Gas Prices & the BS

[peter lena 9,895]

@WHX??   engine oil pricing  is on the launch pad ,  reply  accordingly .  pete 

[953 nut 66,350]

6 hours ago, Handy Don said:

Maybe dialing back from 75mph will help your mileage?! 

I don't even look at the speedometer on the way up the grades, just keep the tachometer below 4,000.  On the way down the  friendly officers are waiting, sort of like spearing fish in a barrel.     On I-26 going 75 will get you a flashing blue light reminder, anything over that will get you the opportunity to see the judge. On Cowee Mountain there are enough curves that the speed limit is policed by gravity.   

Edited May 19 by 953 nut

[sqrlgtr 2,973]

On 5/3/2026 at 9:49 AM, squonk said:

I have 3 engines to deliver so I'm going. I'm considering not bringing a trailer with a tractor on it. At $5 a gal it would save me about 70 bucks. We'll see. Maybe if I decide to sell a tractor the trailer will be going. 

Just tripped over the 701 motor I got from you at last years show. Still in the same place where I unloaded it last year . I really needed it, oh well it aint eating nothing. Hoping you might share some shade again this year if I'm able to make it? Just Remember I make a good canopy ⚓.

[adsm08 4,513]

On 5/19/2026 at 7:15 PM, 953 nut said:

 On I-26 going 75 will get you a flashing blue light reminder, anything over that will get you the opportunity to see the judge. On Cowee Mountain there are enough curves that the speed limit is policed by gravity.

 

I once knew a guy who frequently said "If it weren't for law enforcement and physics I'd be unstoppable!"

[Jrblanke 958]

Might have to cut back on pie to put the money towards gas.....

 

Bahaha...just kidding. 

[squonk 46,692]

@Jrblanke Is Van coming this year? 

[Sparky-(Admin) 25,411]

2 minutes ago, squonk said:

@Jrblanke Is Van coming this year? 

I’ve been messaging him..yep, he’ll be there 

[WHX?? 56,694]

Looks like we are gonna make it after all. Gonna take @Achto big red gasser truck. Still only get 12-14 mpg but better than diesel.  Gas came down a bit around here ... less than 4 a gal. I topped off yesterday at $3.85.

 

[953 nut 66,350]

41 minutes ago, WHX?? said:

we are gonna make it after all.

 

Looks like Illinois and South West PA are places you don't want to need gas and Indiana is the best place to fill up.

[squonk 46,692]

1 hour ago, WHX?? said:

Looks like we are gonna make it after all. Gonna take @Achto big red gasser truck. Still only get 12-14 mpg but better than diesel.  Gas came down a bit around here ... less than 4 a gal. I topped off yesterday at $3.85.

 

I was going to suggest driving Dan's gasmobile.

 

Still in the $4.20's here. It's floating between $90-95 a bbl. Right where "they" want it. 

[Ed Kennell 46,138]

58 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

 PA are places you don't want to need gas

 

Gasoline here in Pa is only  $3.24/gallon plus the $0.184  fed tax and the $0.576 Pa tax  =$4.00.

[adsm08 4,513]

32 minutes ago, Ed Kennell said:

 

Gasoline here in Pa is only  $3.24/gallon plus the $0.184  fed tax and the $0.576 Pa tax  =$4.00.

 

Closer to $4.30 in the Dillsburg/Carlisle area.

[Handy Don 16,698]

1 hour ago, 953 nut said:

Looks like Illinois and South West PA are places you don't want to need gas and Indiana is the best place to fill up.

 

The Harrisburg area looks decent as well. 

Definitely gonna be consulting GasBuddy.com’s trip planner on this voyage. It has typically directed me to a station a mile or so away from an interstate interchange--past the high priced "immediate gratifier” stations--for significant savings. 

This morning’s news is predicting a spike in the next two weeks, though, as inventories are emptying. 

Edited 10 hours ago by Handy Don

[953 nut 66,350]

1 hour ago, Handy Don said:

GasBuddy.com’s trip planner on this voyage. It has typically directed me to a station a mile or so away from an interstate interchange--past the high priced "immediate gratifier” stations--for significant savings. 

I do this too, my wife seems to think the gas you "waste" going an extra mile or so offsets the price saving.    She is no math wizard, I start to do the math for her and she doesn't want to hear it.  I seem to find my way to the doghouse anytime math is involved.    

[Handy Don 16,698]

13 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

I seem to find my way to the doghouse anytime math is involved.

Fify-five years ago, at a college mixer, I asked “What’s your major?” Math, she responded.

