Latest Petrol Rises : How are you coping?

[hougtimo]

Well, petrol here has now hit 118p per litre for the Bank Holiday.

How are these further rises affecting you & how are you coping? How are you povisioning for further rises?

It has hit me fairly hard, as I am now spending nearly £80 a week on petrol :( I need my car for my business so less journeys isn't really an option right now. I'm also avceraging 47mpg so it's not a case of an uneconomical car either!

Thanks to this site, SliceThePie is now paying about half of my petrol costs per week, and I hope to increase this. But - it is a lot of extra work just to be able to get to and from work!

Just want to know how it is affecting other people here :)

[Belnahua]

Pretty bad, I live 50 miles round trip from work. There's no public transport; and cycling isn't an option either.

So all in all, it's costing me best part of £150 a month just for petrol; never mind the roads are so bad here, I get through tyres and suspension like sweeties. Then to make matters worse Mrs Belnahua works 60 miles in totally the opposite direction, with the same problems. So that's about £400 in fuel between us.

I get so sick and tired of the green lobby jumping up and down with glee.

We can't move house, we cannot change job (well not without changing career!), we can't buy a newer car, we can't use a cycle, and there's no public transport, and as we're remote, car sharing isn't viable either.

[savemoney]

I have to fill up tonight £30 last me about a week I dont use car much accept for working takeway. I use my car for working evenings as a takeway driver. I dont make a lot of dosh, I do enjoy the job but the increase in petrol really makes me think twice now. I managed to get a small increase in wages £5 per week but I drive about 150+ miles a week (4 nights 3x3 hours and 2x4 hours) last night I did 50 miles.

I dont get an extra whether its in town or worse a large council with some private housing estate 3 miles away from out of town and whats worse it takes time and my own cost and it seems most of my calls are out there now. I really think the boss should charge customers more only a £1 del or free over £12 sometimes I have to travel 5 miles for on call, and I dont get a lot on tips only about a 3rd customers tio which makes a BIG difference to my costs.

[PasturesNew]

I have to fill up tonight £30 last me aboiut a week I dont use car much accept for workin takeway. I use my car for working evenings as a takeway driver. I dont make a lot of dosh, I do enjoy the job but the increase in petrol really makes me think twice now. I maanged to get a small increase in wages £5 per week but I drive about 150+ miles a week (4 nights 3x3 hours and 2x4 hours) last night I did 50 miles. I dont get an extra whethers its in town or worse a large council with some private housing estate 3 miles away from out of town and whats worse it takes time and my own costs and it seems most of my calls are out there now. I really think the boss should charge customers more only a £1 del or free over £12 sometimes I have to travel 5 miles for on call, and I dont get a lot on tips only about a 3rd customers tio whihc makes a BIG difference to my costs.
I think most people assume the delivery person is employed by a takeaway.

I only found out there was another way of it being done when I worked with a guy 18 months ago who does it. He gets £15/shift, £1/delivery and a free chinese meal.

The people who tip/no-tip don't realise that you only get paid £1 to make their delivery.

[savemoney]

I get paid £4 an hour plus £1 delivery plus £10 bonus if I do a full week 4 nights. I dont get paid holidays, I knows its only part time work But costs of running a car is a lot. Last night I did 54 miles I got paid £34, and I made about £7 in tips. I am very friendly but not a lot of customers tip ( use to get more tips but I think people are holding back). I work solid all night with no breaks etc. I am not complaining about tips/holidays or even hard work. Its just the sheer cost of driving and I drive very carefully and service car reguarly etc

I also have to pay for calls to customers if they dont answer door, admittedly its not much and I try and not do it

[mcduff16]

Hello

I started cycling to work (16 miles round trip). I figured i saved about £14 pounds last week, so hopefully the weather will hold on. Petrol prices are getting ridiculous!

[dexterlevi]

Unfortuanatly we have the fuel duty increase looming in the autumn so it,s only going to get worse.You would think with the current credit crunch hitting us all quite hard, that Mr messers Darling and Brown could win some valuable brownie points and scrap the idea.Won,t hold my breath though?

