home

Musings on the Price of Gas

Steve's Audio has a post up on our economic condition using the Little Pink Houses video I took in Iowa at a John Edwards campaign event.

Steve notes that in 1967, at the end of his first year in college, gas was 21 cents a gallon and his parents bought their home for $27,000.

When I moved to Colorado in 1971 to start law school, I have a vivid recollection of driving to Target (a novelty in itself for someone from the East Coast) in my yellow mustang convertible with the top down, and stopping on the way for gas and to buy a pack of Marlboros. I remember it because they were the same price: 26 cents a gallon and 26 cents a pack.

My first apartment in law school, a one bedroom in Capitol Hill, right off Colfax (not a ritzy area but decent enough) was big and bright, and the rent was $125.00 a month. Like Steve, I had a minimum wage job for $1.35 or so an hour, working for the same record store chain I had worked for in Ann Arbor during college.

Steve crunches the numbers: [More...]

Proportions: Gas = 17% of minimum wage. House = 22,300 x minimum wage.

Today, CA minimum wage is $7.50, and gas in our area is $3.86/gal. Mom's house is worth (according to Zillow.com) is worth $600,ooo.

Proportions: Gas = 51% of minimum wage. House = 80,000 x minimum wage. That's progress, just in the wrong direction.

What are your earliest recollections of what things cost once you started living on your own? What's your solution for fixing them now? And does anyone else miss John Edwards?

< Bad News For Hillary: Zogby Has Clinton PA Lead Growing | Hillary vs. MoveOn; Remember Obama vs. Daily Kos? >
  • The Online Magazine with Liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news

  • Contribute To TalkLeft


  • Display: Sort:
    I miss John Edwards Jeralyn. (5.00 / 1) (#4)
    by Teresa on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 11:58:59 AM EST
    I got mad at him for a while when he attacked Hillary but refused to debate Obama on some of his foolishness. He made it up to me in his last debate.

    Growing up, my family had a beautiful houseboat. We spent every weekend on it. We were a very average working class blue collar family with a stay at home mom. Now, with two decent incomes, there is no chance I could ever afford something like that.

    And college? I have a step-daughter in high school and I dread to know how much that's going to cost. I got through college almost loan free working part-time and with a few partial scholarships.

    Well then (5.00 / 2) (#10)
    by facta non verba on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:11:58 PM EST
    by that measure a pack of cigarettes (Marlboro) has kept up a gallon of gas in SF, both run about $4.00.

    I work on peak oil. Oil is now at $115/barrel. At the beginning of the year, I predict it would hit $120 by June. Now my sense we will get close to $140 by year's end. You ain't seen nothing yet.

    While the rising prices is a good thing in the long-run, in the short-term it will be painful.

    I'd like to know (5.00 / 1) (#11)
    by Dave B on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:16:12 PM EST
    How is it good for low income and retired people.

    My mom lives on social security and her utilities and gas now consume about half her income.

    Those are the real victims.  There is no making the transition for them, they just get buried.  And so do the kids that have to try and keep them afloat.

    Parent

    the truth is (5.00 / 1) (#24)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:36:49 PM EST
    they better not live too long. Nursing homes (not assisted living) run $6 to $8k a month around here for room and board. Even long term care insurance benefits are just a drop in the bucket.

    Parent
    We'll go back to the good old days. (5.00 / 1) (#31)
    by Fabian on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:51:25 PM EST
    Those idyllic extended families?

    They'll come back.  Adult kids living with their parents because it helps everyone afford a place to stay.  Grandma and Gramps living with their kids because it's a whole lot cheaper than living on their own.

    Financial independence will be replaced with financial codependence.  Doing what you want, when you want to will become something only the rich can afford to do.  Organized sports?  Too expensive and who can afford the gas to run the kids back and forth!

    I'll ask my mother how her family lived.  Might as well get used to going back to the future - or forwards to the past.

    Parent

    I remember it well... (5.00 / 2) (#35)
    by oldpro on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:10:56 PM EST
    My grandmother and my aunt (mother's divorced sister - what a scandel in those days!) lived with us until grandma died and aunty (finally) got married again.

    The culture for our kids has changed so much that I doubt they would 'take in' their parents...values totally different...wants have become needs and sacrifice an unknown concept.

