Any prepper is going to have many needs that can be filled by gasoline. There are tools, cars and generators that need to be fed gasoline. Right now, we are living through a time that many of us thought we would never see. That is gas that keeps bobbing its head just above the $2 per gallon mark. At least that’s what we are seeing here in Virginia.
We cannot assume that gas is going to stay in this price range. While these are incredible lows compared to where we were a few year ago, what would happen when the gas will jump to $5 per gallon, or more!
Would you be able to afford the lifestyle you have now?
Let’s look at some concrete steps that you need to take when gas goes to $5.
Stock Up On Resources
Every resource you depend on arrives in your hands through the power of gasoline. This fuel drives our 18 wheelers, farming equipment, food, even down to the very building materials that are basis of all things you see.
Some items must be shipped over the sea and others through the air! These things take tremendous amounts of fuel. If the cost of that fuel goes up, we, the consumer, are going to foot the bill.
Hopefully, you have been stocking up on resources and raw materials already, but it wouldn’t hurt to invest in things like building and repair materials, food storage basics, medical equipment and, of course, ammo and firearms. If you don’t already grow your own food in your backyard, you might start doing so.
Related: The Real Expiration Date of Common Drugs in Your Cabinet
Stabilizer
Stocking up on gasoline is an important step for any kind of prepper or survivalist. However, you can only hold so much because of use, rotation, and time it can go bad on you. You can bring that gas back to life with a fuel stabilizer.
These are inexpensive and highly effective. They can bring fuel back to life that has gotten old. If you use this product you will be able to store more gasoline for much longer. That could be the key to surviving $5 per gallon gas and beyond.
Public Transportation
Like it or not, you might want to do a little research on public transportation in your area.
A lot has changed in our society, in terms of public transportation. Taking public transportation to work doesn’t just mean trains and buses anymore.
You might find that a simple scooter or bike rental, which are provided in locations throughout even small cities, might be your new favorite way to get to work. They are going to charge you for these, but the cost might be less than filling the tank!
If you have a long commute or need to travel a long distance, these methods won’t work for you. You might have to consider getting comfortable in a train seat or a bus, and the many risks that go along with that.
Related: The Incredible and Efficient Use of a Bicycle as a Bug Out Vehicle
Save Your Money
I know it’s easier said than done, and I know it seems like an oversimplification. Still, if we wade into radically increasing gas prices, we are going to need extra cash on hand to deal with the many challenges we already mentioned.
Cut some evening entertainment and other purchases that are nonessential. Remember, when gasoline gets to $5 there is no reason why it must stop there and everything will be more expensive!
Related: 11 Unexpected Ways To Earn Money In The Next Depression
Change Careers
If you are still in the line of work, this will also be a time to consider a career change. This is not to say that you should quit your job or that you will lose your job, but you better be prepared for that!
Many businesses live and die by the cost of shipping and when gas goes to $5 a gallon it will close many businesses. Shipping based businesses with slim profit margins will die.
Trucking could be in grave danger, too! Be prepared for a crisis and for losing your job or business. Also, be prepared for your company to make radical changes to survive this, you need to adapt.
Get Away From Government Resources And Services
State and local governments make a significant amount of tax income from the sale of fuel. When the price hits $5 a gallon people are going to start looking for other options and the sales made from gas are going to drop. Long trips, business and freight are all going to get slim and more efficient.
That drop in revenue means that government services, which are rough already, are going to have to tighten their belt.
If you are dependent on government money or government services, it would be a good idea to start planning for a life or a period when these are no longer available or no longer effective.
Log Your Miles For Business
Another thing you should consider when it comes to gas hitting $5 is how much driving you are doing for business.
If you are a business owner this is incredibly important. You could be driving thousands of miles with your car and logging these miles gives you the ability to write the cost off at the end of the year.
Those miles add up fast when you are putting out $5 per gallon of gas! It might be time to start that local small business, now!
You could also go to your employer now and start the conversation about mile reimbursement or a company car if you don’t already have one. Be sure that you do not face the brunt of this price on your own.