[ifonlyitwaseasier]

well if there was a bus that went anywhere near my work at a time that meant i'd be in on time i'd be happy, but i'd have to get the bus at 6 am to get to work a half hour late (two and a half hours to get 5 1/2 miles!!) and i know i could walk it but there is no pavement for about two miles of it and as it's along a busy a road, i'm loathe to do it.

so OH and i are car sharing on days when he is in early but thats only 2 days a week

and i've heard from a medical friend (key workers get told early!) that there might be a petrol shortage in a couple of weeks so heres a heads up for you all

[Noozan]

I get paid £4 an hour plus £1 delivery plus £10 bonus if I do a full week 4 nights. I dont get paid holidays, I knows its only part time work But costs of running a car is a lot. Last night I did 54 miles I got paid £34, and I made about £7 in tips. I am very friendly but not a lot of customers tip ( use to get more tips but I think people are holding back). I work solid all night with no breaks etc. I am not complaining about tips/holidays or even hard work. Its just the sheer cost of driving and I drive very carefully and service car reguarly etc

I also have to pay for calls to customers if they dont answer door, admittedly its not much and I try and not do it

We pay the delivery drivers £5 an hour, plus they get the delivery fee which varies between £1.00 and £3.00 depending on how far it is (up to 3.5 mile radius) They also get a free meal too. The drivers usually average £60, before tips. Whereabouts are you? We struggle to find reliable drivers!

The Shell garage just down the road from us has raised it's prices 3 times in the last 7 days! It's currently 124.9 a litre for diesel.

[savemoney]

I live near York.

My main gripe is because I can travel 4-5 miles for one call I only get £1 of which it can take up to 20-25 minutes of my time, I dont mind so much if 3-4 calls in same place as it can make it worth while.

I spend on a full shift about £6-£7 on petrol only so my tips just about cover that but I do have the cars running costs. Had 4 new tyres this year, and I need a new exchaust £280 which I cant afford

I am reliable, never missed a day off since starting 18 months ago, I dont even go on holidays now as they cant get a replacement. They have had other drivers but they dont last long. When I started there was 3 drivers and I got paid £6 an hour now there are two they save money on wages and I work harder because I get paid per call. If all calls were close by it wouldnt be so bad. The dossy woman who takes orders doenst knwo the area so I can sometime cover one end of town and the other if I dont tell her.

I paid £111.9 for unleaded last night £30 which will last a week



We pay the delivery drivers £5 an hour, plus they get the delivery fee which varies between £1.00 and £3.00 depending on how far it is (up to 3.5 mile radius) They also get a free meal too. The drivers usually average £60, before tips. Whereabouts are you? We struggle to find reliable drivers!

The Shell garage just down the road from us has raised it's prices 3 times in the last 7 days! It's currently 124.9 a litre for diesel.

[steady__eddie]

Unlike the majority of other posters, my round trip to work is only about 4 miles and at the begining of the year, I shyed away from diesel when it had just strayed north of £1/litre. I salvaged a bicycle which had been destined for the tip and "enjoy" cycling to work at 10 to 6 every morning. After taking into consideration the time it takes to get the car out of the garage and through drive gates, it takes me less time on my bike. In addition to this, the increased exercise has forced me to decrease my tobacco consumption considerably. On the downside however, I have fallen into the David Cameron/Boris Johnson mould of non P.C. cycling (hope there are no press photographers lurking). My diesel consumption is now down to £10/month and the car is only used once a week to take her who thinks that she must be obeyed shopping. Were it not for this, i would not be grieving over the couple of hundred quid that I have got to shell out for insurance at the end of this month.
I realise that I am in a fortunate position and have sympathy for others whose demand for fuel is inelastic.

[hens00]

I have been working from home for the last few months and havent really had to use my car much. However, I went to fill up the other day and was incredibly shocked at how much it cost for me to fill up. The last time i filled up with a full tank was in Feburary and it cost me £45. The other day it was £60!!!

[Jem8472]

I got a little 50cc bike to go to work on. It costs me about £5 to fill up and lasts about 1-2 weeks.

I want to get a bigger bike but as we are saving for a wedding that wont happen soon. But I am happy on the little 50cc at the moment.

[cepheus]

Pretty bad, I live 50 miles round trip from work. There's no public transport; and cycling isn't an option either.

So all in all, it's costing me best part of £150 a month just for petrol; never mind the roads are so bad here, I get through tyres and suspension like sweeties. Then to make matters worse Mrs Belnahua works 60 miles in totally the opposite direction, with the same problems. So that's about £400 in fuel between us.