    Parent

    My sister and I (5.00 / 2) (#54)
    by magisterludi on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:48:37 PM EST
    have talked about combining our families and living together on my mothers land. There's plenty of room to build and have a very large garden. And we can have goats and chickens (my life-long dream)!

    Parent
    Becaue it will change how we think (5.00 / 2) (#38)
    by dianem on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:17:50 PM EST
    Right now, we have a "One person, one car" standard in the U.S.  Low and fixed income people have to live up to that standard, or they will be isolated from society. What happens when the car breaks down? Or when a person can't drive anymore? It is tragic. They can't function as full members of society. Thta is why we are seeing more indicences of people in their 80's and 90's getting into trouble driving. They don't want to give it up.  We have to change the rules. Better public tranportation, more senior independent living housing.  The rest of us need more flexible work hours, more telecommuting so that we can spend less time on the road and more actually working and living. This will also free us up to help out people in our neighborhoods who have mobility issues.

    And they will benefit in more immediate ways. Higher fuel prices mean Fewer SUV's, more carpooling, less miles driven, which means cleaner air. This is a big issue in urban areas where many senior's live.  

    Parent

    It is good in the long-run (5.00 / 2) (#62)
    by facta non verba on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 07:35:28 PM EST
    not the short-term. It will be extremely painful. It already is. We had have food riots in Egypt, Haiti, India, Burma this year. This is all related.

    The long-term is a twenty year or more horizon and frankly apart from Iceland, Australia, Norway, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Finland and Cuba, the road off oil has not been broached.

    To broach this subject in the US requires a political leadership that is wholly missing apart from a few on the margin. To not tackle the complex energy issues that confront is to sign our death warrants.

    The fact is that we eat petroleum, it permeates every aspect of modern civilization. Without it, I could not send this message to you. We have peaked petroleum and while we can replace parts of it, for some uses there is no substitute. Our grandfathers produced 40 bushels of corn per acre. We can produce 200 bushels per acre because of petroleum based fertilizers and pesticides. When that's gone we will be able to feed maybe 3 billion people, other estimates are in the range of a billion to two. How we get there will matter thus I say those who come after us will curse us.

    Parent

    cigarettes are 4 bucks?!! (5.00 / 1) (#16)
    by nycstray on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:25:45 PM EST
    They are $7.50 min in NYC. We match you on gas prices though.

    Parent
    and it's gonna go up (none / 0) (#21)
    by stillife on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:33:13 PM EST
    a buck a pack, I heard.

    Parent
    I thought I heard something about (none / 0) (#25)
    by nycstray on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:39:10 PM EST
    that. Didn't catch the reason though, I was too busy crying over the price of milk and eggs!

    Parent
    Up more than a buck (none / 0) (#34)
    by RTwilight on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:01:46 PM EST
    now the highest cig taxes in the US...the stated reasons where all the same...and as usual they don't mention that it is a tax that disproportionatly hits the poor.

    Parent
    Yep.... (none / 0) (#64)
    by kdog on Sun Apr 20, 2008 at 11:17:13 AM EST
    the old "for your won good" tax.  I love Big Brother:)

    I've got half a mind to quit my job, rent a U-Haul, and drive to Virginia for 20 dolla cartons you could flip for 40 in a heartbeat.  Even with the price of gas you could make a killng.

    Parent

    One of the many reasons (none / 0) (#29)
    by andgarden on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:48:31 PM EST
    I'm glad I don't smoke.

    Parent
    It's hard to quit, though (5.00 / 2) (#40)
    by dianem on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:19:30 PM EST
    I can't be too smug about the fact that I don't smoke, because I used to, and I know how hard it is to quit. Some people can do it easily, but others truly suffer and some even have long term issues as a result of quitting.

    Parent
    NYState now offers assitance to help people (none / 0) (#45)
    by jawbone on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:14:03 PM EST
    who have tried to quit and can't...guess it takes some measure of trying to cold turkey it...but they now help people get prescription assistance to quit. 800 number, etc.

    Have had a series of ads which are very hard hitting.  They guy with smoking related throat cancer who lost his voice box and using one of those speaking aids sticks with me.  He must be very careful around water, since water getting into the opening in his throat could cause him to drown.

    One scene has him watching people swimming on a hot day and talking about how swimming was his favorite thing to do. And he cannot swim now.

    I may have details slightly off, but it does really stick with me.

