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Old 02-26-2011, 07:09 PM   #1
RayChez1
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Default Flying J

Fuel prices have been going up. Today I stopped at a Flying J in Barstow, California and the diesel was $3.97 per gallon. It has jumped like .30 cents in the last two weeks.
I guess we will have to slow down on our travels on the coach.
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Old 03-02-2011, 07:25 PM   #2
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Default Re: Flying J

Well it's 2011 and it's happening again...We will have to save $$'s other ways...Ant suggestions???
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Old 03-02-2011, 07:33 PM   #3
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Default Re: Flying J

We will cut down on the long distance driving, like driving cross country. We belong to 1000trails preserves and what I plan on doing is spending like twenty one days at a time on these preserves. That will save me money on diesel fuel on the coach. Before this we would only stay like two weeks, then move to another preserve and so on. But here in California I believe today diesel hit four dollars per gallon. It is getting bad out there and they are talking about going a lot higher. So we will just have to stay longer in our preserves.
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Old 03-02-2011, 07:43 PM   #4
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Default Re: Flying J

Thanks for the reply...Are there many users on this site? Hope to get some livily debate (suggestions) going. Wev are still gonna travel but I think we all have to plan on staying 3 to 4 day's ay one location to have the fuel prices make sense...D
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Old 03-03-2011, 04:23 PM   #5
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Default Re: Flying J

There are not too many members in this site, but it is better for Gulf Stream coach owners. Other sites like RV.NET are controlled by Newmar owners and they sure like to bash Gulf Stream owner coaches. They think that Newmar is the only good coach in the industry. And it is a very good coach, but no need to bash anybody else's coach. But on this site it is all Gulf Streamers and I enjoy communicating with them. Lots of good information you can pick up about your coach and if you have problems this information can help you.
We stay mostly in the west coast now because when we were in the Carolina's, Florida and up in Indiana we were dodging tornadoes all the time we were there.
We even had to evacuate our coach in Texoma because of a tornado that was headed towards us.
We hardly see anybody with Scenic Cruisers in the west coast. Lots of TourMasters and Crescendos.
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Old 03-13-2011, 06:24 AM   #6
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Default Re: Flying J

We may have chosen the wrong time to start our adventures...We have seen fuel prices here go up 50 cents per g since we bought our Fred and still haven't gotten to go anywhere in it. We are still looking forward to some travlin, but now we are lookin more at local places more than the coasts. Still have 7 years till retirement and anything can happen.
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Old 03-13-2011, 01:15 PM   #7
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Default Re: Flying J

Guess we all better start saving our $$ for the trip home in the spring!!!
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Old 03-13-2011, 01:37 PM   #8
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If you drive a lot on the coach it will get expensive. But what we are going to do is drive to one of our favorite RV parks and spend like 21 days at a time on each one we stay in. That way I only have to put diesel once a month. Since we belong to ThousandTrails we don't have to pay to stay there. So it will be like twenty one days of staying for free on everything. Electricity, sewers hook ups, water and all kinds of amenities. So by not paying any for RV parking it will make up for the extra hundred dollars that we will spend on fuel. Then just use the toad to go out sight seeing.
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Old 03-13-2011, 08:20 PM   #9
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Default Re: Flying J

Quote:
Originally Posted by RayChez
If you drive a lot on the coach it will get expensive. But what we are going to do is drive to one of our favorite RV parks and spend like 21 days at a time on each one we stay in. That way I only have to put diesel once a month. Since we belong to ThousandTrails we don't have to pay to stay there. So it will be like twenty one days of staying for free on everything. Electricity, sewers hook ups, water and all kinds of amenities. So by not paying any for RV parking it will make up for the extra hundred dollars that we will spend on fuel. Then just use the toad to go out sight seeing.
It is really free??
Didn't you have to buy a membership and pay yearly dues/maintenance fees?
I am not bashing, I am just trying to understand if that is what everyone including myself should do.
Thanks, Ron
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Old 03-13-2011, 09:16 PM   #10
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Default Re: Flying J

