TriggerT Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 I was thinking about this, this morning on the ride to work. This past weekend I shot two matches, which means I spent about $45-50 on gas getting to and from the matches. That is in a car that gets about 25-30 miles per gallon. I am starting to think about cutting down on several of the matches I go to, and hitting the local range for practice instead.Used to be I would drive to hell and gone to shoot a match, but I am starting to re-think things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ipscron2000 Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 I haven't curved my shooting yet. But when my work slows down, I just might. In reality, all you would have to do is cut one match out. The savings from that one match would make up for driving to the others. Or just drink water and eat P&J every meal. I eat out allot. The difference of eating at home a few more times a month makes up for the gas driving to the far matches. Just my .02 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Grrl Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 You need to look at the DIFFERENCE, not the total! Our fill ups only went up about $4.00 per fill up and that's in a big-a$$ truck. The number of times we fill up hasn't changed, so our total budget increase per week is only $12.00. Quit shooting for $12.00??? I don't think so Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Balko Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 While I agree with you Grrl that the difference is what's important, it depends on your frame of reference as to how great is the difference. Radio stated yesterday that average cost per gallon is now up $.70 from one year ago. My guess is the big a$$ truck is taking more like an extra $20 per fill using that time frame. As for me; a buddy and I took an econo car at 30 mpg to Area III this year rather than a pickup truck at 15, and figure that alone bought us one night of our hotel fees! Many of us can probably find other excesses that can be trimmed to compensate for the gas budget. But for those who have already rounded off the corners, fuel cost has got to be stressing their match agenda. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerT Posted August 16, 2005 Author Share Posted August 16, 2005 You need to look at the DIFFERENCE, not the total! Our fill ups only went up about $4.00 per fill up and that's in a big-a$$ truck. The number of times we fill up hasn't changed, so our total budget increase per week is only $12.00. Quit shooting for $12.00??? I don't think so <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Your fills ups went up $4.00 from when? In the last month or so, I would believe. Compaired to a year or a year and a half ago, the difference for me is A LOT more than that. I like Ron's idea of drinking water only, I need to drop some pounds anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeFoley Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 No, and I drive an SUV that gets 15 mpg, maybe less pulling a golf cart, hauling 5 guys, and their 3 gun gear. You can't take it with you folks, and you can stay home all week to save gas for shooting. Now, if there was a way to make petroleum on my Dillon 650, then we'd be in business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kimberkid Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Kinda sorta. There is 1 match a month that is less than a 1.5 hour drive from me. That means the 4 or 5 other matches I shoot every month are at minimum 2+ hours 1 way. Couple the extra gas price which is already high with a match fee and being broke lately due to buying a new Harley and I ditched a match this past weekend with half the fault on this excuse. For me to go shoot a match is usually a $50 minimum. $20 for a match fee, $30 in gas rounds trip at least, plus if I wanna stop for lunch or go out with friends local to the club and saturday gets epensive in a hurry. I work sunday nights and it sucks to spend $50 on a day when I still have to hurry up and get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shooter Grrl Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 While I agree with you Grrl that the difference is what's important, it depends on your frame of reference as to how great is the difference. Radio stated yesterday that average cost per gallon is now up $.70 from one year ago. My guess is the big a$$ truck is taking more like an extra $20 per fill using that time frame. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not quite - a year ago we were filling up twice as much since we were commuting 45 miles each way. I haven't changed my budgeted amount for Gas since I left the Bay Area - it has stayed steady for almost 2 years. BTW, when I left the Bay Area, gas was $2.85 a gallon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 I try and bring more friends now. Makes the trip go faster and more ways to split the gas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Airedale Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 I won't cut down on the local (within ~2 hours) matches. The long drive matches may be cut out. I'm pondering the Mississippi 3 gun to support Hoppy but that's six hours of burned fuel each way. Dave Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kimel Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Yes it has. I have a bunch matches I can shoot in the area if I drive about 3 hours and my plan at the start of the year was to hit several of these. Given gas prices I haven't made any of these. As of yesterday I am paying about 80 cents a gallon more than 14 months ago when I made those plans which means a fill-up is running about $19 more. That means those matches would cost an extra $15 to $25 (depending on actual distance travelled). Pay an extra $15-$25 to shoot a 5 stage match? I don't think so. Instead I am putting some of the money to help my local club improve their props. We used to see a fair number of "out of the local area" shooters at our local matches but haven't many this year. When I was up shooting with that group last month I asked some of them and they all cited gas prices as the reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hopalong Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 I agree with Airedale. Being in the Points series adds just a little more incentive to maybe hit that one more match.....But not with gas running 60 plus cents a gallon more(MO fall classic is a 6 hr ride.....gone)(A6 3-gun is a 5 hr ride....gone). There are those that can not be avoided......The ones that you are returning some kind of favor to those who came to yours ect. (Me ROing the MS Classic for them ROing the MS 3-gun ect.) My local club is 30 minutes away, no excuses to miss that one. Memphis is 2 hrs, Nashville is 2 hrs.....some club matches that may get missed unless I can get a passenger or 2 to help knock the gas cost down. Aside from that.....See ya'll in Dickson for the TN section match in 2 weeks. Hopalong PS. Airedale......you resemble that remark about wheel gunners :lol: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tom Balko Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 While I agree with you Grrl that the difference is what's important, it depends on your frame of reference as to how great is the difference. Radio stated yesterday that average cost per gallon is now up $.70 from one year ago. My guess is the big a$$ truck is taking more like an extra $20 per fill using that time frame. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> Not quite - a year ago we were filling up twice as much since we were commuting 45 miles each way. I haven't changed my budgeted amount for Gas since I left the Bay Area - it has stayed steady for almost 2 years. BTW, when I left the Bay Area, gas was $2.85 a gallon. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> It's great that your circumstances have changed to allow you to absorb the changes without affecting your budget, but most of us have probably not relocated away from an area that must be nearly the most crazy in the country for gas prices while at the same time reduces our driving demand by 90 miles each day! Your circumstances don't change the fact that the national average for gas today is 70 cents per gallon more than it was a year ago. If you live and work in the same places you did a year ago, and are still driving the same vehicle, you are spending more for fuel today than you did then. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stingerjg Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 It hasnt stopped me from going to the local matches. Now that the gas is over $2.50 it will keep me from going to the distance matches. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pisgahrifle Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 I used to be able to at least get out and practice during the summer. The $ that used to go to ammo and range fees now goes to gas for everyday driving. I'm sure once the semester statrs and more starts rolling in I'll be able to start shooting more regularly again, but I still won't be able to shoot as much as I did when we were still back home- at least not until I get to reloading up here. The thing that sucks the most about all this is that we don't get to go home as often, and when we do there's no way in hell we can take the truck. The last time we did it cost us around $160 down and back. That's hard to stomach on one faculty and one staff salary (Guess which one is higher! ). Even with Kelly's car we spend around $80, and that was almost a month ago. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vlad Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Assuming that your vehicle gets 15mpg and that a match is 300 miles away (about as far as I would consider going for a really good match) and using a $.70 price increase as a baseline that adds $28 to the round trip. I dont know about you, but if there is a match worth getting up at the crack of dawn and getting my butt sore for 300 miles, eat bad food on the interstate, haul around gear worth $2000 or more, shoot ammo worth a pile, pay match fees, snacks, drinks, etc, then the additional $28 is not stopping me. I think gas would have to hit $5 or more before I dramatically change how I drive, though I do drive a fairly efficient car so that math may be different for other people. I am also blessed that I live in an area where I can shoot pretty much every weekend day and between USPSA and various flavors of Steel I would have to decide which match to skip, all within 1h of my house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scooterj Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Kinda sorta. There is 1 match a month that is less than a 1.5 hour drive from me. That means the 4 or 5 other matches I shoot every month are at minimum 2+ hours 1 way. Couple the extra gas price which is already high with a match fee and being broke lately due to buying a new Harley and I ditched a match this past weekend with half the fault on this excuse. For me to go shoot a match is usually a $50 minimum. $20 for a match fee, $30 in gas rounds trip at least, plus if I wanna stop for lunch or go out with friends local to the club and saturday gets epensive in a hurry. I work sunday nights and it sucks to spend $50 on a day when I still have to hurry up and get home. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> problem solved.....take the hog to shoot Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 It's not changing my match attendance decisions as much as it's affecting practice. Home range is 140 mi. round trip. $35 in gas every time I go shooting is making buying my own steel and shooting at the nearby gravel pit much more attractive. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hey QuicksDraw! Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Gatta shoot! I'll shoot to the extent my allowance will let me. I just paid $2.94 a gallon in the suburbs of Philly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFD Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 I'm practicing and shooting matches the same as always. I'll rethink things when the price per gallon hits $5, but it would only affect major matches. I am lucky in that my home club (for practice) is 10 minutes from the house, and most matches I go to are less than 1/2 hour from the house. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j1b Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 This question is interesting. Fundamentally I would think that this group would not be as affected by gas prices. Let's face it, shooting is an added benefit to our lives - something we choose to do and at some degree can afford to do. The reason why sports related merchandise brings in higher margins is because the folks that participate can generally afford those higher prices. Gas prices are less likely to effect folks like that. Interesting how it has taken so long to see a decline in the number of trucks/SUV's being sold. They kill gas efficiencies AND are more expensive yet the consumer has still chose them above more efficient vehicles. This is what sucks about the situation - and let me tell you i HATE the gas prices these days. Until we get to a point where we buy less gas, buy more efficient vehicles etc. etc. then it is evidence that the gas prices are not affecting the ultimate consumer as much as we'd all think. It is the very poor people it effects the most and that is a bad deal. I hate the gas prices - I am spending $100 a week filling the avalanche up. It doesn't effect me though - I just keep going. Until I am willing to trade in my truck and drive less then I only cause the problem to get bigger - which is a crying shame. J Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 If fuel-efficient cars were comfortable, I would still be driving one as my daily driver. Little cars are designed for 5'4", 120 lb women. The seats are all too high and the windshields too low for anyone over about 5'8". Now that I'm driving a full-size truck, my chronic neck pain is a distant memory and my knees have never felt better in years. Gas is going to have to get pretty damned expensive for me to go back to living life in pain again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TriggerT Posted August 16, 2005 Author Share Posted August 16, 2005 Just topped of the motorcycle on the way home from work. Gotta love 40mpg. Need to change my shooting bag to a back pack so I can ride to more matches. Won't solve the problem, but sure will help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TDean Posted August 16, 2005 Share Posted August 16, 2005 Yes, well that and a 2 week old baby-boy have certainly put the brakes on my match attendance. I might shoot 1-2 matches a month now. I used to shoot 4 plus practice once/twice week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scooter Posted August 17, 2005 Share Posted August 17, 2005 The only difference gas prices makes is I'm less likely to do full throttle accelerations to pass a car on a 2 lane road on the way to the match or my 150 mile commute. So instead of accelerating from 50 mph to 90+ mph to pass a car, now I speed up to 80 mph. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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