    Another one has a smoker saying he/she wanted to quit, but was dying for a smoke and couldn't give it up. Next scene is the doc looking at the images of the person's cancer, saying he wanted so much to operate but the cancer was too advanced.

    Parent

    It's not about prescriptions or ads (none / 0) (#49)
    by dianem on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:28:08 PM EST
    People who smoke know that it's dangerous, and if they can afford cigarettes they can afford quit smoking aids. Even with all of that it can be incredibly difficult to quit. It's a serious addiction. As bad a heroin. Some say worse. I don't want to go into details of what happened to me when I quit, but let's just say that it changed my life in ways that were good and in other ways that were not good at all. Please don't judge smoker's who don't quite too harshly.

    Parent
    Believe me, I don't judge them harshly! (5.00 / 1) (#53)
    by jawbone on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:46:11 PM EST
    And I have great respect for people who quit. I also know it's harder for (many) women to quit than for (most) men.

    My father quit overnight. I was so glad bcz I hated the smell of smoke in the car.  I would try to not breathe bcz I didn't want to hurt him by telling him it bothered me.

    When I tried to smoke, to be sophisticated, I literally couldn't.

    I also understand why Bill Clinton, someone with allergies, could say he didn't inhale! It was along time before I could inhale, even a bit, without a prolonged coughing fit. Talk about harshing a buzz.

    Parent

    My first rental (5.00 / 1) (#22)
    by dianem on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:34:22 PM EST
    ...cost $250/month. It was truly a dump, and not in a very good neighborhood (okay, in a very bad neighborhood) but I was going to college so I didn't care. I was just glad it was cheap. I don't remember what gas was at the time, but I do remember that I was in my early 20's when gas prices briefly dipped and I had the thrill (once) of filling the car's tank and watching the number of gallons increase faster than the number of dollars.

    Now... I pay a lot more than that for a nice home in a semi-rural area. (Not quite a suburb, but not a 5 acre lot in the country either). And gas...I routinely pay $50 to fill the tank on my Camry. I wish I could afford a hybrid, but at least I never succumbed to the SUV craze.  It costs me nearly $10 to get to work and home every day. I can't imagine how minimum wage people live. We have a bus system, but it isn't terrific.

    I really don't understand the fuss over minimum wage. Conservative opposition seems to be based on the premise that employers will forego hiring people if they have to pay a few more dollars. This assumes that employers are willing to hire unnecessary people simply because they can hire them cheaply. How man employers do this? I think that employers hire as many employees as they need. No more, no fewer. Increasing the minimum wage levels the playing field between employers who are willing to pay enough to live on and employers who would rather just pay as little as possible. And the idea of businesses moving out of the country because of the minimum wage is equally nonsensical. There is no way to match Chinese or Mexican wages in the U.S, even with no minimum wage. If an employer wants to save money that way, they will.

    Our area just lost 100 hi tech jobs to outsourcing ... in Colorado (I'm in rural N. California). The company is maximizing it's profitability. That's literally what they said. They also said that they didn't think this would be a burden on employees because the employees would be given the opportunity to move and would look forward to working for a new company - in Colorado. Profitability is what it's all about. If you can make more profit by selling out your employees, then it's the right thing to do. That's what society tells us, at least.

    Humnpf--my first job (5.00 / 2) (#27)
    by Molly Pitcher on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:47:51 PM EST
    paid $250 a month.  (University administrative faculty)  Rent was $75 a month, I think.  When my oldest was born, the hospital per day charge was $8.50--a ward, either 6 or 8 beds (and the insurance paid $8 per day for the then-usual 10 days)  I think the gyn. charged $250.  

    Parent
    Why do I feel that there was a ... (none / 0) (#41)
    by dianem on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:20:17 PM EST
    ..."young whippersnapper" unwritten in there somewhere? <g>

    Parent
    Some more data: (5.00 / 1) (#44)
    by SteveAudio on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:45:56 PM EST
    At the time I mentioned in the post Jeralyn linked above, I was living (at age 17) in a room in a boarding house owned by  kindly older lady.  I paid $10/mo for the bedroom, with bathroom and kitchen privileges.

    My parents had to move suddenly at the start of the school year, fall '66, because of my Dad's new job, but I wal already enrolled in school, so I stayed where I was.  They gave me a credit card for gas, but I payed for room and food.  There were some nights I didn't eat.  But I did make it through school that year.

