skidmarked underwear primitive fills tank half full

[franksolich]

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=439x940875

Oh my.

Skidmore  (1000+ posts)        Fri Apr-22-11 11:43 AM
THE SKIDMARKED UNDERWEAR PRIMITIVE, THE DISCONSOLATE FARMWIFE IN EASTERN IOWA
Original message

Yesterday I stopped at the gas station to fill my tank half full. I do this once a month since I only use my car to run errands once a week in the nearest town. We put the bulk of our budgeted gas allowance into my husbands 4 cylinder truck so that he can go to work. I watched the meter. At $5 it registered just under 1.25 gallons. As the meter scrolled up, I started to feel anxious and I wondered how long we can sustain our current standard of living.

We are pretty frugal people. We conserve everything and try to shop judiciously. My only nonessential item in the grocery cart was my weekly indulgence of something chocolate (although chocolate is essential in my world). I had a similar response to my grocery bill. I've been able to shop on less than $100/wk for the past month simply because I stocked up on cleaning materials and toiletry items last month and won't need them for probably most of summer. Last week I bought green peppers at $1.44/ea. and this week they were down to $.98/ea. That bit of savings was gobbled up because apples went from $1.27/lb to $1.57/lb.

The toilet paper index has continued to be a good indicator of "market forces" for me. Rolls are not only not as large but are narrower in size too. I had begun to by Scott paper because it was always in larger sizes and had become more affordable, but I noted that Kimberly-Clark makes it (means it ends up supporting Sensenbrenner wealth vs. Koch Bro. wealth).

Right now I try to buy as much as I can with social welfare and sustainable living in mind. It is hard though. Brands are not stable and some of the ones I used to trust have been sold to corporations rather than maintained (e.g. Ben & Jerry's ice creams). I'm trying to buy locally produced goods and produce but we live in an area with a limited growing season so fresh produce in the winter time must come from somewhere else.

I guess my point is that if we are going to look at a way out of this mess we are tied up in with corporations, then it will only work when those who start those industries stick with them or sell only to others who like minded. There has to come a time when shopping in a modern society doesn't feel like we are still Stone Age people picking through the wilderness for roots, berries, and herbs, and that is what it is feeling like.

Interested in others' experiences.

How long's the Big Zero been president again?

SoCalDem  (1000+ posts)        Fri Apr-22-11 11:47 AM
THE SILLY PRIMITIVE
Response to Original message

1. It cost me $75 to fill my car the last time I filled it 

Luckily I don't drive much, but sheeez!

When I first started driving, I filled a full-size Dodge behemoth with ashtray change

The silly primitive started driving circa 1960, by the way.

HopeHoops  (1000+ posts)      Fri Apr-22-11 11:48 AM
Response to Original message
 
2. I used to buy Marcal, but won't anymore (Koch). Scott products are a good buy.

lumberjack_jeff  (1000+ posts)      Fri Apr-22-11 11:50 AM
Response to Original message
 
3. Better to use the other half of the tank.

Condensation in the fuel tank is prevented by keeping it full or nearly full.

And in an emergency, it's better to have a full tank.

safeinOhio  (1000+ posts)      Fri Apr-22-11 12:51 PM
Response to Original message

11. Here is how I fought back.

After being retired for 10 years and being bored to death, I got a job at a gas station for minimum wage. Was to work 2 days and ended up working 5 and 6. It now pays all of my bills. Everything is paid for, house, cars, etc. Now bank all of my pension and actually enjoy working again.

I see all of these folks coming in and buying one and two dollars of gas. Then buying a pack of smokes. If people are just buying gas, most swipe a card at the pump. Most that come inside buy smokes or coffee.

Anyway, I decided to sell 3 of my old cars and ordered a new Ford Focus yesterday. Will be able to pay cash and will save a lot on gas.

Again, how long's the Big Zero been president now?

[Rebel]

[GOBUCKS]

I had begun to by[sic] Scott paper because it was always in larger sizes and had become more affordable, but I noted that Kimberly-Clark makes it (means it ends up supporting Sensenbrenner wealth vs. Koch Bro. wealth).
The DUmbasses live their lives between a rock and a hard place. They hate wealthy people, and try to avoid spending their welfare money in a way that benefits wealthy people. But then they check and find out that every business in the world, every single one, ultimately benefits wealthy people. If they just put their money in the bank and starve, they're supporting the banksters. It's really hard to be a DUmmy.

[compaqxp]

Yesterday I stopped at the gas station to fill my tank half full. I do this once a month since I only use my car to run errands once a week in the nearest town. We put the bulk of our budgeted gas allowance into my husbands 4 cylinder truck so that he can go to work. I watched the meter. At $5 it registered just under 1.25 gallons. As the meter scrolled up, I started to feel anxious and I wondered how long we can sustain our current standard of living.

They say they don't drive much or need to fill up often yet complain anyway.

It's costs me about 125$ a week for the amount I drive in my relatively small car, even with diy bio-diesel.

Then again, I forgot about how the Volt will save us all from evil big oil... 

[jukin]

They told me that if I voted for Juan McCain I would be paying $5/gallon at the gas pump.....

