Gas Prices.... Completely Outrageous!!! How Much Are They Where You Are???

[GODDESS6]

Originally Posted by Sarah

2.79 for regular here. sorry that it's more for some of you people, but it still pisses me off. it's like, one time i'll fill up and it'll be 2.29. then it's 2.49. then out of nowhere, 2.79 or 2.99. there's never any pattern to it really. it's like i just look over and bam, it's 50 cents more.

yesterday, i put in $25 for 3/4 tank (from empty). usually it's $30 to $35 to fill up from empty. sometimes i have to fill up once a week, sometimes i can make it last a week and a half or more.. it just depends on my work schedule and whether i go out of town to party on the weekends.

we should sue their goddamn asses off.

i just paid 3.09 a gallon this weekend, made me friggin' ill~

[sparky]

I paid 3.43 yesterday. Thankfully my work is close these days. Last year at this time I was spending about 160 a week on gas. Granted I get a vehicle allowance on top of my salary, but the price is still high. It bugs me, but I don't think I am entitled to cheap fuel. Most people everywhere else pay much more for it, and if it bugged me more I suppose I'd go buy an ugly little Prius.

Housing prices? HAH. In LA, you can't get **** for under 500. Thankfully I am selling a house right now and the market just took an upswing. I have no idea how people do it. Looking at offers though, I am seeing people who have around 100-200k in the bank, and have salaries between 80-120 a year. That's what it takes here. Life in the big city.

I sometimes think about the house I could live in for the value of mine if I were to move to a smaller town in another state. Rediculous. I'd need a staff of 3 to run the place. In Ohio, Indiana, Montana or Iowa, I could live in a mansion. But consider the location. Snow? Forget it. It was 85 here yesterday. Not happening. I'll pay the prices. Well, kind of. I bought this house 8 years ago when it was 1/3 of what it is worth now. I'll just close my eyes and think of equity when I hit traffic.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by sara1998

As far as housing is concerned... I remember going to San Fran and a 3 bed, 2 bath ranch, I'm guessing around 1500 square foot, would go for hunderds of thousands, if not over a million. You can buy that here for less than $100,000. Or, if you get a real nice one, it can be around $150,000. I could only imagine what my 4 bed, 2 1/2 bath with 2200 square foot would run there. It's stunning the difference depending on where you live.

Exactly! I don't know how people can afford to live in Cali if you're a middle class worker. Seriously. My jaw always drops when I watch Flip That House & shows like that, when people are paying literally a million dollars for a small ranch house. I mean, WTF?

My house is a Cape style built in 1948, around 1200 square feet. 3 bedrooms, 1&1/2 bath, rec room in basement. 2 car detached garage, covered patio right off the kitchen. Small yard, nice garden. Very close to neighbors (like, 15 feet away, lol.) Good solid neighborhood. It needed a lot of cosmetic work & updating - we bought it for $55,000 6&1/2 years ago. Yes, you read correctly. Anywhere else in the U.S., it would have been somwhere between $150,000 & $500,000.

We've put about $25,000 into it & the way housing is going around my neighborhood lately, I'm very confident we could get around $100,000. Anywhere else, at least $200,000. Buffalo-Niagara region has some of the best & inexpensive housing in the nation. Of course, our property taxes suck - $3200 extra per year for my tiny 40x120 foot lot.


I thought it was odd to own an apartment too, until I went to Bulgaria. Most of my family members live in apartment buildings. They own their flat, they don't rent. It's very different than here.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by skcin

Anywhere else in the U.S., it would have been somwhere between $150,000 & $500,000.

It would be 650 if it was in my hood.

[skcin]

Originally Posted by sparky

It would be 650 if it was in my hood.

Wanna help me move it?

[sara1998]

Originally Posted by sparky

IIn Ohio, Indiana, Montana or Iowa, I could live in a mansion. But consider the location. Snow? Forget it.

HEY! The location isn't THAT bad! Yeah, though, seriously, the prices of the mansions here are around a million... starting off. It blows my mind how much ya'll pay.

[sara1998]

Originally Posted by skcin

Exactly! I don't know how people can afford to live in Cali if you're a middle class worker. Seriously. My jaw always drops when I watch Flip That House & shows like that, when people are paying literally a million dollars for a small ranch house. I mean, WTF?

My house is a Cape style built in 1948, around 1200 square feet. 3 bedrooms, 1&1/2 bath, rec room in basement. 2 car detached garage, covered patio right off the kitchen. Small yard, nice garden. Very close to neighbors (like, 15 feet away, lol.) Good solid neighborhood. It needed a lot of cosmetic work & updating - we bought it for $55,000 6&1/2 years ago. Yes, you read correctly. Anywhere else in the U.S., it would have been somwhere between $150,000 & $500,000.

haha! I don't know how they (the middle class) do it out there, either. The cost of living is more expensive out there, too. I would never make it on my salary.

