Rather than a maximum spend for petrol, we need a minimum

[KingsleyShacklebolt]

Lots of talk of rationing petrol to deal with the people who are panic buying.

I would suggest an alternative approach - a minimum spend. I filled my car yesterday, it's a big mum bus MPV thing so takes £60 - £70 of diesel to fill up. And before anyone asks yes I did need to fill it, it was well into the red.

But the woman in front of me and the man adjacent spent less than £10 each. So their car was clearly not empty.

So why not have a minimum spend? Say £20 or £30? It would stop people topping up every couple of days "just in case". Would stop people filling jerry cans. People aren't going to keep filling up jerry cans or topping up every day if they know that their couple of litres is going to cost £30.

@KingsleyShacklebolt

Everyone piling on to say I'm unreasonable for assuming many people are topping up with small amounts to keep their cars full and that they are doing it because they are too poor to afford a larger amount.

You are all making assumptions too. Some people might be spending a small amount because they can't afford more. Some people might be spending a small amount because they have bought into the panic and are topping up. The split between those two groups is undetermined. I would imagine that the split would be different in different areas of the country.

So if you're all saying i'm wrong for assuming everyone's car is full and they're topping up, you're equally wrong for assuming everyone's on the breadline and can't afford more. Surely.

No one's said everyone is on the breadline, but enough people are that your suggestion doesn't work.

Bannning jerry cans doesn't work either.

Why did you need a full tank? Why couldn't you have just put half a tank in?

I was a mature student with three teens. I had to get to uni, it wasn’t online then.

I was going to uni to better my life and that of my children.

Ffs.

[quote Auroreforet]@KingsleyShacklebolt you didn't think this through though.
I wouldn't queue just to put £10 of fuel in my car unless I couldn't afford any more than that.
And no, you don't 'need' your mum bus, it's a choice.[/quote]
We all make choices though don't we?

How I choose to spend my money is none of anyone else's business, just as how they choose to spend theirs is none of mine.

Did you really need that much petrol though? Be honest OP!

Well no, we're being told to buy fuel as we always buy fuel. My regular pattern of buying is to fill up to the top when it's in the red and the light comes on

That's what I do too and unfortunately that was where I was on Friday, because I'd just bought a new (to me) car a couple of days before and it had no fuel in it.

When I went to the petrol station it actually took more than the stated capacity of the tank it was so empty. Luckily I didn't have to wait more than a few minutes and they had fuel available, but that was my last chance, I had to buy fuel then.

The problem is when people who wouldn't normally buy fuel that day also did, and Friday is probably a busy day anyway, because lots of people will be preparing for the weekend and will have spent the week commuting, using fuel.

What a sad state of affairs it is when someone can't see that £10 is all they can afford. My car costs in the region of £55 to fill up and I usually do that and let it run to red then fill. I was just touching red the other day when all this kicked off. The garage was limiting sales to £30. This is sensible.
I can remember my days when I couldn't afford to fill up and putting in a tenner was a lot! I used to put a fiver in.
I'm not so short sighted to understand that plenty of minimum wage jobs workers need their car not only to get to work but to do their job. I have a relative who has carers 4.times a day. Those carers are fairly low paid. They need their cars!
There really are some selfish people

@Suitcaseseverywhere

I was a mature student with three teens. I had to get to uni, it wasn’t online then.

I was going to uni to better my life and that of my children.

Ffs.

I assume the person spouting rubbish about poisoning the atmosphere was lying in Dover this week, delaying deliveries of petrol.

Virtue signalling wankers.

@itsgettingwierd

Iced when I couldn't afford £30 on petrol I didn't have a car. Because I also could t afford the mot, tax, repairs and insurance.

Cars cost around £100 a month on average over a year minimum.

I get living pay check to pay check. I've done it.

I didn't have a car because £10 a week in petrol actually was more than that in overall costs of having a car (plus the outlay of buying one) and walking, using local and a buss pass was cheaper.

And many people live in areas where they have no choice but to own cars and pay for petrol.

I live somewhere with no bus service and very limited train service. My old job was a 45 minute commute each way and I spent about £40 a week in fuel.

But to do that journey on public transport would have cost me almost £40 a day.

For many - the car is the cheap option and they can't do their jobs or get their kids to school without it.

Implementing a minimum spend that would only penalise those people even further is ridiculous.

Fuck the people that haven't got your so called minimum amount then

I think what has become obvious is that a significant amount of people have no confidence whatsoever in the supply chains in this country anymore-the smallest whiff of a shortage and panic buying ensues. I can't really criticise that, there is so much uncertainty at the moment with fuel price rises and energy company collapses, media reporting on issues seems to be aimed at increasing the sense of panic, food costs have gone up, benefit uplifts removed, council tax and national insurance increases. For people with a good amount of disposable income, these might not be as concerning but if you literally live month to month and every penny is accounted for already, you can understand the concern.