Related: Investing For Preppers – 12 Things That Won’t Lose Value In A Crisis
The price of fuel effects nearly everything you see around you. You are going to be impacted directly on your drives to and from. You will also be impacted at the supermarket as the price of goods will rise thanks to increased freight price.
There is one, and maybe only one, significant benefit to high priced gas. Oil production in the nation struggles when gas prices are too low. In fact, it is an unsustainable endeavor in America because of the overhead costs. When gas will to get up to $5 per gallon this would be a booming industry again and we would be comfortably independent from the oil Sheikhs on the other side of the world!
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Amazed you STILL don’t know about, or mention, PRI products for fuel preservation. Simply hands down the best preservative/restoration product out there. (I don’t sell it or have any affiliation with the company)
Not available on most automotive or Walmart shelves, (OK…their marketing isn’t that great) you actually have to do a bit of internet hunting to find it, but beats Stabil all to pieces in terms of storage length.
I have stored gasoline 5-6 yrs with it in sealed 55gal drums and it runs like fresh gasoline when used.
Agreed,
Pri-D. For Diesel
Pri-G For Gasoline
I have found it easily on Amazon. It LOOKS expensive, but only a cap per 5 gal per year
Been using for 4 years.
Thought you might get a chuckle out of this because it gave me a chuckle when I read the title. First thought was “need a horse, harness, and a buggy with sleigh runners.”
Of note, 18 wheelers do not run on gasoline. Neither do mass transit vehicles.
Worry about the price of oil, not gasoline. Remember when oil hit $140/bbl in 2008? Diesel was $5.00 a gallon (here in Texas). It COULD happen again. Be thinking about transportation costs with regard to trucking companies moving your resources.
But hey, it might be worth that investment in Amazon prime to get that free delivery to offset goods price increases.
What about areas like mine in commisota? Winter is around the corner. How are you going too ride it in the snow for miles?
One can actually buy studded tires for man-driven bicycles. Die-hard bicyclists use them in places like Rochester, NY, Buffalo, NY, Great Falls, Minnesota, Flagstaff, AZ (surprise! Flagstaff gets the largest amount of snowfall annually of all cities its size).
Dress warmly. Watch out for frost bite of private members. That is actually a hazard of very cold weather bicycle riding. Need to take extra protection. Electric socks. Electric mittens and some kind of warming pad for the nether regions. A balaclava is good for head protection. Inasmuch as we have to run around wearing masks — or ride around, whichever — you will fit right in with a balaclava covering all except your eyes.
There are actually bike riders who ride year round even in snow storms and rain storms.
I left a bike ride from the south rim of the Grand Canyon to some small burg south of Tucson on March day because it was snowing in Flagstaff, it was damp, windy and we were promised heavy truck traffic on our route.
I had always heard that fast moving tractor-trailer rigs created a draft that could suck a bicyclist into the gap between the hitch and the rear wheels under the trailer. I always thought it was an urban legend as I had ridden many miles on the freeways of the PDRK and never experienced it.
On Highway 95 on my last day riding, I actually experienced that phenomenon. The speed limit on that stretch of road was 75. With no AZ highway patrol presence, naturally the truckers (and everyone else too) pushed their speed. Apparently the phenomenon only occurs at speeds over 80 mph. It is scary.
Between snow, freezing temps and truck suck, I decided I had had enough fun and called it a day. Yeah, I know, no guts, no glory. Just call me Chicken Chuck. Then again, there are old bike riders and there are bold bike riders but there are no old, bold bike riders. I happen to be an old bike rider.
LCC: Flagstaff gets about 97 inches of snow a year, average. Lat year they had that before Christmas! Lucky them! At equals 10 inches of rain. Me, I think the palms and cactus look just fine under that white blanket. It’s loaded with nitrogen and makes the joy grow. niio!
I hope it does! I work in the oilfield so oil going up means more $$$ for me!
problems not just with regular gasoline, but also that used for snowblowers (40:1) and chainsaws (50:1)–i.e, purchase now while supplies are good and prices low
The price of electric bikes has dropped significantly in recent years and there is a much wider selection of electric bikes available. The downside is that as far as I know, they are all made by our BFFs, the chinese.