I get so sick and tired of the green lobby jumping up and down with glee.

We can't move house, we cannot change job (well not without changing career!), we can't buy a newer car, we can't use a cycle, and there's no public transport, and as we're remote, car sharing isn't viable either.

Belnahua What sort of cars do you drive? Are any the sort of jobs one can do by teleworking?

[tomstickland]

I'm seeing if I can cut costs by 10% due to more careful driving style.

I believe that the biggest savings are to be made on slowing down.
As an extreme, take for example a motorway junction. From 70mph you could probably roll for a mile to come to standstill at the top of the slip road. Running the engine with no throttle consumes no fuel (overrun). Hence that deceleration distance is free.
I've started slowing down for junctions or slower traffic much earlier.
Say I'm now managing 1/4 of mile "free" for each stop and there are 10 of them each way to work. That's a few miles for free on a 20 mile round trip.
Hence I hope to save around 10% by this and a few other things.

[ajwt2]

Petrol prices are just crazy. I have given up driving and cycle the 40 minutes to work now instead. Its actually quite nice, so in a way I'm quite happy with this new regime of fuel prices. I can't see it getting any better any time soon, take a look at how prices have changed (http://www.whatgas.com/unleaded-graph.aspx) over the last 12 months or so

http://www.whatgas.com/pricegraph.aspx?FuelIDX=1

[hougtimo]

I'm seeing if I can cut costs by 10% due to more careful driving style.

I believe that the biggest savings are to be made on slowing down.
As an extreme, take for example a motorway junction. From 70mph you could probably roll for a mile to come to standstill at the top of the slip road. Running the engine with no throttle consumes no fuel (overrun). Hence that deceleration distance is free.
I've started slowing down for junctions or slower traffic much earlier.
Say I'm now managing 1/4 of mile "free" for each stop and there are 10 of them each way to work. That's a few miles for free on a 20 mile round trip.
Hence I hope to save around 10% by this and a few other things.
I have also adopted a more careful driving style, ad as you say, utilising overrun. I used to average 38-40mpg but with careful driving I can get upto 95miles from a tenner (can't be bothered to work out what mpg that is). The trips don't work out taking any longer either :)

[Belnahua]

Belnahua What sort of cars do you drive? Are any the sort of jobs one can do by teleworking?

We both drive 1.8 cars, but as I said we cannot afford to buy anything more economical just yet. Although ironically my previous car, a 1.4 used more petrol than this one, as I have hills to climb and the 1.4 was flat out all the time just coping! And of course when I bought them, petrol was 75p.

I get 30-35MPG, yet if I take it on a motorway run, I can get 45MPG out of her, so it shows how bad the roads are!

We're both in support roles where our presence is mandatory on site!

[vikingaero]

and I dont get a lot on tips only about a 3rd customers tio which makes a BIG difference to my costs.

I occasionally help my uncle out in his takeaway. As a general rule most people who are working class or live in Council Estates tip the drivers. And most people who live in £500k+ houses never ever tip. Go figure. :rolleyes::D

[Elia]

I'm really, really glad that I changed my car at the beginning of the year, considering what's happening with petrol. I used to have a 1.8 Audi but downgraded to much more efficient Polo. I'm probably saving about £25 a week, and that quickly adds up.

I was tempted to go for a biofuel option, but there doesn't seem to be any available in my area - that wouldn't involve me going totally out of my way at least.

Having said all of that, I can see a time not that far away when even my Polo is going to be too expensive for me to run. Not looking forward to that day...

[brownbabygirl]

I occasionally help my uncle out in his takeaway. As a general rule most people who are working class or live in Council Estates tip the drivers. And most people who live in £500k+ houses never ever tip. Go figure. :rolleyes::D

perhaps their habitual tipping explains why they live in council estates?:T

[sreppaw]

I looked for a new job closer to home. Comes with a payrise too :j I will now be ~10 miles from the office, rather than 17, this will be close enough that I expect I will cycle half the time.

[badmumof1]

garage near me is charging 135.9 a litre of diesel !!!!!
gone up a penny a day since last week

[Jem8472]

I have just been working out my MPG on my 50cc bike. It works out to about 75-80 MPG. a lot better than the 40 MPG I get from the car

[steady__eddie]

" this will be close enough that I expect I will cycle half the time."

