I can remember how upset we all got a few years ago when those``nuts'' in California were burning SUVs.We would probably cheer them on,now.The times,they are a changing.What's a Yankee?

Yeah, I know what you mean. I'm only a county's length away from Tropiflora, but my whole plant budget for the sale would be spent on gas, so not this year.

I went to Lowe's the other day, and they had calibrochoa. I've been wanting to get a bunch of them, but because I had to get gas, I only got one.

Oh well, they grow from cuttings. :)

It's pretty sad when you realize you could save money by having the nursery ship the plants to you instead of making the short drive to the nursery yourself...

I'm using mail-order as much as possible to save gas. It costs $95 to fill my vehicle. OUCH!

I call before I go looking for items to be sure I'm not wasting fuel, and make each trip a multi-stop one, doing as many errands at one time as possible. I also drive much slower, avoiding I-95. Going 15mph less on my way to and from work has made a very noticeable difference.

Am growing more plants from seeds, since they are cheap.

The cost of owning a car/truck these days is insane! My husband's truck is 18 years old. He needs a new one. Between payments/insurance and gas, it will cost $1000 a month or more. Crazy!!! Thus, he's still driving old "trusty Rusty"(G).

Lisa

Sheesh. I remember the "good old days" about 10 years ago when I could fill my 12 gallon tank for 12 bucks. Now it costs me almost 36.

I do wish I was driving a hybrid right now. My PT (plant transport) Cruiser is cute, red and shiney... but dang. Gas hurts. I wish they made a PT hybrid. But I'm sure I couldn't affort it...

Hybrids are not as great as some people are touting them to be. For starters they average $4000 more in sticker price than the equivalent gas model. They also are not even coming close to the window sticker mileage ratings. Mileage ratings are done with strictly controlled testing that hardly resembles "real world" driving; most people average a 15% to 20% increase in their mileage vs. the equivalent gas engine.

Sounds good, but think about how long it takes to re-coup the additional $4000 you laid out initially.

What happens at either trade in time or when your warranty has expired? The batteries have a life of about 4-5 years; people also "typically" trade every 4-5 years. New batteries cost $4000 to replace. You are either gonna get killed on re-sale value or you are going to spend a bit of money to replace batteries.

What about when the car is out of warranty? Your neighborhood garage is probably not going to lay out the money for equipment or training for the hybrids. So every problem that arises is going to have to be dealt with thru the dealership, usually at much higher repair rates.

Just some things to think about.

Minibim, thanks for this post! You're helping me tone down my hybridlust quite a bit.

Maybe in five or ten years it'll be a viable option-- till then, I'll start longing for a standard engine with good gas mileage instead.

(anybody else like the Honda Elements? now THAT would make a great gardener's vehicle! You can spray the floor out with a garden hose!)

Minibim, good points! Now I don't feel so bad... I think the hybrids will become more reasonable and less pricey in a few years. I can wait.

Minibim...yeah and my paramedic / EMT friend told me that in a devastating accident, the hybrids have to be disconnected from their batteries FIRST before the jaws of life can be used. Paramedics across the country are currently be trained in the correct way to de-power these cars.

Maybe just a minute or two...but it might be the minute or two you need the most!

I really didn't need any plants, but mentioned to my DH that the USF plant sale was this weekend. He said that for the $10 in gas and $6 in admission, I could go to HD and get 3 plants. I agreed, so we ate breakfast out and I bought one plant at HD. I'm really trying to cut down on our driving. I try to make all my errands on one trip. There's a whole article on Yahoo news about how Iran, Russia and Venezuela are using their oil as leverage against the U.S. and it's allies. We really need to cut down on fuel as a nation.

Minibim, I had heard that it would take years before you realize any savings with a hybrid, since they are usually higher priced. I wish they'd come out with something that is cheaper to run and affordable.