For example, two electric bikes that I am sort of following right now have bikes below $2,000 and they are capable of hauling 300 pounds up to 25 miles with pedal assist. Even if your commute is more than 25 miles, taking the charger with you and a spare battery will extend your range considerably. Get to work and change both batteries for your ride home.
The downside to electric bikes is that without the battery or the electric motor they are not your weekend carbon fiber, 27 speed, $10,000 speedster. They are heavy and geared low and will give you a real workout. Still faster than walking. Maintaining a 10 mph average speed even on a heavy electric bike is not that difficult and that is almost 3x faster than walking at a 3.5 mph average speed.
They are designed for short runs around town. The average trip is reputed to be under 5 miles for around town errands. Those are ones that eat up the gas with stop and go driving.
You can increase your mileage by turning off your engine while you are waiting at a light or while in line at the burger joint. In Japan where gas is a lot more expensive, the majority of drivers do just that. A liter of gas in Japan costs what a gallon of gas costs here in the states.
In fact, many newer cars do shut off the engine when at a stop to start up again when the brake is released and the gas pedal depressed. This is in order to squeeze out the most EPA mileage that they can get from a gallon of gas.
I always drive with my eye on the lights ahead. If I see that the light has just turned red, I don’t race ahead so that I am first in line. That uses more gas and more brake lining, plus extra wear on tires. On routes where I know if I have just caught the red light it is going to be two to three minutes before I get a green again and the line starts moving, I will shut off my engine. If it is an intersection I have been driving through daily for 50 years, I know the sequence and timing of the lights and I will start my engine when I know the sequence just before my green is at the yellow stage. You can tell by watching the cars and when you see the ones back some distance start to slow you know the yellow caution light has come on.
If you have a manual transmission car, you can really save gas. When you see that you are going to be stopped at a red light some distance ahead, put the car in neutral and shut off your engine. Coast until you have to apply the brakes. You will be surprised how far you can coast with the car in neutral.
The methods I have outlined were used during WWII by canny drivers. Gas was rationed and you were limited to how much you could burn per month — that is if you could find it to buy. Every station got an allotment and if it was a busy station they would often sell out before the end of the month. It wasn’t uncommon to see “OUT OF GAS” signs on stations.
My father spent a lot of time coasting in his ’37 Ford V-8 sedan during WWII.
People on e-bikes around here have short life spans. Local opportunists like to remove the parts to sell for scrap metal.
Buy a bicycle!
These biking folks have short life spans around these parts too!
City Chick: I know folks from Noo Yawk and the District of Corruption think the world revolves around those two cesspools, but in the real world including a few isolated parts of the PDRK, honest folks actually outnumber criminals, scum, rapists and murderers and one can actually leave an e-bike chained outside the grocery store for a shopping trip and find it still in its original configuration upon exiting the store. Shocking, I know.
In the event of $5.00 plus a gallon for gasoline, only the eternal optimist would leave his e-bike unsecured outside a store, no matter how honest the community.
Rally against politicians now who oppose energy resources in your state which make and keep the US energy independent! That is what keeps the prices down and energy affordable. That’s what keeps our energy reserves steady and full to capacity. It enables us to protect ourselves and that’s what keeps us free!
The snowflakes in the PDRK who probably own more gas-guzzling SUVs and 4×4 pick up trucks than the rest of the states combined are responsible for electing pols who rant and rave about crude recovery in the PDRK. I believe by 2035 not only will we not have new petroleum driven motor vehicles, we will have zero oil recovery from a state with large reserves still in the ground even after almost 100 years of recovery. It’s a shame too because extracting crude in the PDRK would make us less dependent on our very good friends the saudis, add significant good paying jobs to the economy and increase the tax base so that, perhaps, just perhaps, the personal taxes could be reduced.
I was intimately involved in the discovery process for the oil spill in the Santa Barbara Channel in 1969. Having been active in the depositions of all the claimants in the litigation it was my opinion that the oil spill was the best economic boost the California coastal political entities had since WWII. I know that I was a personal recipient of the largesse from the oil spill and it boosted my economic standing considerably. Later my firm again benefitted from the oil spill from follow-along litigation that was a direct result of the oil spill.
