Moriconi writes in to tell us how he was able to save $950 this week by uprooting the hidden fees and renegotiating the things in his life he was paying too much for. Awesome! Here’s his true story:
oil
Everyone But Northwest Matches $50 Fuel Surcharge
By 1.14.08
All of the legacy airlines, with the exception of Northwest, have matched United Airlines $50 roundtrip fuel surcharge announced Friday. Airfare maven Rick Seaney says that Northwest is usually the last one in when it comes to price increases, but if they don’t follow suit by tomorrow, then the other airline could begin to wobble and drop the surcharge.
Get 100 Gallons Of Heating Oil For Free
By 1.12.08
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wants to give you 100 gallons of free heating oil to help survive the cold cruel capitalist winter. The hogshead of liquid warmth is available to anyone enduring a financial hardship who fills out a handy online form.
United Increases Fuel Surcharge To $50
By 1.12.08
United Airlines will increase the fuel surcharge on roundtrip tickets to $50, a new industry high. “Every penny increase in a gallon of jet fuel costs our industry $195 million annually, and while we operate more efficiently, we must be able to pass commodity costs on to customers, as other industries do,” said UAL spokeswoman Robin Urbanski. The new surcharge is more than double the previous charge. Other airlines haven’t yet commented on whether they will match the move. Just another reason to not fly United.
By 12.5.07
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High prices at the pump are here to stay for the near-future, OPEC decided to maintain current production levels. [AP]
"Black Friday Is Obscene And Needs To Die"
By 11.28.07
SF Gate columnist Mark Morford hates Black Friday, and he’s written an over-the-top Network-style screed against it, backing it up with some cringe-inducing YouTube clips of giddy, running Americans swarming into retail outlets last Friday morning.
Gas Prices Could Rise By 20 Cents In The Coming Weeks
By 11.13.07
USAToday is reporting that gas prices could jump by $0.20 in the coming weeks as retail prices catch up to the recent surge in oil costs.
How $100/Barrel Oil Will Affect You
By 11.13.07
Oil is poised to break the century mark, and SmartMoney has a short article that examines the effects it will have on the average American’s budget. A couple of reasons why we haven’t felt more of these effects so far is that the rising cost has largely been eaten by oil refining companies and their gas stations, and because consumers have actually begun to reduce their gas consumption. However, if the price-per-barrel continues to rise, the U.S. faces a cold winter, and the dollar continues its anemic performance, you can look forward to the following consequences:
1/3 Of South Florida Gas Pumps Failed State Accuracy Tests
By 10.21.07
More than a third South Florida’s gas station pumps have failed the state’s accuracy test in the past three years. An analysis of state inspections reveals that slightly more than half of the broken pumps err in favor of the consumer. The state inspects all pumps every 12-18 months.
The Sun-Sentinel analyzed state inspection reports from 2004 to 2006. The analysis found 580 of more than 2,500 stations in South Florida had at least one pump dispensing more gas than customers paid to purchase, while 477 provided less fuel than they should.
IHOP To Abandon Trans-Fats By Year End
By 10.1.07
IHOP has announced that they will be going trans-fat free by the end of the year. The chain said they’ve found a replacement oil that tastes the same as the old heart-killing trans-fat oil.
Great News! Higher Gas Prices "Good" For You!
By 9.12.07
A new study from Washington University claims that “the 13 percent rise in obesity between 1979 and 2004 can be attributed to falling pump prices,” and that if gas prices were raised by $1 more, obesity levels would drop by 15% over the next 5 years. Apparently the closer the cost of a gallon of gas comes to a monthly gym membership fee, the more gym-like qualities it magically takes on.
FTC Says Gas Was Expensive Last Year Because Of Market Forces, Not Price Gouging
By 9.5.07
You can stop worrying about whether or not you got screwed by the gas industry. The Federal Trade Commission announced late last week that they’ve found no evidence of price gouging during 2006, when the average price of gas rose above $3 per gallon. Or as one oil industry spokesman puts it (tactlessly, for a spokesman), “It’s difficult for the average American to understand market forces, but that is what’s ultimately in play with this industry.”
Ethanol Raises Prices As Part Of Continuing Crusade To Liberate Nation From Expensive Foreign Oil
By 6.17.07
Ethanol is billed as the answer to America’s addiction to foreign oil, but the immense demand for the corn, from which ethanol is made, is also raising prices in supermarkets and restaurants across the nation. The demand to transform corn into ethanol has already doubled the average price for a bushel of corn from $2 to $4.
The corn price increases flow like gravy down the food chain, to grocery stores and menus. The cost of rounded cubed steak at local Harris Teeters is up from $4.59 last year to $5.29 this year, according to TheGroceryGame.com, which tracks prices. The Palm restaurant chain recently raised prices as much as $2 for a New York strip. And so on.
Michael Pollan best summarized our little-known reliance on corn in The Omnivore’s Dilemma:
25 Uses For Olive Oil Other Than, You Know, Cooking With It
By 6.15.07
We’re a sucker for these lists of alternate uses for common household items.
Why Is Gas So Freakin' Expensive?
By 5.29.07
Did you know that gas price gouging almost never occurs as prices rise? Rather, it’s most often when dealers keep prices artificially high even as their costs fall.
Only Two States Have Average Gas Prices Under $3
By 5.22.07
Congratulations New Jersey and New Hampshire! Your average price per gallon for that life blood we call gasoline is still under $3. New Jersey has the cheapest gas at an average price of just $2.93! How do they do it? More importantly, how did we managed to write this post without cracking a New Jersey joke? Because we’re above that, people. Yes, we are. —MEGHANN MARCO
Bad Manners: Walmart Borrows Your Car Without Asking
By 4.3.07
My parents had a similarly horrible experience at Walmart last year here in South Edmonton Common, Edmonton, AB. They took their car into get an oil change, and left it there to do other errands. When they got there, the clerk at the desk could not ‘find’ their car and got all nervous. After about 15 minutes of ‘checking the lot’ the clerk gave in and said one of the mechanics had taken their car to go pick up a friend who’s car had broken down! My parents immediately got the manager involved, and the manager seemed to be taking the appropriate actions, and when the tech came back ~10 minutes later he wasn’t even apologetic about stealing their car to get his friend, he seemed to think he had the right to! My parents, being the nice pushovers they are, and seeing it as someone helping someone else and no harm was done other than ~20 minutes of time let it go. Walmart even made them pay for the oil change! The manager said he would call them back with a resolution, but none ever came.
Jonny’s parents should have explained to the manager that they charged $5.00 a minute for unauthorized car rental. —MEGHANN MARCO