    A really old memory from when I was a kid (5.00 / 1) (#55)
    by ding7777 on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 03:36:17 PM EST
    Cigarette packs, from the 25 cent cigarette vending machines, had the 2 cents change inside the cellophane.

    Yes, I do miss John Edwards (5.00 / 1) (#59)
    by LCaution on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 04:31:33 PM EST
    Especially now because I think he'd do better against McCain than either Hillary or Obama.  He was my first choice, even though it made me feel guilty about not supporting the first AA or first woman.

    As for the enormous change in the COL: one of the things that never fails to dismay me is how Conservatives defend an economic system that requires two-worker families (while they, at the same time, continue to praise stay-at-home moms) who can't even come close to supporting the lifestyle that a single-worker family had in the 1960s.  (And don't give me all that jazz about computers and the internet and cable & digital TV.  People living in the 50s and 60s had equivalent technological advantages vs. those who were adults in the 30s.)

    My dad supported a wife and 3 kids. We had two cars, a large house (basement, attic, 3 bedrooms, pantry, sunroom, 4 bedrooms, etc. on a lot that in my current location has a dozen homes & apt. buildings) - and we were strictly middle class living in a middle class neighborhood in a midsize town.

    All 3 kids are professionals; not one has ever earned, in inflation-adjusted dollars, what he earned.

    What to do about it?  I haven't the foggiest notion.  But perhaps we should have a tax system that favors earned income over unearned income.

    Hey... (none / 0) (#1)
    by white n az on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 11:38:46 AM EST
    I went to DU starting in 1971 and yes, I do remember gas being 26.9 at that time.

    I also remember black skies from Gates foul emissions

    I also remember the oil embargo of 1972 and waiting in endless lines on the days you could actually buy gas.

    The gas lines were in the winter of 1973/74 (none / 0) (#2)
    by cymro on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 11:54:09 AM EST
    1973 oil crisis

    I remember, because I was not here in 1972.

    Parent

    not the first time... (none / 0) (#6)
    by white n az on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:00:33 PM EST
    my memory fails me...thanks

    Parent
    My husband was a grad student (none / 0) (#57)
    by misspeach2008 on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 03:52:01 PM EST
    that winter, and I was pregnant and working as a lab supervisor second shift in an electronics plant.  I used to drive to school with him, and the profs used to pay me to take their cars to the gas station and wait in line to get them filled up.  I sat in the car and knitted baby clothes.  I made a lot of money that winter.

    Parent
    Winter? (none / 0) (#3)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 11:57:23 AM EST
    I remember the gas lines as being in the summer, because I would sit in them with the top down.

    Once again, the fallibility of human memory.

    Two different gas shortages--early 70's winter-- (none / 0) (#48)
    by jawbone on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:27:46 PM EST
    I remember having to make sure we had gas to take our students to their ski lessons (I taught high school then) in the evening. Even/odd days for purchasing based on your license number's last digit. This was the Arab Oil Embargo shortage in Nixon's administration.  He moved daylight savings time into the late winter months, which was wonderful because we had a few hours to ski by natural light, not just those awful night lights of the time which flattened everything out.

    (Note: Now I cannot afford to go skiing. And with my bad back....)

    I have less clear memories of the 1979 (?) Carter shortages. Carter, famously, put solar panels on the WH roof. Reagan, infamously, removed them.

    And now we are where we are--without the R&D Carter proposed and promoted. Too bad how those Repub presidencies work out for us....

    Parent

    Yes, 1979 (none / 0) (#56)
    by shoephone on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 03:45:05 PM EST
    was the one I remember. And it was mostly during the spring.

    Parent
    I remember when we drove to FL once (none / 0) (#5)
    by Kathy on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:00:21 PM EST
    my dad was interviewed on local TV for driving a diesel car.  It was a huge novelty then!  Must've been the mid 1970s.

    My first apt was 375/month.  The exact same apartment goes for 2300 today (I hope they changed the carpet).

    Were you working for Borders in AA, Jeralyn?

    Don't count Edwards out too soon.  I think if Clinton offered, he'd sign up in a heartbeat.

    Borders? (none / 0) (#12)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:16:30 PM EST
    I don't think there was a Borders back then. I worked at both Discount Records, the one on State St. and the one on S. University -- frequent visitors: Iggy Pop, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, the MC5, and that's just off the top of my head.