On top of that, despite the hue and cry about oil spills, there are natural oil seeps both on land and in the channel that have existed since before the Spaniards first came to the PDRK. In fact there is a geological feature called “Coal Oil Point” from the continuing natural seep of crude oil from the ocean floor.
The Indians used the oil from the seeps for medicinal purposes; for waterproofing their reed boats, and numerous other useful purposes long before refining for motor vehicles.
Even today one can still buy a product called Ichthammol Ointment that smells just like one is standing next to a tar pit of fresh crude. It is used as a drawing salve. I use it to draw splinters that I can’t probe out and if I have a small skin infection. I’ve been using it since I was a kid and that’s been a long, long time.
LCC: One major benefit of kerosene is, put some on a mosquito breeding pond and it kills the larva, then decay back into nitrogen in a few weeks. the water is considered potable within 15 days. None of the toxins snowflakes claim are found. Same with that oil spill in Alaska. A few months after, without any help, it was all gone, no sign of toxins.
BTW, if anyone talks up Nordic nations and socialism, point out that North sea crude is what keep the economies going, and that they use the North Sea as a dumping ground. So much waste oil and sewer goes into the sea, there are place the layer of bacteria–methane producing and methane eating, is meters thick. niio
Same in the Gulf of Mexico, lots of natural oil seeps and, in the warmer water, bacteria have evolved that eat the oil. The main economic damage from the BP oil spill was to BP for legal fees and fines. All my snowflake libtard compatriots scared the country off Gulf seafood for 6 months allowing me to buy fresh Texas Gulf shrimp in jumbo size for 4.99 a pound, we were eating up to 4 pounds a week, my favorite food.
Funny that the Libs in the PDRK forbid offshore drilling while Conservative Florida and national politicians forbid offshore drilling in Florida.
Hey, my Dad coasted up to stoplights til the day he died.
Few on this list were alive during WWII but I was and I remember going to the shore during WWII when we could see flashes from the tankers being torpedoed by the German U-boats. The beaches were black with various POL substances. Nobody was rushing out to wash off the seagulls or mop up the oil products washing up on the beach. I am sure the beaches of every invasion site were worse than the beaches on the Jersey shore. Can you imagine how much motor oil, bunker C, gasoline, avgas, blood intestinal contents pieces of putrid meat were on the sands of Omaha Beach on June 10, 1944? Think the U.S. Army was busily engaged in cleaning POL products off the beaches? If they were scavenging on the beaches at all it was to recover functional firearms, ammunition, vehicles that could be salvaged and POL products that hadn’t been contaminated by the salt water. Nobody gave a thought to the seagulls.
“Wash up sea gulls? Clean up the oil on the beaches? Are you out of your mind? We’ve got a war to fight. We can’t waste time cleaning up beaches. What a stupid idea!”
Today, aside from the garbage dumped by the City of Noo Yawk in the ocean just off the coast washing up on the Jersey beaches, there isn’t a trace of oil from WWII. In fact, just 8 years later when I was old enough to drive to the shore by myself there wasn’t a trace of oil and the sea gull population seemed quite healthy.
LCC: Yes, exactly. Remember that earthquake south of Juneau, AL? A ridge of dirt and rocks cut off a small sound from the sea. It trapped dozens of seals behind it. When fresh water began to fill it, seals started to die from bacterial diseases. Locals went in to help carry the animals out, over the ridge. Snowflakes shrieked that it was all natural and so let the seals die. They went to court to stop them saving the seals but the judge tossed it out.
When Pennsylvania made a landgrab along rail lines for an extension of the Appalachian Trail, they stopped people from using the Lehigh River. For the first time ever, people protested. they hired lawyers and the state’s only claim was, all the beaver they transplanted into the area carried trichinosis. Trich is small enough to burrow into the skin. No one has caught trich from swimming in the river. The people sued and the dems lost. Then the state was sued for planting sick animals. Now they have to treat anything they plant–including trout–for trich.
It was all BS, more control. The state makes a killing selling fishing- and hunting licenses and locals mess that up for them. Pure Nazi greed.
niio
According to Harris and AOC when the “New Green Deal” takes effect there won’t be any cars on the road so we won’t have to worry about gasoline.
