HELP! KROGER RAN OUT OF GAS

Most people can’t remember when someone pumped your gas for you. It was one of those services that most of us took for granted. Often, I put 50 cents worth of gas in my dad’s car, and the attendant didn’t blink an eye. Then came the rise of self service filling stations in 1971, and I’ve never really gotten used to it. Pumping gas is a smelly business, and often, I spill some on my shoes. That’s why I wait until the very last minute to fill my tank. Yesterday, I was down to about 20 miles worth of gas. That’s when I discovered I was out of luck. Help! Kroger ran out of gas.

In all of the decades I’ve lived on this earth, I’ve never encountered such a situation. There was no warning sign posted anywhere. But the filling station was eerily empty. Plastic traffic cones had been placed beside each pump. Still, I didn’t put everything all together. Thought maybe it was some new policy to keep people from hitting the pumps. Inserted my credit card, which told me it was approved. And yet, it stopped there, and wouldn’t let me start filling up. I looked around in confusion while another car pulled up and stopped. Seeing my dilemma, a gentleman got out of his car and explained that Kroger was out of gas. Then he showed me how to retrieve my credit card by hitting “cancel” then “clear.” . Thank heaven for the kindness of strangers.

Was this situation an anomaly or will it become commonplace in the coming months? There’s a shortage of truck drivers to transport gas from the pipelines, and across the nation. And cyberattacks are hitting the pipelines and shutting them down. Adding insult to injury is the fact that prices are higher than they’ve been for years.

Help! Kroger ran out of gas. It's a sign of the times. — HELP! KROGER RAN OUT OF GAS. During the gas shortage, some drivers may start hoarding gas.

I suspect some people may start hoarding gas by filling up 5 gallon containers and storing them in their garage. All of which won’t help matters at all. Who is to blame? I guess the obvious scapegoat is the Biden administration. Shutting down the Keystone pipeline, cyberattacks, paying people not to work, the Covid -19 pandemic….. Figure it out, based on your political leanings.

All I know is this: I will not wait till I’m almost on empty before filling my gas tank. I won’t complain about having to pump my own gas. And, hopefully, that’s the last time I have to cry, ” Help! Kroger ran out of gas.”

April 14, 2021April 14, 2021

BRINGING HOME BACON COSTS MORE

The feds keep telling us that all this monopoly money they’re sending out in stimulus checks won’t cause inflation. I think the treasury secretary, or whomever is in charge of the taxpayers’ money, says it won’t be more than 2 percent this year. Ask anyone who does the family grocery shopping about that. Yesterday, I bought 12 ounces of bacon for $6.75. That was the cheapest price. The fancier brands went up to $12 a pound. In 2020, the average price for a pound (16 oz) of bacon was $5.83. No matter how you figure it, that’s about a 25% increase. Bringing home the bacon costs a lot more than it did last year.

Vegans would tell us we’re getting our just desserts for eating meat. If they had their way, we wouldn’t be able to buy bacon at all. As a dietitian, I’m all for healthy eating. But I grew up on after-church, Sunday morning bacon and eggs. My parents made it to their late eighties, so that once a week treat didn’t cause them a premature death. At our house, we have continued my family tradition—in moderation. Each of us has two strips of bacon, one fried egg, toast and orange slices, every Sunday morning. However, the rest of the week we’re very careful with portion control, and follow a Mediterranean diet that includes lots of fresh fruits and vegetables.. We seldom eat red meat

I can remember a short time ago-maybe a year—when a cart full of groceries cost between $50 and $60. Now’s it hard to get out of the supermarket for less that $90 bucks a pop. C’mon Janet Yellen, that’s not 2% inflation.

Let’s go on to housing. Home prices have risen 15 % in one year. Gasoline prices have risen 75 cents a gallon since the November 3 election. The unemployment rate is going down, but fewer people have jobs. I suspect most of us know someone who has dropped out of the workforce, and quit looking for a job, Many small businesses are gone forever.

The point is, we’re experiencing much higher inflation than the feds are letting on. Ask any housewife or house husband. Bringing home the bacon costs more. And fewer people can afford to buy.

February 26, 2021February 26, 2021

LOADING UP ON GASOLINE

When I went to fill my gas tank on Tuesday, it was hard to find an empty space. Everyone was loading up on gasoline. Finally, I pulled up behind a couple with a big old SUV. They looked to be in their sixties. On the ground next to their vehicle, I saw several large red and yellow containers. Lucky I wasn’t waiting for them to leave, because they were purchasing what looked like about 30 gallons of gas—some diesel, some regular. I had never seen anyone buying that much gasoline before, and it got me thinking about the effect of escalating gas prices.

On Monday, my husband filled up on gas in his SUV. The price was $1.41 per gallon. On Tuesday, I did the same in my old sedan, but now, the gas cost $1.61. . By Wednesday, it had shot up to $1.75. That’s a pretty steep increase. The couple ahead of me at the gas station have lived through high priced gas. Maybe they use a tractor or mower for a small business like lawn service. . They know that their income will go down when gas prices increase. No wonder they’re loading up on gasoline.

Obviously, at my age, I’ve lived through many periods of high priced gas. When I was a hospital food service manager, the purchasing agents dreaded high gasoline prices, because they knew that the price of plastic reusables was going to skyrocket. That’s because plastics are derived from byproducts of petroleum refining and natural gas processing. Therefore, when oil prices escalate the cost of single use plastic products like syringes and gloves increase. And so, the cost of health care goes up . But that’s just the beginning. The cost of transporting food and other necessities by truck or train increases. And suddenly, you have inflation.

Economists think a little bit of inflation is good for the economy because people can more easily pay off old debts. But if inflation gets out of hand, consumers start pulling in their belts and spend less on “wants” like vacations and new cars. . Less consumer demand leads to higher unemployment.

Escalating gas prices are scary. . No wonder that ordinary people were loading up on gas last Tuesday.