Does this mean that you will be pushing the bike the other half the time ? :rotfl:

Seriously speaking though, well done. Every cloud has a silver lining, or is it the other way round ?

[butterfly72]

I'm a district nurse and use my car for travelling to patients. However, I've just done a cycling safety course run by the local authority and plan to cycle to my patients instead! I'll leave the bike at the clinic. I already walk when I can. The NHS pays me 33p per mile which just isn't covering the rising costs, hence I'm subsidising the nhs!

I live 2 miles from the clinic so could bike there too.. but sometimes I need to take equipment and need my car, also its a really busy main road and I'm too scared. I go home for lunch but am thinking of giving it a miss for a day or two a week.

I'm also trying to drive more carefully. I like the overrun idea, will try that tomorrow! Do you stay in gear when you do this or go into neutral? also, does braking use petrol?:o Any other tips??

thanks

[tomstickland]

Stay in gear on the overun. The game is to work out the optimum slowing points (dependant on vehicles behind).

Braking itself doesn't use petrol, but you're chucking away energy.
For example imagine a straight road with a stop line at the end of it.
If you approach fast and then brake at the very last moment you'll be wasting a lot more energy compared to a hypothetical case where you turned the engine off a mile early and rolled there.

So, by coming off the throttle earlier and staying in gear you hope to gradually slow down, with a small amount of braking at the end.

[C_Ronaldo]

I would take the bus but it would cost more than driving to work, if i drove id use the park and ride, i dont cycle either, the government really do need to do something about the price of petrol, we're being told to save but its hard when price of petrol, price of electricity and gas is rising

[Greenqueen]

I was also in the same position to get to work- the bus costs more than driving, is less convenient,dirty,smelly,badly air conditioned etc. However the local council have now decided to remove the last vestige of free parking in town and I will be faced with paying £20.50 every week just to park whilst working. Coupled with rising fuel costs I now feel compelled to use the bus.

[iceicebaby]

I have to drive to work as no public transport from up my mountain down into civilisation!

I fill up once a week. I went today and unleaded was 1.12. last week it was 1.08. Its scandalous the rate that the prices are increasing.

I have read that "overrun" thing with interest. i think i will try that.

Anyone have any other tips to drive more economically?

[C_Ronaldo]

I was also in the same position to get to work- the bus costs more than driving, is less convenient,dirty,smelly,badly air conditioned etc. However the local council have now decided to remove the last vestige of free parking in town and I will be faced with paying £20.50 every week just to park whilst working. Coupled with rising fuel costs I now feel compelled to use the bus.

isnt there a park and ride you could use

[sreppaw]

"
Does this mean that you will be pushing the bike the other half the time ? :rotfl: "


No, it just means I'll give it a miss when there is heavy rain or when I need to take more stuff into work.

Used to cycle all the time when work was 3 miles away, in the city centre, it was much quicker and cheaper and easier to park.

To the nurse here, you should be able to get 20p/mile for cycling for work. (Not to work though), if your employer doesn't allow you to claim through them, keep a record and you can submit it to HMRC through a self assesment form at the end of the year.

[prettypennies]

My school run distance is short but time contraints make it necessary for me to drive unfortunately. After dropping the kids at school, I have less than 10 mins to get to my school where I work and the same again at the end of the day(used to work 6 hours less a week which gave me the time to walk, but head keeps pushing me to do more and more hours :mad: ).

I would love to walk it, but it is not physically possible in the time.

I get most of my groceries delivered and try to stick to a meal plan to prevent unecessary trips to the shops.

I have a 1.4l petrol car and am using roughly £25 per week.

[M-People]

Because I live 50 miles from work, I get a monthly 'travel bonus' which essentially pays my petrol, but because my boss is rubbish with numbers, that bonus always comes out at about 3 times more than I spend on petrol in that month - and thats not just on journeys to work, so I now get loads!

Plus my car does on average 87mpg! :A
:T

[C_Ronaldo]

Because I live 50 miles from work, I get a monthly 'travel bonus' which essentially pays my petrol, but because my boss is rubbish with numbers, that bonus always comes out at about 3 times more than I spend on petrol in that month - and thats not just on journeys to work, so I now get loads!

Plus my car does on average 87mpg! :A
:T

if your boss is rubbish with numbers how is he a boss

[Sheepy1209]

I saw the writing on the wall for fuel prices years ago, and decided to stick with a local job (ten miles away), live where we can walk for most things we need, and where there's a reasonable bus service. For once it looks like I made a sensible decision!

