How MyLot helped me make an extra $2.50 on Thursday!
By The Horse
@TheHorse (205201)
Walnut Creek, California
July 17, 2021 1:21pm CST
Do you ever think in MyLot dollars? I actually do sometimes. I find it funny that I get slightly bent out of shape when my bank freezes (it did so for about 24 hours the other day). It's not about the money. It's about getting a "reward" for a behavior. That's not Pavlov, by the way. It's B.F. Skinner.
In any case, these were my thoughts as I was pumping gas at a gas station in Martinez on Thursday. I put ten gallons in. The price of gas is slightly less in Martinez (where I work at the non-flaky preschool) than here at my "discount" station in Pleasant Hill. So I put 10 gallons in at $3.99/gallon, instead of the $4.19 it would have cost me here. I saved $2.00!
Do you ever do silly mathematical calculations as you go about your day? Are gas prices continuing to rise to ridiculous levels where you live?
30 people like this
30 responses
@BarbaraRyder (44)
• United States
17 Jul 21
Gas has gotten ridiculously high here but not 3.99, it's almost 3 bucks here.
7 people like this
@spiderdust (14741)
• San Jose, California
17 Jul 21
@TheHorse I was surprised when I was in Pennsylvania last week that their gas prices looked just like ours. I expected theirs to be much lower.
4 people like this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jul 21
@spiderdust I wonder why it's so high there.
3 people like this
@Vikingswest1 (6305)
• United States
17 Jul 21
I just paid 4.22 a gallon for 92 octane.
Washington has a state gas tax among the highest in the nation.
I had friends boasting about a dollar a gallon gas when I was still paying 3.25 here. Low prices sure left quickly.
I can't help comparing things like cost per oz at the store and doing the math but I've never thought in MyLot dollars.
That's actually not true. I did in the mid-2000's when I could earn my ISP fee each month by posting at MyLot.
My MyLot dollars paid for my internet for about three years.
That's not actually true either.
I used my son's Paypal and I never saw a penny.
4 people like this
@Vikingswest1 (6305)
• United States
17 Jul 21
@DaddyEvil
It takes me about three days to smoke a pack.
A benefit to rolling is that I smoke much less than I did before but yes, it's still unwise.
I tried the patch but it only worked if I put the patch directly over my mouth.
4 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
17 Jul 21
@Vikingswest1 I sold four packs of Marlboro's yesterday for $33. I thought I'd rung them up wrong...
6 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
17 Jul 21
@Vikingswest1 My dad said he started smoking a pipe when he was 9 years old. He stopped smoking when he turned 69 and then passed away on his 70th birthday. (I'm not implying anything about smoking, just giving information...)
You're probably right.
4 people like this
@xander6464 (40825)
• Wapello, Iowa
17 Jul 21
I wish I could make an extra $2.50. I'm down to my last $570 billion. It used to be $200 billion but I got a small dividend check the other day. Thank God it wasn't taxed or I would be in real trouble.
3 people like this
@xander6464 (40825)
• Wapello, Iowa
17 Jul 21
@TheHorse I try to do that but it's hard when you're starting with nothing. And new things are always coming up. I had to buy a new submarine the other day, (The ashtrays were full in my old one) and even though I didn't get anything fancy, just a simple basic Migaloo Private Submersible Yacht, with only one swimming pool, it cost me $2.5 billion. The cost of living is really killing me.
3 people like this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
17 Jul 21
@xander6464 I understand. But I am happy about all of the man-made lakes in Iowa. Which one will you take it to?
2 people like this
@DaddyEvil (137145)
• United States
17 Jul 21
I filled my tank yesterday. I paid $2.49/gallon for mid-range fuel. ($32 and some change for a full tank.)
No, I don't usually do math unless I'm forced to for some reason. 
2 people like this
@Aquitaine24 (11651)
• San Jose, California
18 Jul 21
@TheHorse That is a good way to look at it.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Jul 21
@Aquitaine24 My brain works overtime, whether I pay it or not.
1 person likes this
@kareng (54302)
• United States
18 Jul 21
Ours actually had gone down 3 cents a gallon the other day when I put in 10 gallons in our little town. It was $2.77 a gallon last week and down to $2.74 Friday. If only that would be a common price and continue going down. This station sells a lot of gas in town. Just up the road the price is $2.84 a gallon.
1 person likes this
@BarBaraPrz (45433)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
17 Jul 21
I don't drive but a friend who does was complaining that it cost more to fill up.
2 people like this
@BarBaraPrz (45433)
• St. Catharines, Ontario
18 Jul 21
@TheHorse Get used to it: it's 90% carbon taxes meant to discourage use.
