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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

to want to weep at petrol prices

49 replies

Niceguy2 · 03/03/2011 09:11

£1.37 for a litre of diesel! OMG!

I already have a pretty frugal car but seriously!?!?!

I've already changed my driving habits to be more like a 60year old pensioner. Think I'll start walking for the school runs.

I now send the kids on the train to visit their mum.

Anyone else changing what they do to save petrol?

OP posts:

rosie1979 · 03/03/2011 09:15

YANBU - I drive 60 miles a day for work and feel like all my money goes on petrol. Before Christmas it was 1.17 a litre u/l, now it's 1.31!

nikki1978 · 03/03/2011 09:15

That means it will now cost me £95 to fill up my car and that tank will last 280 miles. I really need a new car....

Saltire · 03/03/2011 09:17

Back in about 2000/01 there were blockades at the pumps because of rising fuel prices - I'm just waiting for that to happen again.

MissVerinder · 03/03/2011 09:18

YADNBU. It's getting a bit silly now. I can't wait for more petrol protests; I'll be on that front line!

Original poster

Niceguy2 · 03/03/2011 09:20

@Nikki - OUCH! That's 34p a mile on fuel alone!?!?! What are you driving? A rocket?

OP posts:

WithManyTots · 03/03/2011 09:26

On the other hand, at £1.30 a litre, that's 74p a pint, so still very much cheaper than beer...

On 1 pint, my car will go about 11 miles (50 to the gallon diesel Audi). So I'm going to offer a pound to anyone who'll push me home 11 miles in my car tonight Think about how much you'd really want paying to do that job, or even just to walk it.

Petrol/Diesel may feel expensive, but when you think what you get for it, it seems a bargain. Imagine what we'll do when it runs out...

WithManyTots · 03/03/2011 09:28

Sorry, 11 should be 6, I forgot how many pints in a gallon, But even so....

shmoz · 03/03/2011 09:29

YANBU it's shocking, shocking I tell you! And it's going up again in April....get some more tissues in.

Will cost about £90 to fill mine up now (Peugeot 307 1.9 diesel)...I won't be filling it right up from now on in case I have heart failure at the pump...

worraliberty · 03/03/2011 09:30

The rise in fuel prices pushes the price of everything up so it is horrendeous, but if it stops people unecessarily driving everywhere (particularly school runs if they don't have to) then I'd say that's about the only good thing to come out of it.

I can't believe the amount of people here who wouldn't even consider a 20 minute walk to the shops or to school.

nikki1978 · 03/03/2011 09:32

Ha ha I wish - I could avoid traffic then . No it is a Lexus IS200 2L. Blooming nightmare. If we sell it we can get £3500 or about £4000 part exchange. Not sure what we can get for that really that is very reliable - this car NEVER breaks down.

Saltire · 03/03/2011 09:33

I walk 1.5 miles with Ds2 and a toddler and a buggy pretty much every day (2 days he and older mindee walk on their own)then obviously i wlak the 1.5 mles back. I cannot drive though so hav eno choice. i get my shopping delivered and once a motnh we drive into town and get things like petfood, and if we need anything from Wilkinsons etc. The rest of the time the car is maybe used 1 day a week for DH rugby.

During 1/2 term we were going to go to Scarborough for the day but we didn't because we seriosuly have to think aobut how much petrol we are using.

expatinscotland · 03/03/2011 09:35

£1.40 here.

DH has to use the car to get to work if he's on a particularly early or late shift.

The bus here is a fortune.

I walk the wee ones to school with DS in the buggy.

AitchTwoOh · 03/03/2011 09:35

i don't imagine the Libya situation will help..

expatinscotland · 03/03/2011 09:36

DH usually cycles, though, if the weather permits - sometimes it can get really really bad here.

This week he's been cycling.

MollysChambers · 03/03/2011 09:40

I have to use my car (only down side of country living). £1.44 here.

Trying not to make unnecessary trips and driving more slowly.

Also rather than just filling up as required I think I'll put a set amount in every 2 weeks so that I can keep an eye on how much I'm actually going through.

Bramshott · 03/03/2011 09:41

It's still usually cheaper than the train though isn't it? Which when you think about it is insane.

controlpantsandgladrags · 03/03/2011 09:48

YANB at all U. DH drives 70 miles a day to work and back. His petrol costs have skyrocketed since he took this job 2 years ago. And of course his wages haven't increased at all to compensate. We are really noticing how much tighter things have become due to the inflated prices. I'm naively hoping that they can't continue to rise at this rate and will as least have to level out at some point soon......otherwise people will genuinely be priced off the road.

TheSmallPrint · 03/03/2011 09:50

I think that's part of the problem, public transport is not cheap - nor very reliable / regular where I live. A short bus journey here (3 miles) is £2.70 for a single fare so thats £5.40 just to get to the shops.

TheSmallPrint · 03/03/2011 09:51

And before anyone says walk thats down a 50 mph A road with no pavements.

Fernie3 · 03/03/2011 09:54

YANBU we have never owned a car because the cost of insurance (new drivers) cost of the car and now cost of petrol is too high. It is a pain walking to the school 3 times a day though (25 min walk each way). Also taxis are a pain when you need 4 car seats (i.e impossible)

twolittlemonkeys · 03/03/2011 10:01

YANBU, I cringe every time I fill up the car. It's only a Ford Focus 1.4 so pretty economical but still I'm genuinely contemplating things like cancelling DS's swimming lessons because it's an 13-mile round trip and the petrol is so pricey that I can't afford any non-essential journeys. I'm looking at moving closer to DS's school but houses are pricier there so we'd have to downsize. But I am seriously considering it :(

Public transport costs more than running a car, is unreliable and much more time consuming. It should at least cost less if there's going to be any kind of incentive to get the bus

Original poster

Niceguy2 · 03/03/2011 10:09

Yes, isn't that the irony. The government want us all to be "green" and use public transport yet despite record petrol prices, it's still often cheaper to travel by car than bus/train.

OP posts:

Tryharder · 03/03/2011 10:15

I agree with everything that has been said. I hate the Government for their stupid petrol prices. I wouldn't mind if public transport was viable but in many cases it isn't. I only live 10 miles from my workplace but have to drive because I would have to take 3 buses there at a cost of around £7 each journey and the journey time would be around 3 times what it is now and that's not even factoring in the standing around waiting for buses....

What really gets me is that they justify it in terms of the environment so we all have to agree with it yet look at the price of petrol in America. We are stupid in this country to put up with this shit.

[rant]

BaggedandTagged · 03/03/2011 10:22

I think the government should "top and tail" petrol prices so that there's a max and a min price and they use tax to balance to that range.

Therefore, if oil prices are high, taxes don't compound it, but if oil prices are low, then they can skim a bit more tax off then, when it's more affordable to the consumer.

This would make fuel prices more predictable and stable.

zipzap · 03/03/2011 10:22

and what's the betting that the current crisis in Libya and potential for knock on effects across the Middle and Far East is going to push prices much higher - first because they are worried that supply might decrease, then because it actually happens - even though they have already raised them in anticipation of this happening so they get to raise the prices twice when they only needed to do so once.

Then when it is all over they drop it back down a penny or two and continue to enjoy super increased profit margins...

and the next time there's anything else that slightly threatens the oil supply it'll be used as a way to raise prices yet again

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