    Parent
    their HQ is in AA (none / 0) (#14)
    by Kathy on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:19:13 PM EST
    They've been around for a while.

    Iggy Pop?  Wow, you are even way more cooler than I originally thought.

    Parent

    Denver in 1971 (none / 0) (#7)
    by DaleA on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:01:59 PM EST
    In 1971, I had droped out of grad school in Denver. Remember Texans saying we were getting ripped off by the gas stations. Worked as a night manager for a buger chain. Paid $600 a month which was considered good money at the time. $20 a week was considered to be really good spending money. Paid for smokes, a pizza meal and incidentals.

    1984 (none / 0) (#8)
    by Dave B on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:04:34 PM EST
    I got done with college in 1984.  I moved from Onekama Michigan down to Plymouth.  My one bedroom apartment there was $400/month.  Minimum wage was about $3.50.  The price of gas was what $.8-1.00?

    I moved to Ypsilanti in 1986, went to work in Howell for around $24k, price of gas was around the same.

    What record store did you work in?  I used to work 4 10 hour days, and on Friday's I would go to the U of M Libraries to do research.  The available professional journals there for Electrical Engineers was fantastic.  Then I would go wander around campus and downtown to look at books and records.  I have extremely fond memories of those days...  You have me missing Michigan, I love it there but the economy is too tough.

    My wife and I together made about $50,000 at the time, and our bills were no more than around $2000/month.  We were saving money hand over fist.  Now I make around $110k/year and I feel like I can't keep up.  I am fortunate to have a self directed IRA where I can put from our business up to 25% of my income, which I do, but saving from my income alone is difficult.

    answered (none / 0) (#13)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:18:24 PM EST
    I Paid More My Cars The Last 20 Years (none / 0) (#9)
    by MO Blue on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:11:25 PM EST
    than I paid for my house in 1963 and I do not buy really expensive cars.

    I'm not up on gas prices (none / 0) (#15)
    by stillife on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:20:33 PM EST
    b/c I don't drive (I have a license, but I really don't know how to drive, good thing I live in NYC) but I remember cigarettes being around 35 cents a pack back in the 70's.  

    My husband thinks that gas prices should be higher, to discourage the use of gas-guzzling vehicles.  He's English (prices are much higher over there) and he drives a scooter.  I always joke that our front yard looks like a redneck yard b/c he has 2 scooters and a motorcycle parked there.  We don't own a car.  It's just too much hassle in Brooklyn.

    As for real estate, my parents sold their house in Hyde Park for $30K in the mid-60's.  It was a huge house with a big yard, though not in the league of the Obamas' digs in the same neighborhood.  I don't know much about Chicago real estate, so I have no idea how much it would go for now.

    My first apartment was in the Andersonville neighborhood of Chicago and the rent was $140 a month.  After that, a friend and I rented an apartment in the DePaul area for $200/mo.  

    When I was in my 20's, in the late 70's, early 80's, I was always broke (earning around $12-15K per year), but I remember that I could cash a check for $10 or $20 and I could live off that money for days!  Now it's $100 or $200 every time I go to the cash machine.

    The price of education has really skyrocketed.  My husband and I started college funds for our 2 kids when they were little.  We sent my son to Temple University for 4 years (he graduated last year) for around $20K per year.  Our daughter is 4 years younger, and man, tuition has gone up in the past 4 years! Even though we had more money in her college fund since we started saving at the same time for both kids, there's no way we could have paid for 4 years at a private college (40-$50K per year).  Thank heavens, she got into a SUNY.  

    On a positive note, our house, which we bought 12 years ago just at the start of the real estate boom, has quadrupled in value.  We have a tenant, whom we undercharge for rent - she's paying us $1500 for a 1 bedroom "garden apartment".  Our next-door-neighbor charges her tenants $2300.  It's absolutely ridiculous, and I don't know how young people just starting out can survive.  My son would like to move back to NYC but I tell him to stay in Philly b/c it's cheaper.  He and his girlfriend have a nice two bedroom in Northern Liberties for $1500.  

    I checked tuition a couple months (none / 0) (#23)
    by nycstray on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:35:24 PM EST
    ago and could not believe how expensive it has gotten. For the price of one class, I could do a semester 'back in the day'.

