Family Budgets Strained

[MA-Caver]

Economy is recovering... hard to see that when gas prices are biting into everyone's wallet.
It'll bite into nearly everyone's wallet this coming weekend as people will have to cut vacations short or cancel them all together.

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Gas-tanks-are-draining-family-apf-1869403252.html?x=0

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/Gas-tanks-are-draining-family-apf-1869403252.html?x=0
The squeeze is happening at a time when most people aren't getting raises, even as the economy recovers.
"These increases are not something consumers can shrug off," says James Hamilton, an economics professor at the University of California, San Diego, who studies gas prices. "It's a key part of the family budget."

But then you get THIS

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110527/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices
"They're not going to let high gas prices slow them down," said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst at GasBuddy.com, which receives data on gas prices from thousands of drivers around the country.

Who do we believe?

 

[granfire]

Both.

Seems that gas prices do not deter people from driving. It's been like death or taxes, on a holiday the gas prices go up.

However, and that is a much bigger issue, the gas prices have a much bigger fallout on the family budget. Since stores have no longer any sizable ware houses, every time Exxon mobile sneezes the country gets the flu.
All goods need to be trucked in ($$ for the consumer)
Food required gas to be grown, more to be harvested and some more yet to be shipped. Makes you wonder how we still can afford it.
Ethanol: gawd, who came up with that sh**....
I have yet to meet anybody who likes it - outside of INDY and drag racing.
The regular motors do better without it, the corn used to make it - if it's not food grade - takes the place of another crop, it takes fuel to produce it - usually diesel....there is really no upside to it.

And all of that adds up to $$$ coming out of the family budget.

 

[LuckyKBoxer]

I am mixed on the whole gas thing.
Gas has dropped about 40 cents a gallon here in the last month..San Diego
I just filled up for 3.79 a gallon, driving an Expedition around can get a bit pricy when gas starts rising..

if it had gone up over 4.50 a gallon I was going to buy my new ZX-10R... now I have to wait... not happy.

 

[granfire]

I am mixed on the whole gas thing.
Gas has dropped about 40 cents a gallon here in the last month..San Diego
I just filled up for 3.79 a gallon, driving an Expedition around can get a bit pricy when gas starts rising..

if it had gone up over 4.50 a gallon I was going to buy my new ZX-10R... now I have to wait... not happy.

:lfao:

I am sure you can still justify it, if you only try!

 

[LuckyKBoxer]

Oh I need no justification.... now the Wife she is a whole other story.....

 

[granfire]

Oh I need no justification.... now the Wife she is a whole other story.....

Like I said:
If you try hard enough you can justify anything!

 

[WC_lun]

I saw something not long ago which said that more people are staying close to home on vacations. According to this article it was a combination of the high gas prices and the economy's effect on thier salaries. Less pay, more hours, higher gas prices, all equate to less tourism. It seems some states are hurting from this pretty bad.