[adsm08 4,513]

20 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

I do this too, my wife seems to think the gas you "waste" going an extra mile or so offsets the price saving.    She is no math wizard, I start to do the math for her and she doesn't want to hear it.  I seem to find my way to the doghouse anytime math is involved.    

 

Try explaining girl math to her. That always gets them going.

[Handy Don 16,698]

So my (tricky) math :

Save 15¢ per gallon. Vehicle gets 24 mpg. Station is 3 miles out of the way. Fill-up is 14 gallons. 

 

Savings: 15¢ x 14 = $2.10

Extra fuel used: 3 ÷ 24 = 0.125 gallons

“Wasted" savings: 0.125 x 15¢ = .02¢ (my hand never leaves my wrist )

Net save: $2.08

 

Where’s the fault? The actual cost of three miles at the saved price!

At the reduced price of $4.40 per gallon and 24 mpg going 3 miles costs 55¢. Net save is only $1.55

 

Edited 7 hours ago by Handy Don

[Ed Kennell 46,138]

Listen to the Misses.

How to calculate cost per mile as an owner-operator

 

I'll save you some time,   about a buck a mile to operate your vehicle.

 

 

 

[squonk 46,692]

The Pit Stop gas station near the Quality Inn seems to have gas cheaper than the others around Scotland. Gas Buddy says $3.75

[953 nut 66,350]

2 hours ago, squonk said:

Scotland. Gas Buddy says $3.75

Is that Scotland PA or Scotland UK?                   

[953 nut 66,350]

6 hours ago, adsm08 said:

 

Try explaining girl math to her. That always gets them going.

Well I didn't think AI would have much to say about that, but they surprised me. They overlooked the on my wife falls for quite often, Store Loyalty Gas Discounts. A local grocery chain has gas discounts, a nickel per gallon for every $ 100.00 you spend at the store. Quit often the pump price at the grocery store is 10 to 20 cents more than the price at the local cut-rate gas station, but she hates to see those loyalty points expire so she gets a nickel or a dime off of gas the was priced twenty cents higher.     

 

"Girl math" is a viral social media trend featuring humorous, often ironic mental gymnastics used to justify spending habits and make purchases feel financially sensible. It operates on the logic that time, convenience, and perceived discounts are interchangeable currencies that effectively make expenses "free." [1, 2, 3, 4]

The Core Rules of Girl Math

While the scenarios are almost entirely tongue-in-cheek, they follow a few universally understood "theorems": [1, 2]

• The Cash Rule: If you pay for something with cash or a pre-loaded gift card, it is practically free because the money isn't actively leaving your checking account. [1]
• The "Cost-Per-Wear" Investment: A $300 item that you wear 100 times actually costs only $3 per wear. Therefore, you are practically saving money by buying it. [1, 2, 3]
• Pre-Paid Accounts = No Cost: If you load a Starbucks app with $25 ahead of time, your coffee is completely free when you pick it up next week. [1]
• The Cancellation Profit: If a friend cancels dinner plans, you instantly have "free" money in your budget that was already earmarked for that meal. [1, 2]
• Discount Logic: If you don't buy an item that is usually $100 but on sale for $50, you didn't save $50—you essentially made $50, which is then free to spend on something else. [1, 2]
• Event Pre-Payment: Concert or flight tickets bought months in advance are free because you will have forgotten about the initial charge by the time the event actually happens. [1]

 

[squonk 46,692]

22 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

Is that Scotland PA or Scotland UK?                   

If Stormin was still with us, he could have reported on the price per litre on his visits to his pal Dunc. I'm sure it's nuts over there or as nORM would have said "Bullocks!?! 

[WHX?? 56,694]

8 hours ago, Handy Don said:

definitely gonna be consulting GasBuddy.com’s trip planner on this voyage

May have to add that duty to the navigator.. We generally pull in off the slab gas up and grab a smoke damn the cost. Pulling off the slab in search of cheaper fuel is sometimes a hassle not worth it if you have to deal with toll booths and pulling a wagon load of tractors. Particularly going through the countries of Indiana and Ohio. Illinois being the absolute worst. 

[Handy Don 16,698]

38 minutes ago, 953 nut said:

Is that Scotland PA or Scotland UK?                   

You'll need ferry tickets and be prepared to pay about £1.59 per liter for the UK locale (about $8 per gallon). 

Bollocks. 

Edited 1 hour ago by Handy Don

[squonk 46,692]

nORM lived close to the northern border. From his house he could see a kilt!