I also got a bike licence, planning to run something like a 125cc for my commute (90 - 100mpg). Trouble is I'm now running a 1300cc and getting less than 40mpg :o

My biggest expense is visiting my kids - they live 150 miles away and I've always gone there once a month - thankfully they're getting older now and I can cut out the occasional visit, but it's still a big hit. Mind you, some of them are now old enough to come and see me instead!

Unfortunately I think tinkering with fuel duty here and there is only a temporary fix; we've all adjusted to a car-based society over the last few decades, and it's going to take at least as long to change back. Fuel taxation is beginning to make that happen, but it's time to slack off a bit and give us time to re-arrange our lives.

[sparrer]

I've recently retired on basic pension so have had to pull my belt in, in all areas. I use the car perhaps twice a week, amalgamating all essential chores (shopping, meetings, appts etc) into one outing. I do however have a mother of 87 who lives 80 miles from me and visit her at least once a month. Whereas it used to cost me approx £23 it's now £30 + each trip. This weekend is hitting hard as it's her b/day on Sat so I have to go then, and on Tues I take her away for a short hol so have to make the journey again.

Unfortunately public transport isn't a possibility as I don't have a railway station nearby, and she doesn't have a bus stop. Oh, the joys of living in the country!

Oh, the joys of living under a Labour government :mad:

[Annie021063]

I have decided to spend the last eight weeks at school (I work in a school) cycling instead of taking the car. This will mean getting up earlier and DS also having to cycle but the benefits far outweigh the ease of jumping in the car.

we will be fitter
I will lose weight quicker
it is cheaper
it is better for the environmentI will also try and make those short trips on my bike if I have to. I have done 21600 miles in my car in 44 months which equates to 122 miles a week. Working at 50 mpg I equate that to 11 miles per litre (please correct me if I am wrong here) my 119 miles average is costing me £12.75 a week (rounded)
Wow!!!! that's £50+ a month on getting to work and running the kids about.
I'm going to challenge myself for June to reduce my costs to £15!!!!
I will edit this message on the 1st June with my mileage and we shall see.

Anyone want to join me please feel free

[THXbob]

I filled up with petrol at the weekend and it was just shy of £75!!!! I'm currently doing a 62 mile round trip to work through the Peak District so I don't have any option than to use my car (2.9 VR6 Corrado). Can't afford another car so at this rate my monthly fuel bill will be more than my mortgage.

Bob

[Idiophreak]

Starting not to cope very well with it, to be honest. I know it sounds stupid, but until recently I've never really thought that much about the cost of driving - if I wanted to go somewhere, I'd just go - but now it's so high you *have* to think about it...and that's bad news. I don't travel to see my friends so much, think twice about going shopping, playing golf etc. It's gotta be bad news for the economy - I'm not going anywhere to spend money - but worse than that, I'm starting to feel trapped and confined to my house. It's just miserable.

[Annie021063]

Starting not to cope very well with it, to be honest. I know it sounds stupid, but until recently I've never really thought that much about the cost of driving - if I wanted to go somewhere, I'd just go - but now it's so high you *have* to think about it...and that's bad news. I don't travel to see my friends so much, think twice about going shopping, playing golf etc. It's gotta be bad news for the economy - I'm not going anywhere to spend money - but worse than that, I'm starting to feel trapped and confined to my house. It's just miserable.
I can really understand you on this. I now think twice about whether a journey is necessary in my car, can I combine them? We do have the luxury of one of our cars petrol being paid for by hubbies firm but even they are making noises about stopping petrol allowance. We would be in serious trouble if that happened as he is using £50+ a week. I usually try and wait so I can use his car.

[tomstickland]

I don't have any option than to use my car (2.9 VR6 Corrado). Can't afford another car so at this rate my monthly fuel bill will be more than my mortgage.
Bob
You could afford another car if you really had to. Sell the Corrado, buy a small diesel hatch. What you probably mean is that in balance of costs and desires etc you can still afford to run the car you'd like.

For example, if I had to, I would sell my car or take it off the road and spend a few hundred on a 106 Diesel or similar small car. As it is, it's slightly cheaper to keep the current car and drive it carefully.