[redwhit]

Then again, I forgot about how the Volt will save us all from evil big oil... 

It will.  Steering wheel falls off, car crashes, one less driver's worth of fuel needed!  And GM can build another car!  Everybody wins!

BTW, like the avatar change - this somehow seems more fitting.   

[Karin]

way out of this mess we are tied up in with corporations, then it will only work when those who start those industries stick with them or sell only to others who like minded.

For all the railing they do against corporations (which I am so tired of), they sure don't know what one is, or how it works, do they?

If anybody over there has a 401K or the like, they are all CORPORATE OWNERS.  Their precious California Public Employee Retirement fund, CALPERS, for which they would lay down their lives and die, was once the largest stockholder of a company I worked for. 

Skidmark, you cannot pick and choose who buys a publicly traded stock.  You can't interview them and find out ideological purities.  Why are you so damn dumb? 

[GOBUCKS]

For all the railing they do against corporations (which I am so tired of), they sure don't know what one is, or how it works, do they?

If anybody over there has a 401K or the like, they are all CORPORATE OWNERS.  Their precious California Public Employee Retirement fund, CALPERS, for which they would lay down their lives and die, was once the largest stockholder of a company I worked for. 

Skidmark, you cannot pick and choose who buys a publicly traded stock.  You can't interview them and find out ideological purities.  Why are you so damn dumb? 

You may recall back during the Bush Prosperity, when one had to be really unlucky to buy a common stock and lose money, there were a number of mutual funds started up for moonbats only. They restricted their stock purchases to moonbat enterprises only. So they loaded up on solar scams, and other alternative energy scams, and organic voodoo medicinal companies, and and homosexual-friendly companies, and carbon trading co-ops, stuff like that. During the Bush Prosperity, they couldn't lose. I wonder how those moonbat mutuals have done over the last few years. I guess, if they shifted all their money into the ethanol scam, they may be okay.

[Karin]

Yes, I see Catholic mutual funds advertised in NR.  I was thinking of the companies themselves.  For example, if Skidmark wants to buy something from General Mills or Tyson or Sara Lee, for all she knows they're owned 99% by freeping teabaggers.  Who can know?
It was that remark about selling your big company only to "like minded people."  It made me want to shove her head into a brick wall. 

[BEG]

I must not pay attention AT ALL, I thought all this time that Skidmore was a guy.

[GOBUCKS]

I must not pay attention AT ALL, I thought all this time that Skidmore was a guy.

DUmmy Skidmore mentions having a husband, but remember, this is the DUmp, where lots of men have husbands, too.

[Chris_]

In those cases, they usually refer to their "partners".

Another perfectly decent word ruined by liberalism.

[franksolich]

I must not pay attention AT ALL, I thought all this time that Skidmore was a guy.

Not to worry, madam; remember, there's a lot of primitives, and some of them are hard to keep track of.

The skidmarked underwear primitive's a farmwife in eastern Iowa, circa 65 years old, husband both farms and works in a factory, and she's disconsolate because life has been so unfair to her.

[GOBUCKS]

Not to worry, madam; remember, there's a lot of primitives, and some of them are hard to keep track of.

The skidmarked underwear primitive's a farmwife in eastern Iowa, circa 65 years old, husband both farms and works in a factory, and she's disconsolate because life has been so unfair to her.

It must be hard for her to embrace the democrat philosophy if she owns an Iowa farm. The democrat position on the death tax would prevent her children from ever inheriting the farm. 

[franksolich]

It must be hard for her to embrace the democrat philosophy if she owns an Iowa farm. The democrat position on the death tax would prevent her children from ever inheriting the farm. 

Something bad happened in Iowa circa 1972, and I'm not sure what it is, other than that it was bad.

Those with long memories, or with good history books, know that Iowa was once one of the most reliably-red states in the union.

But then circa 40 years ago, there appeared some sort of shift.

It started with the surprise defeat of Senator Jack Miller (R), one of the finest men ever to sit in the Senate, and his succession by a whole lot of extreme left-wing Democrats.  And then the Incompetent One carried the state in the presidential election of 1976.  Iowa went for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, but only lukewarmly, while the rest of the country went for him enthusiastically.

Since then, it's been a mixed bag; Iowa's pretty much a purple state now.

There are of course the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, fringe liberal bastions, but really, they don't constitute a significant number of voters.  I dunno what Iowa's problem is.

Every census, Iowa loses yet another congressional seat, and one hopes that dilutes the fringe elements, but it doesn't.  The fringe elements don't increase, but damn it, they don't decrease either.

Looking at Iowa across the river, one's reminded of a relative dying a slow withering lingering death.

The only thing that can save Iowa is its return to deep redness, but that's not going to happen.

I dunno what's the matter with Iowa.  It's very sad.

[NHSparky]

When I was in the frozen tundra last year I saw a lot of commercials since it was just before the midterms.  Iowa City is full-blown moonbat.  Ditto Grinnell.  Cedar Rapids is a bit more isolated, but still has plenty of the people who think the Democrats are more FDR and JFK than Che.