    I've never paid more than $825 for rent and have only lived in SF, LA & NYC. I don't know how anyone pays the rents out there now. I'm locked into a good deal ($536 1 bdrm) currently. Unfortunately I need to move back to CA. Been researching where to live so I can avoid outrageous living expenses.

    Parent

    You've got a good deal! (none / 0) (#26)
    by stillife on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:44:11 PM EST
    Are you moving to Northern or Southern CA?  I just recently visited LA for the first time ever and liked it very much, even though it was my bad luck to be there during a rare rainy spell.  Over the past 25 years, I've become a staunch New Yorker, but I love California and the West in general b/c you're so close to nature.  

    Parent
    Northern. I'm looking at (none / 0) (#33)
    by nycstray on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:53:44 PM EST
    the smaller towns around the Russian River/Napa Valley. Leaning towards the river, but I need to keep distance to cities in mind for work. Luckily, I work for myself and never really have to leave my home office  :)

    I was born in LA. Moved back there after college and didn't like it, so I went back to SF. Family is in the Bay Area so I'm trying to get as close as possible to them without paying the price or having to live in a valley area (too hot in the summer). So that left me with the wine country, lol!~

    I do like the nature in CA. You have it all there.  

    Parent

    I was born in 1971 (none / 0) (#17)
    by TheRefugee on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:28:18 PM EST
    But when I was in High School gas was 79 cents a gallon and a 25 still got you a candy bar.

    I grew up in a former farming/ranching community turned yuppie, we love illegal labor, near Aspen.  Most of the farms are being sold off and developed.  We have 8 golf courses between Aspen and Glenwood, many of the subdivisions are tract style housing, not unlike what you could buy in a Denver suburb for 200-300 grand--we sell em for near or over a million.  When I was a kid, in the 70's, a house in Aspen cost a few grand...now a few million.  Skiing Aspen when I was in school, 25 bucks for a pass, 5 bucks to validate/ at Aspen Highlands it was 50 bucks for a season pass....today even student passes are a few hundred bucks.   Golf was 12 bucks/ now over 100.

    My whining is limited to the fact that my family sold most of their land in the 70's before it was worth anything.  

    Trying to remember... (none / 0) (#18)
    by Maria Garcia on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:28:52 PM EST
    I was a student of some sort or another through most of the 70s and I didn't have a car since I lived either in Chicago or New York during those periods. So although I saw the gas lines and knew that there was a gas shortage somewhere in there, I have no memory of actual prices. After graduating from college and before grad school I worked for a year doing customer service for a legal publishing company. I'm wracking my brain to remember how much I made because it wasn't bad for the time...something like $3.50 an hour, and that was more than most of my friends with just undergrad degrees made. I shared an apartment with my brother on the North Side of Chicago (he was still a student at Loyola) and it was about $200 a month and included all utitlies. Since I didn't have a car and my parents were paying back my college loans, I was pretty flush back then. I spent all my money on clothes, by the way, and movies and going to see live music.

    Regarding student loans, my grand total for undergraduate school was $2,000! Can you believe that! College tuition and room and board, even at a private school back then, was dirt cheap.

    In the military (none / 0) (#19)
    by cawaltz on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:29:10 PM EST
    for the first decade after I left home and overseas for the first two years of that(dealt with pesos instead of dollars). That said, I can remember driving from California to Virginia and gas being under a dollar a gallon here in the East in 1999.

    There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss the Edwards campaign. I was listening to Air America and they said only 6% of the people vote based on issues. Sigh. I'm one of tne minority that believes policies on issues trump cult of personality. Always have, always will. I'm actually dreading the GE season because I fear the inane crap the media will focus on will get even worse(although it is hard to imagine anything more inane then flag lapel pins).

    1971 Yellow Mustang convertible? (none / 0) (#20)
    by jerry on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:29:35 PM EST
    Please tell us you still have that.  In fact, that's what you drive to court in, right?

    Almost (none / 0) (#30)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:50:28 PM EST
    but  not quite. I traded it in on a new silver mustang convertible in 1973 (the yellow one was a '67.) I remember paying $3k for it brand new from the dealer. Walking out of the bar exam, I got in it, put the top down and the radio on, and drove off to the Eagles singing "I've got a peaceful, easy feeling." Perfect for the end of that ordeal.  