[Crabman]

Hi peeps, I've moved this thread over to the Motoring Board :)

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere(please see this rule (http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?p=1009335#post1009335)) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email abuse@moneysavingexpert.com (abuse@moneysavingexpert.com).

[Chuzzle]

Idiophreak - I know what you mean about not being able to go out and being restricted to the house. I have 2 kids to occupy and would like to take out for the odd day out here and there but just cannot justify the petrol costs. DH has to drive to work everyday - due to a near fatal moped accident 20 odd years ago his balance is not good for him to cycle to work and the road is a major busy road (A140). No public transport stops near enough to his place of work for him. Although his round trip is only 16 miles a day it all adds up. We have an automatic car not sure that I can do the overrun thingy in that but will mention it to DH. DH has now mentioned that if petrol goes up to £1.50/£2 litre by the end of this year as expected he will quit his job (that he loves) and find a job within walking/cycling distance and will probably mean a pay cut as well. I fortunately work 10mins walk from our home.

We walk/cycle as much as possible and live very close to the town centre and shops. But I feel as though we are being "controlled" by the government in a very unfair way.

We have 3 petrol stations in the town (Shell, Morrisons & Esso), Esso is always the most expensive Shell and Morrison are the same one will rise in the morning and by lunchtime the other has matched!

[AdrianHi]

I filled up with petrol at the weekend and it was just shy of £75!!!! I'm currently doing a 62 mile round trip to work through the Peak District so I don't have any option than to use my car (2.9 VR6 Corrado). Can't afford another car so at this rate my monthly fuel bill will be more than my mortgage.

Bob

You could either buy something very cheap as suggested earlier or lease a cheap economical car. As an example 1.2 Corsa can be leased for around 130-140 a month on 2 months lease cost up front + 35 monthly payments, do the sums, the fuel saving might cover the lease payment. You cannot buy and sell a Corsa 36 months later and get it that cheap by the way, even with the 0% finance deals on offer.

Your biggest problem will be finding someone willing to buy a 2.9 VR6 off you in the current climate.

[mary43]

Due to workshop alterations my OH isn't working at the moment so doesn't need to use the car on a daily basis and since the petrol costs have risen we've not used the car more than once a week - if that.
I have a bus pass (thankfully) and can get to see my mother in a care home some miles away (have to pay part of the journey as bus pass doesn't cover National Express coach) for a lot less than we would have to pay using the car.
The nearest large town means a 40 mile round trip to go to cheaper shops for things like paint etc. but we bought some locally a few weeks ago. Bit more expensive but would have cost us more to go to a bigger store and buy a cheaper brand.
We're due for a visit to MIL in a fortnight -that'll be a long journey so OH has been buying petrol a little bit each week rather than fork out a big amount when we go.

The increase means we shop in town - good for our little town shops and a lot more convenient to us.

[tomstickland]

I don't really understand the level of despondancy on this thread TBH. You can still go out. Just do it less, drive with fuel economy in mind, and plan a bit more carefully. With a 20% increase if you go out 20% less often or 20% less further, or 10% less often with a 10% increase in mpg etc.

If prices double, then things will be a lot more desparate.

[BillScarab]

We're due for a visit to MIL in a fortnight -that'll be a long journey so OH has been buying petrol a little bit each week rather than fork out a big amount when we go.


But surely you're going to end up wasting petrol with lots of trips to the garage? You'd be better filling up now, the price is more likely to go up more than come down the way things are at the moment.

[thor]

Unfortunately public transport isn't a possibility as I don't have a railway station nearby, and she doesn't have a bus stop. Oh, the joys of living in the country!

Oh, the joys of living under a Labour government :mad:
I don't understand how people can think that cutting taxes on fuel is the answer to all our problems. It will only be a minor fix at best. Oil is running out and the cost will only rise(the rises in recent years has dwarfed the increases in fuel duty which has been very small). The days of cheap commodities are over and ultimately we will have to find alternative energy sources(I wish they would hurry up with nuclear fusion). We should now be conserving energy and recycling(as well as cycling where possible) cause in the not too distant future we will be doing so out of neccessity.

[Pound]

Here's how I'm coping:

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/2139/allez08wp1.jpg

[sparrer]

I don't understand how people can think that cutting taxes on fuel is the answer to all our problems. It will only be a minor fix at best. Oil is running out and the cost will only rise(the rises in recent years has dwarfed the increases in fuel duty which has been very small). The days of cheap commodities are over and ultimately we will have to find alternative energy sources(I wish they would hurry up with nuclear fusion). We should now be conserving energy and recycling(as well as cycling where possible) cause in the not too distant future we will be doing so out of neccessity.