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79571)
• United States
20 Jul 21
Gas is high here but not as high as there. I do think in myLot dollars occasionally especially when my PayPal piggy bank starts looking thin
1 person likes this
@Marilynda1225 (79571)
• United States
21 Jul 21
@TheHorse I'm struggling this month too
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
22 Jul 21
@Marilynda1225 I had to reduce one of my butlers to part-time.
1 person likes this
@lovebuglena (43059)
• Staten Island, New York
19 Jul 21
Do fill up regular or premium? $3.99 is a lot for gas.
Gas here is above $3 but closer to $3 than to $4.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Jul 21
@lovebuglena Any particular reason he chooses to lease?
@lovebuglena (43059)
• Staten Island, New York
19 Jul 21
@TheHorse Hubby uses regular as well, especially since his car is a lease.
1 person likes this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
18 Jul 21
Gas prices ARE rising at ridiculous levels and it is only going to get worse. I guess it is what it is. I tried to avoid it with my vote, but that didn't work. So, I guess I get to have less money in my pocket on all sorts of things.
Incidentally, I saw eggs at Aldi went up to $1.13. They were 89 cents last week. I left them in the store. No WAY I was paying that. But found them at Ruler for 76 cents. I bought three dozen. Doing the math that technically saved me $1.11 and 7 days without eggs in my fridge.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Jul 21
I was wondering whether anyone would try to politicize the rise in gas prices. Have you read the study that showed that people believe Presidents control gas prices more when the "other" is in office, but believe the same less when "their" person is in office? Hoover Institution, or some gathering of brainy birds like that.
1 person likes this
@porwest (78761)
• United States
20 Jul 21
@TheHorse The problem is that oil prices are driven by policy and by the people in charge of the oil supply. OPEC. Trump was able to get oil prices DOWN through policy that allowed for more drilling, both offshore and inland which made the United States THE largest oil supplier in the world again, AND put us in charge of pricing over relying on OPEC to do it.
When you have drilling, and exploration open, and you have pipelines to more efficiently transport it, and you can cut ties with OPEC...
You can drive down the price of oil.
When you are Biden and you reverse all of that, oil prices go up. Trump undid Obama's oil policies for a reason. And there is no secret why oil prices were high under Obama, low under Trump, and high again under Biden.
Policy.
1 person likes this
@arunima25 (85265)
• Bangalore, India
18 Jul 21
Here the fuel prices are sky rocketing.
And I often do such silly calculations and feel happy about saving every single penny.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
19 Jul 21
@arunima25 *high five returned*
1 person likes this
@allen0187 (58438)
• Philippines
18 Jul 21
I always do compare prices and I always go to where I would make substantial savings.
1 person likes this
@allen0187 (58438)
• Philippines
18 Jul 21
@TheHorse of course it differs but how I figure it, if I felt good making the switch or doing the trip, that is substantial to me.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Jul 21
@allen0187 That's how I see it too. I think.
1 person likes this
@id_peace (14005)
• Singapore
18 Jul 21
In Singapore, if you give the cashier $5.25 for $3.25 dollars taco, the cashier will give you a $2 change instantly, no calculation needed.
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Jul 21
I do calculations for the fun of it. In the US, there are cashiers who cannot compute change without electronics. I hope it not is that way in Singapore. I can buy a taco here for $3.24, give the cashier $5.25 in cash, and they won't know what to do.
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
23 Jul 21
@DianneN I got called in to work in Martinez tomorrow. I will gas up when I'm there. It's 20 cents per gallon less there. No, it won't change my standard of living. Nor will it change my Porsche delivery date. But a penny saved is a penny earned.
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
18 Jul 21
i do those calculations all the time! Lately, it has been about "reduction" for me. If I do this, how much time can I save!
i don't think in Mylot dollars yet, perhaps we need a video description of how to do that!!!!
1 person likes this
@TheHorse (205201)
• Walnut Creek, California
18 Jul 21
@DocAndersen Heh. I have done that. But I'm happy if I sell one guitar any time I'm hanging out in the "guitar room." I don't get a commission, or anything like that. Hopefully the "retail guys" who do get a commission will buy us (the teachers who are good at selling guitars) a pizza or something down the road.
1 person likes this
@DocAndersen (54413)
• United States
18 Jul 21
@TheHorse that is a good point - but then I would ask if you only stay a few minutes and sell one guitar why not stay an hour and sell 3?
1 person likes this
@Hanbinandaeyo (3198)
•
19 Jul 21
Here, Gas cost $1 per liter.. and I think that's the cheapest price..
the $3.99/gallon is indeed a little cheap..
1 person likes this