This is why its so important to keep these people out of office!
In your article you referred to stabill that can bring back old gasoline that is not the case you must add the stabil To fresh gasoline for storage
still 15-20 cents below $2 in texas…at least dfw area
My Dad left me a small mineral royalty interest on 10,000 acres in the middle of the Permian Basin in Texas. I follow the oil business closely. Right now, with a low price per barrel drilling is concentrated in the western Permian in New Mexico (and I get no royalty payments!). But the moment the price of oil is staying close to 50.00/bbl drilling will explode in the Texas Permian, there is so much oil to extract profitably at a cost of 40.00/bbl that the world price is not going to approach 100.00/bbl for a generation. If gas is 5.00 a gallon anywhere in the U.S. in the future it will be because of local, state, and federal taxes. The only thing they tax more is marijuana and small businesses.
Certain politicians like to loudly claim credit for the huge increase in American oil production but it actually came about through amazing advances in computer driven underground imaging technology, technology to drill multiple miles long laterals at different depths on a single well, and Obama and a Republican controlled Congress agreeing to allow the export of American natural gas. In fact the idea was for everyone in Texas to get rich selling LNG to China, China developed a new class of LNG supertankers called Chinamax and pushed forward the widening of the Panama Canal to accommodate the giant ships while Texas built huge gas pipelines from the Permian to the Gulf where Texas and Louisiana cooperated to build the offshore Supermax loading terminals. That all went bye bye with the Trade War…
Browns alcohol motor fuel cook book.
By Michael H. Brown.
ISBN 0-87947-300-2
Was printed in 1979, by:
DESERT PUBLICATIONS,
Cornville, Arizona.
This book covers a lot of ground and is extremely valuable for survival. It offers a great comprehension of fuel chemistry, how to reconfigure older engine fuel systems(and thus newer systems as well) and how to build and operate a still.
Keep in mind that non-ethanol gas last a lot longer than the crap that contains ethanol. Yes it’s more expensive and it’s not available everywhere but in this area of the southern tier of NY one can find it in a smattering of gas stations. I generally use it for all my lawn equipment and after a year transfer the old stuff into our everyday vehicles and then replenish the storage cans with a new batch.
Upstate NY Mike – Thank you very much! This is good to know! I don’t generally pay attention to these things but the rest of the family does. Now when we visit family, it’s another item to remember to pick up and bring back on the way home.
Some observations of late: Being armed is the most important. You may never have to shoot but if you need to, please notice in all the riots in the past 4 years, one or 2 shots and all the rioters scatter like the cowards they are.
I wouldn’t worry about armed marauders in rural areas. If they have prepared with lots of Ammo, they more than likely have stored long term food also.
I am not worried about people coming to far out of the cities. Most will stay in the cities waiting for FEMA or the government in general to swoop in and save them. By the time they realize they should have left early, they will be malnourished, fatigued, and will have used up their gas to get anywhere. If they get to you they will not put up much of a fight. Desperation will be a factor.
These are things I have noticed and observed. I hope it helps but use your own judgement and cling to your instincts.
plucky: Yeah, but they’re only rioting in anti-gun states. And, they’ve been caught stockpiling weapons. this is an attempt to violently overthrow the US. Rural areas are being hit by gorilla attacks. A farmer lost his barn to the flakes. Other strikes in other times and place. PETA freaks have raided and all these nazi splinter groups are joining forces. Ducey, Arizona, gave sort-of approval for cops to shoot rioters in the backside. Most riot attempts were met by little old ladies well armed with hairbrushes. Never cross a little old lady in Indian Country. They’re backed by very angry shotgun carrying men and little kids who are sugar freaks.
Future, I agree. Where I live, you don’t have a lot of choice if you don’t know the cow paths. stick to the roads and you get tracked, always. Bridges, most could be blocked and traveler made to take an off-ramp around the bridge where they can be checked. It’s little things that win wars. Attrition of the enemy is vital.
A lot of city people are preppers. Some. like some locals will be, plan to take from neighbors they know are preppers. All they’re stocking are ammo and knowledge. Indian Country, mine are stocking ammo and other supplies. stay plucky. niio