My home was built in 2003. 2200 square foot, 4 bed, 2.5 bath, 2 story, attached 2 car garage, in a subdivision... $137,000. What would that go for in Cali, Sparky???

[The Catdancer]

Gas over here was $ 3.15 yesterday.

As for housing, the prices over here are ridiculous. I live in a mediocre neighbourhood and there's a house for sale up the street for $ 650.000..... I won't pay that kinda money in this hood.

Montana seems to be cheap and beautiful, we might move there.

[sparky]

Originally Posted by sara1998

haha! I don't know how they (the middle class) do it out there, either. The cost of living is more expensive out there, too. I would never make it on my salary.

My home was built in 2003. 2200 square foot, 4 bed, 2.5 bath, 2 story, attached 2 car garage, in a subdivision... $137,000. What would that go for in Cali, Sparky???

Depends on the hood. In the suburbs - like 909 or near Valencia, might be as low as 399-425. That is where most new houses like that are. The city is too built up for new houses, unless some rips something down. But, sometimes someone will toss a new house up like that in an older hood. In some places in the hills, weho, or in mid town you could probably get 750-800 for it.

[bretonbanquet]

Originally Posted by irishgrl

Well, Breton said he paid $1.90 at the pump (US dollars) which translates to approx $7.60gal US.....without knowing what he earned in a month or what percentage of his take home gas represented, it really is hard to make a comparison....

I can say that for me, gas represents about one fifth of my take home. mortgage, a little more than one fourth. But I am lucky, I have a little home, in a pretty remote part of the state, so my home cost is not representative of what most californians pay. Gas, however is high throughout the state, and I do a fair bit of commuting, AND, my car is a gas hog.

And, California is generally more expensive than other states (please see my house price comparison chart a few posts back.)

ETA: Obviously, the cost of living in Europe is crazy. I dont see how people manage, really, unless there are programs there for people to take advantage of that help with costs...London is just beyond crazy. I guess there's even a new tax there because of congestion and whatnot, right? you have to pay just to enter London? Good Grief....

What I earn in a month I'll keep to myself, but my finances aren't representative of anything because I drive for a living, and I use LPG in my work vehicle which is much cheaper than ordinary gas. I cover about 70,000 miles a year, fill up every day, and gas is my biggest outgoing, something like $800 a month.

The London congestion charge is £8 ($16) every day, but I am exempt from that because of my LPG vehicle.

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I believe London is the most expensive city in the world to live in. If it is not still number one, it is up there.

Of course, I LOVE London But, the Cornish coast is dear to me as well as is Cardiff, which I hear is quite affordable.

Cardiff is much cheaper than London, but houses on the Cornish coast are pretty much at London prices.. that's a whole new argument

[strandinthewind]

Originally Posted by bretonbanquet

. . . Cardiff is much cheaper than London, but houses on the Cornish coast are pretty much at London prices.. that's a whole new argument

I think I need to haul myself down there and we can redo Tintagel and live there - remember, I get the room in the tower

Also, I just loved Cardiff. If is considered a good place to live?

[bretonbanquet]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

I think I need to haul myself down there and we can redo Tintagel and live there - remember, I get the room in the tower

Also, I just loved Cardiff. If is considered a good place to live?

Living there would be a fantastic thing.. I just don't know what you'd do for a living

Yeah, Cardiff is a great place to live, I think. Very pleasant, not too big, not too small, nice people All of Wales is wonderful, but at least you stand a chance of getting a job in Cardiff

[strandinthewind]

^^^

We drove all over Wales a few years ago. The country side, the people, the feel, everything - just heavenly!

I am a lawyer. So, we may have to do the extended payment plan on the Cornish coast

[sara1998]

Originally Posted by sparky

Depends on the hood. In the suburbs - like 909 or near Valencia, might be as low as 399-425. That is where most new houses like that are. The city is too built up for new houses, unless some rips something down. But, sometimes someone will toss a new house up like that in an older hood. In some places in the hills, weho, or in mid town you could probably get 750-800 for it.

That just blows my mind.

[bretonbanquet]

Originally Posted by strandinthewind

^^^

We drove all over Wales a few years ago. The country side, the people, the feel, everything - just heavenly!

I am a lawyer. So, we may have to do the extended payment plan on the Cornish coast

hahaha

But yes, Wales is tremendous - I could happily live there