federal, state, and local paperwork. It can be as simple as finding something you can sell on Ebay and starting a basic account. We often psyche ourselves out about starting a business, when it can be extremely simple.
I also find the limited investment requirements for micro-businesses to be advantageous. I've sunk plenty of funds into larger projects, and have learned that experimenting with a few hundred dollars is all it really takes to get the majority of business ideas ready for trial by fire.
Finally, I urge caution in transitioning entirely into entrepreneurship. If you have the option of retaining your job while experimenting with a business, try that first. At least you have your job to fall back on.
And most importantly, remember that we will all likely fail countless times before succeeding..trying not to get discouraged early on.
I'll find someone to blame: an administration, a political, an "face-less" corporation. And while I'm at it, I'll sell my perfectly good 5 year old car and smugly buy a NEW battery powered car that poisons the water burns a hole in the ground and instead of the atmosphere....oh wait that's what I did when gas was $4.39 a gallon.
Never mind.
I'll find a new cause to hate on and believe everything politicians and the media want me to believe.
Oh wait, I just did that too.
I guess I'll do nothing.
How do you start a business if you don't have any money?