    I do miss both of those cars. By 1977 I had switched to a little Mercedes convertible, a 450 SL. A decade later I went down to a Jeep, where I've been ever since, I'm on my 4th or 5th one. Since I drive less than 5,000 miles a year, I don't feel guilty about it, but $60 to fill up the car which I do every ten days or so is still a shocker.

    Parent

    My first convertible was in 92 (none / 0) (#36)
    by jerry on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:11:20 PM EST
    and I've been driving them since.  I like the older, more classic convertibles, but they couldn't stand the mileage I put on them, so I drive a four year five year old Toyota....

    There is something very relaxing for me to just keep nothing in the car, and leave it around with the top down, unlocked.

    My daughters love jumping in and out of it too, avoiding the doors.  Grrr.

    But gas prices are quite literally stunning me.

    Parent

    Ain't that a picture though?! (none / 0) (#32)
    by oldpro on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:53:38 PM EST
    That jumped out at me too...I don't remember that a Mustang was even available in yellow but perhaps it was a pastel yellow when I'm thinking of the chrome yello you see nowadays...or school-bus yellow!

    Personally, I always wanted a TR-3 but now that I might be able to afford one, they don't make 'em any more...along with a lot of other things they don't make any more.

    Damn.

    Parent

    Here's a picture (none / 0) (#39)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:19:21 PM EST
    of the '67 in yellow.

    The TR-3 -- my high school car was a ten year old Austin Healy, 100-6 -- that was a great car.

    Parent

    Ohhhhhh yeah. (none / 0) (#47)
    by oldpro on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:20:08 PM EST
    I can see you in those, alright!  Now what about a Thunderbird...the Mustang picture reminded me...

    Just can't quite picture you in a Jeep!

    Parent

    I had a '67 Mustang coupe--Sparkling Burgundy (none / 0) (#51)
    by jawbone on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:40:03 PM EST
    I still love that car--have only a piece of the running mustang symbol, as, when I gave an engagement party for my brother and his fiancee, I left the car on the street to be able to run out to the store more quickly for any last minute items.

    I'm still head banging myself over that decision.

    It was rear ended by someone in what had to be a very strongly built car.  Height of the hit indicated a car--my beautiful, wonderful Mustang was pushed into a brand new car parked in front of mine. Mine was accordianed, the other totaled as well.

    I still miss that car.

    Parent

    John McCain (none / 0) (#28)
    by TeresaInSnow2 on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 12:48:30 PM EST
    was talking about suspending the federal gas tax for the summer.

    I thought, "now that might be a good idea."

    Then my husband reminded me that it will only inspire the oil companies to raise the prices even more to "get demand back in line".

    I went "oh yeah, it's a giveaway to the oil companies."

    On to our topic: I paid 70 cents/gal for gas in the Seattle area in 1989.   I could fill my 78 Toyota Corolla for ~$10.  I bought the car for $700 and owned it for about 3 years.  It was stolen, then recovered here in Seattle, after which, broken steering column and all, I turned around and sold it for $700.  I had some maintenance issues with it, but it was still the cheapest car I ever drove.

    My first apartment here (a dump) cost about $390/mo, which was culture shock after living in great $150/mo apartments in Pullman, WA (college).

    Those were the days, all right.

    Fed gas tax is 18 cents a gallon--no big saving (none / 0) (#50)
    by jawbone on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:33:42 PM EST
    Yes, that's $0.18/gallon, not 18% as some cable news initially reported (MSNBC?).

    Parent
    1966 is the year I graduated from college. (none / 0) (#37)
    by Caro on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:12:05 PM EST
    That's when I started having to pay rent, but I think you may also be interested in knowing that at that time, at LSU in Baton Rouge, tuition PLUS room PLUS board was about $500 per semester.  Yep, I got an undergraduate degree for about $4,000 plus cost of books, clothes, and incidentals.

    I don't remember what the minimum wage was then, but I do remember these prices:

    Gas was $.30 a gallon
    Cigarettes were $.30 a pack
    Cokes were $.06 for an 8-oz. bottle
       (there were no cans)
    $1 was  LOT to pay for lunch
    $100/mo. was a LOT to pay for an apartment
    Three roommates and I bought groceries
       for about $20 a week (we ate breakfast
       and dinner at home)
    My first new car, a Mustang, cost
       $2,300 in 1968

    A few years ago, prices were about 10 times those prices for the same or similar items.  Now they're even higher.