I agree that cutting tax on fuel is not the answer. I do however think that this government is taking the mickey by putting petol prices up 3 times in one week. I am reliant on my car as there is little transport in this area. As I said, I have cut back drastically and other than the minthly trips to visit my relative I use less than 1 gallon of petrol a week. As for conserving/recycling, I had my ch on for 5 evenings over the winter, making use instead of hot water bottles, jumpers and blankets, and am very much in favour of recycling everything possible as evidenced by my 3/4 empty wheelie bin every fortinght..

[anewman]

Here's how I'm coping:

http://img133.imageshack.us/img133/2139/allez08wp1.jpg
Looks like an expensive bike that

[Pound]

It cost me £500. I think it's cheap in comparison to how much I'd pay to run a car.

[anewman]

It cost me £500. I think it's cheap in comparison to how much I'd pay to run a car.

I got a bike cheap from Tesco and it's been sat unused for probably 5 years :o

[Keith]

I filled our Ka tonight, normally when I fill it, I just fill it to brim without thinking as the Mrs pays for it as it's her work car.

It cost £39 to fill, which I estimated was £2.40 more than it cost in April, when petrol was 1.09 now it's 1.16.

Tax hasn't gone up since April, so this increase is due to the rise in oil prices. I can only think that the government should remove the VAT element on fuel prices.

If the Tory's say we freeze tax on petrol for 5 years, I'd vote for them.

Cut the outgoings, cut the wastage and cut fuel duty.

[Pound]

I got a bike cheap from Tesco and it's been sat unused for probably 5 years :o

Cheap bikes are usually quite heavy and horrible to ride, so it's not uncommon for them to be left in a garage collecting dust. If you want to cycle and enjoy it you need to spend at least £300.

[**woody123**]

I filled our Ka tonight, normally when I fill it, I just fill it to brim without thinking as the Mrs pays for it as it's her work car.

It cost £39 to fill, which I estimated was £2.40 more than it cost in April, when petrol was 1.09 now it's 1.16.

Tax hasn't gone up since April, so this increase is due to the rise in oil prices. I can only think that the government should remove the VAT element on fuel prices.

If the Tory's say we freeze tax on petrol for 5 years, I'd vote for them.

Cut the outgoings, cut the wastage and cut fuel duty.

Fuel where i live in the West Midlands is now 1.14 a litre for unleaded and 1.28 a litre for Diesel..

I now see alot of cyclists on my way to work and i have to say i don't blame them with the amount of money they stand to save doing it all week..

I have a bike myself and its been sat in the garage unused for the last year, needless to say it will soon be getting a dust off and used more often..

It used to cost me £27 to fill up my ford fiesta in Feb 2006, and now £30 just takes it over the 3/4 of a tank mark..

[boatman]

If we all use less fuel surely the price will go up! Just a thought!

Couple of good commuting bikes here
http://simpsoncycles.co.uk/product.php?xProd=264&xSec=130
http://www.simpsoncycles.co.uk/section.php?xSec=132

[anewman]

If we all use less fuel surely the price will go up! Just a thought!
It could go either way IMO. It's a commodity that has to be sold - it is currently being sold in large volumes every day due to people's reliance on it - so they can put the price up all they like and people will just pay. If it gets to the point people use significantly less fuel I imagine they will either have to decrease the cost to increase buying, or increase the cost to recoup losses - and that will be when motoring is left for the richest people.

[Night-owl]

http://www.petrolprices.com/

[Night-owl]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/jun/01/automotive.energy

[Night-owl]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/main.jhtml?xml=/money/2008/06/01/noil101.xml

[dorry]

me and oh are going through about £500 petrol and diesel a month:eek: I have just moved jobs, so I am nearer to home, so I can cut down that way, I have also cut my travel days from 5 to 3! I am lucky I work for an agency and they can just move me! dunno what we will do if things get worse though:mad:

[mary43]

originally posted by Billscarab
But surely you're going to end up wasting petrol with lots of trips to the garage? You'd be better filling up now, the price is more likely to go up more than come down the way things are at the moment.