@KingsleyShacklebolt

Lots of talk of rationing petrol to deal with the people who are panic buying.

I would suggest an alternative approach - a minimum spend. I filled my car yesterday, it's a big mum bus MPV thing so takes £60 - £70 of diesel to fill up. And before anyone asks yes I did need to fill it, it was well into the red.

But the woman in front of me and the man adjacent spent less than £10 each. So their car was clearly not empty.

So why not have a minimum spend? Say £20 or £30? It would stop people topping up every couple of days "just in case". Would stop people filling jerry cans. People aren't going to keep filling up jerry cans or topping up every day if they know that their couple of litres is going to cost £30.

Did you really need £60 worth of diesel?

Or could you have left some for others?

Maybe they don't have more than £10 to fill up this month. Maybe they were leaving some for others and looking at you thinking wow how selfish I bet she doesn't need all that diesel.

What a silly idea. Some people might only use £10 worth per week because that covers the amount of journeys they need to make. Let them buy £10 worth: Should my disabled neighbour, who drives distances of under a mile because he cannot walk just stay at home? He could afford to fill up with £30 worth, so probably would do this rather than losing their freedom, but it would leave £20 worth of fuel sat unused in his tank for a few weeks, when an ambulance might really needs it.

* just* as how they choose to spend theirs is none of mine

Exactly OP, stop shaming people who choose to spend less to top up their car for whatever reason.

I'd rather be behind them in the queue than you.

No we should definitely not have a minimum spend. That would be screwing over less fortunate people. A maximum is the way to go to ensure its spread around fairly. Or people like you have to queue multiple times if you want to be selfish.

And I haven't bought fuel since the warning, so on neither side of the argument.

@IWantT0BreakFree

Well no, we're being told to buy fuel as we always buy fuel. My regular pattern of buying is to fill up to the top when it's in the red and the light comes on.

And some people's "regular pattern of buying" is to fill up small amounts because it's either all they can afford or it's how they choose to do it, but you want to slap a ban on that. Such a hypocrite.

But if everyone was buying as they have always bought, there wouldn't be the queues we've all experienced in the last three days, would there?

I usually fill the car up rather than just put in £10 like I used to as a student. And I rarely wait until the light comes on. If I happen to be near a petrol station and I don’t have a nearly full tank I fill up (live rurally). But even living rurally where most journeys require a car I’d struggle to justify the need to fill from empty during a fuel crisis. However, everyone’s needs are different and everyone does it differently. I suggest everyone fill up their car as normal.

How I choose to spend my money is none of anyone else's business, just as how they choose to spend theirs is none of mine.
Maybe you should have led with this?

People should be blaming the media for creating panic and not people who reacted. You have literally no idea of the individual specific circumstances that lead to (a) people not buying as much fuel as you (and it's kind of hilarious that it didn't enter your head that they might not be able to afford a full tank) or (b) filling jerry cans. Perhaps they have other vehicles they need to run for their jobs, or their caring responsibilities or chemotherapy appointments. Perhaps they have to travel long distances for work and would lose income without it. Just stop judging everyone except the press who said that the pumps were about to run dry when they weren't. Although now of course they have caused it to happen ...

OPs filled her car, just preaching now on what others should do

Wow.
They probably only had that to spend on petrol! I take it you've not paid the damn bit of attention to most of the country being plunged into poverty. Must be nice to have such a privledged life.

Wow. That is a major show of being completely oblivious to other people's circumstances.

Are you REALLY this out of touch? Omg the privilege that is sometimes displayed on MN is astounding. You really need to get outside of your bubble, maybe volunteer or something, experience lives outside of the one you live. I have NEVER filled my tank full, I cannot afford it. It's never even half a tank.

Oh and you know what I probably need to get fuel this week but I'll only stick a tenner in because im getting a new one at the weekend so I don't want to hand it back with excess fuel.

Is that ok with you OP?

*We all make choices though don't we?

How I choose to spend my money is none of anyone else's business, just as how they choose to spend theirs is none of mine.*

Says the woman who started a thread suggesting limiting people's choices about how they spend their money.

If ever there was an 'I'm alright Jack' OP, this is it

@Palavah

*We all make choices though don't we?

How I choose to spend my money is none of anyone else's business, just as how they choose to spend theirs is none of mine.*

Says the woman who started a thread suggesting limiting people's choices about how they spend their money.

This.