    Carolyn Kay
    MakeThemAccountable.com

    This is timely, as I just filled my tank - (none / 0) (#42)
    by Anne on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:30:06 PM EST
    it took a little over 16 gallons - and I spent almost $58.00.  Argh.

    In 1971, when I was a freshman in college, cigarettes were 25 cents pack in Virginia, and are now somewhere in the neighborhood of $6.00 here in MD.  Thank God I quit smoking in 1979.  Sheesh.  Tuition, room and board was less than $3,000 a year - my friend's daughter is a fresman there now, and the tab is close to $30,000.  I don't think she is getting a better education, though, so I just don't get that.

    In 1980, my husband and I bought 10 acres of land for $25,000 - and then sold off 4 acres and built a house on the remaining land.  Today, that land could not be bought for less than $500,000.  I still cannot get over that.

    In 2006, my mom sold the house we grew up in, and which she and my dad paid $14,000 for, for $300,000.  She moved into a continuing care retirement community, and she has long-term care insurance, so she's made all the right moves.  Thankfully, she is in reasonably good health.

    Retirement seems to get farther away the older I get, unfortunately, and as much as we would like to keep the house and the land in the family, we may have to eventually sell it.  That pains me.

    With the gas price trends (none / 0) (#43)
    by RTwilight on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 01:41:25 PM EST
    I'm glad I had my wife pick out our car (our first one, before that we just walked): cute little 92 geo prism that gets 40 mpg on avg...I commute to work every day and still only spend 15-20 bucks a week in gas.

    Of course the (none / 0) (#46)
    by Wile ECoyote on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:15:04 PM EST
    answer is to drill in ANWAR, off the coast of FL, Build more refineries, (last one built in 1976), and build more Nuke plants.  Or sit around, wring our hands and talk of the good old daze.

    There's a spoiler (none / 0) (#52)
    by Jeralyn on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 02:41:06 PM EST
    in every crowd, no surprise it's the conservative in the group.

    Parent
    So sorry. (none / 0) (#58)
    by Wile ECoyote on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 04:04:55 PM EST
    I voted for John Edwards (none / 0) (#60)
    by yerioy on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 06:08:53 PM EST
    in California two days before he suspended his campaign. I'm frustrated by both Hillary C. and Obama B.

    I remember when gas was .25 a gallon in the 50s.

    I hate to admit this, but MSM fooled me on Edwards (none / 0) (#61)
    by Marvin42 on Sat Apr 19, 2008 at 06:32:23 PM EST
    I was watching him on Colbert Report, and found myself really liking him. During the primaries I never saw anything about him in MSM, he was just buried. If they said anything it was just to make him look bad. I remember liking him in debates, but there was not enough information. I was too dumb back then to see the pattern in the coverage that I saw later.

    They killed his candidacy and I feel like a complete fool as I fell for it. I didn't even see it and I thought I was pretty wise and tuned in.

    Some part of me is wishing for a Clinton/Edwards ticket so I can let go of my guilt!

    Pricing then and now (none / 0) (#63)
    by ljwilson on Sun Apr 20, 2008 at 11:08:00 AM EST
    I started college in 1973, and never paid more than $100 per semester for undergrad and MA program in San Francisco (I did live at home, so had no room & board). Further grad school was free, as I had a research assistantship. I paid $151/month for a studio apt in Urbana, Illinois - and then less for a mortgage, as my mom bought a house ($30k).  Gas was cheap, and I never smoked.

    Now I live in very rural N. California. Gas is $3.98 last time I looked, but I need an SUV for the terrain, weather and cargo/animal hauling.  I cope by grouping my chores, and driving up to Medford, Oregon (nearest "big" city) only if I have enough errands to keep me all day - and then I fill up up there for a savings of about $0.50 per gallon. Public transit is practically non-existent.

    Went out on my own to Florida.... (none / 0) (#65)
    by kdog on Sun Apr 20, 2008 at 11:22:58 AM EST
    in 1999, gas was 0.99 - 1.05 and my share of the rent on a beachside duples was 325 a month.  I'm back in NY now so I'm not sure where they're at now.

    1/4 oz of dro was 100 bucks, regs 25, basically the same as today.  I'm amazed how inflation doesn't seem to effect the cost of reefer compared to other commodities.  Isn't the black market supposed to be less stable?  Could the black market in fact be more compassionate or socially concious than so called "legitmate" markets?