OH doesn't use the car specifically to go and get petrol. He drives once a week either to collect something from the garden centre which is just up the road from us or some other reason. All our petrol stations are only a short drive away and en route to where he's going and getting a bit once a week is really spreading out the cost for us.

[Annie021063]

Well today was the first day of my 'cutting fuel costs in half challenge'. I didn't drive anywhere in my car, I walked. Have to pick DD up later on from her friends but shall use hubbies car so free petrol there. Aim to drive around 60 miles this month which is half of what I have averaged since I got car, it's a very approx average but is the only way I can do it really. Should hopefully cut fuel bill from £50 to £25 theis month.

[AdrianHi]

I don't really understand the level of despondancy on this thread TBH. You can still go out. Just do it less, drive with fuel economy in mind, and plan a bit more carefully. With a 20% increase if you go out 20% less often or 20% less further, or 10% less often with a 10% increase in mpg etc.

If prices double, then things will be a lot more desparate.

Following that logic most who use their car to commute any distance to work would have to cut out all their social, domestic ad pleasure driving to reduce car use by 20%, since 80% of their driving is essential getting to work travel.
Those who can, can go for walking, cycling or public transport, not everyone can do this though.

[brownbabygirl]

I only use my car on weekends and the odd workday eve to run some errands so my petrol costs are quite low anyway. I think I only fill up once a month.

[G-G]

I am hoping to cycle to work (if I get the job)

Bus - £45 - Kcals Burned 0

Cycle - £0 - Kcals Burned (5 x 560 = 2800 Kcals) x 4 weeks = 11,200 Kcals a month!!

That would be for a 5 miles daily journey, 2.5miles each way at a moderate speed for 20 mins each way.

So, I save £45 and burn 11,200 calories a month!

[Annie021063]

I am hoping to cycle to work (if I get the job)

Bus - £45 - Kcals Burned 0

Cycle - £0 - Kcals Burned (5 x 560 = 2800 Kcals) x 4 weeks = 11,200 Kcals a month!!

That would be for a 5 miles daily journey, 2.5miles each way at a moderate speed for 20 mins each way.

So, I save £45 and burn 11,200 calories a month!
It makes so much sense to do this, think of the benefit to the environment too!
Good luck with the job - hope you get it.

[mkbean]

G-G don't forget to budget for the extra food.

unless you already have the calories stored about your person of course... :rotfl:.

[G-G]

G-G don't forget to budget for the extra food.

unless you already have the calories stored about your person of course... :rotfl:.


Oh god! I'm afraid I do :o

Oh well, never thought of being fat as being money saving.. :rotfl:

[boatman]

Aim to drive around 60 miles this month which is half of what I have averaged since I got car, it's a very approx average but is the only way I can do it really. Should hopefully cut fuel bill from £50 to £25 theis month.

Is it worth having a car with such a low mileage?
Per year- £1000 depreciation, £300 insurance, £200 MOT/servicing and £200 wear & tear(tyres, brakes, spares etc), that a fairly conservative figure. Thats quite a few taxi fares and a nice bike!!

[Annie021063]

Is it worth having a car with such a low mileage?
Per year- £1000 depreciation, £300 insurance, £200 MOT/servicing and £200 wear & tear(tyres, brakes, spares etc), that a fairly conservative figure. Thats quite a few taxi fares and a nice bike!!
It has crossed my mind but come September I will need it to get to my new job (20 min each way) it will simply not be feasible to get public transport but I do intend to see if anyone would like to car share when I arrive. In the meantime I will do what I can to save costs.

[cookie monster]

Put £50 worth of petrol in my car yesterday and it didn't even fill the tank, well atleast I don't have to fill up for another 2 1/2 weeks.

[steady__eddie]

Had to renew my insurance on Saturday, dropped the commuting bit and only went for social, domestic and pleasure seeing as how I now cycle to work. 18 quid less, I know it's not a great deal but as Tesco keep saying, "Every little helps".

[pompeyrich]

Put £50 worth of petrol in my car yesterday and it didn't even fill the tank, well atleast I don't have to fill up for another 2 1/2 weeks.


You actually put £15 worth of petrol in and paid £35 tax for the pleasure, mine took £80 of tax/diesel and didnt even "click", still loads of Clubcard points !!

[fender]

I have bought an old VeloSolex cyclemotor which can do 214mpg under the right conditions. Should save me a fortune in trips up to 20 miles.