NO, it is not free. The way it works, you buy into a membership. There are different types so you got to be careful what you buy into. We figured when we first bought our first motorhome that we better join some kind of membership or else it was going to get too expensive. When we retired we bought us a gasoline motorhome and found out real quick that paying rv parks average $40.00 per day would come out to around $1200.00 per month. So I looked around and decided to join ThousandTrails for $4000.00. We got the membership that would allow us to have a place to stay nationwide. So we took off from California on a six month trip to the east coast and back. The membership payed for itself on that six month trip. So then we up graded to a diesel pusher and we also upgraded our membership to where we could staty 21 days continues and then go to another TT preserve. In other words we could stay year round if we wanted to moving from one preserve to the other every 21 days. It is called Platnuim membership. I paid another $3400.00 for the upgrade. We really like it because you don't have to move as often. It is perfect for full timers, but we got two houses so we also use the house in California and let my son use the one in Florida. So total was an investment of 7K and it has more then paid for itself in eight years we have been traveling around the country. Not only that your kids can also use the membership if they like camping. The only thing I pay now is $400.00 per year in dues. Which is nothing once you get the initial membership. Some buy memberships from people that have passed on and you can get them at a very good price. Some get them through Ebay. You can get some for just hundreds of dollars, but be sure to read the contract that you are getting because some will only allow you to stay like 50 days a year.
Good luck.
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Old 03-27-2011, 03:44 PM   #11
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Default Re: Flying J

We just returned from a cross country, four month trip that took us from Pittsburgh, through the south, out to Southern California and back. When we left CA, we fortunately had a full tank. As we were driving out of the LA area, we saw diesel for $4.35. On Wednesday and Thrusday as we drove through Texas and Oklahoma, prices were in the $3.70-3.79 range.

The .03¢ per gallon discount at Flying J helps, but $550 - $600 a tankful hurts, especially when 7-8 mpg is the best we can do.

To save a bit, I rarely, if ever, go over 60 mph. More speed=more fuel consumption. We also try to plan any driving in or through a metropolitan area for the weekend or before/after rush hours. We also save a bit by overnight boondocking at Wally-world, truck stops and rest areas. Save it on camping - spend it on fuel!

When we left Pittsburgh December 1st, diesel was $3.19. On our return yesterday (3/26), it was $4.15.

Work camping is looking more attractive too.
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Old 03-28-2011, 08:34 AM   #12
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Default Re: Flying J

We returned to Iowa and home yesterday, after spending the winter in Florida and Texas. The fuel where we filled last in Missouri cost 3.74 per gallon. It was .5 cheaper than Flying J,s "cash" price and .11 cheaper than their posted credit price. We use a Pen Fed credit card that gives us a 5% cash return on any fuel purchased by using the card at the pump. On a 3.74 initial cost that puts our final cost per gallon at about $3.62, saving us $12. per tank.
Our Tourmaster gets 8.5 MPG on average. This winters total miles were just over 4000 miles. That means we used somewhere around 475 gallons with a $57 savings. I can fill the toad for a bit less than that. There is a lot of value in the card and putting up with the limits (quite often that is $75 per swipe) the station's put on before the pump shuts off and a need to swipe again has value. The need to pay inside for a 1 to 3 cent per gallon savings is not a good option.

There are many ways to save and using the right card is one. I am not sure staying at home and not going where you want to is a savings. Coulda, woulda, shoulda! I'm getting to old to make that an option. Staying in one place is not why I own the MH.
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Old 03-28-2011, 01:24 PM   #13
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Default Re: Flying J

I look at fuel prices as just another cost of having fun. We do not plan to change any of our travel because of higher prices. Do I get irritated when I pay those huge diesel bills? Yep, but I am not going to stop until I simply cannot afford it any more. I hope that is not in my lifetime.

To offset overall expenses, I have chose to give up some of my other toys. After 45 years of riding motorcycles, I sold my last Harley. I am going to sell my ATV and trailer this summer. Not only do I get the value of these toys, I also save by not having to pay for the insurance, fuel and upkeep expenses on these hobbies.

I guess it just comes down to priorities. At this point in our lives, my wife and I seem to enjoy the RV more than the other activities we have done in the past. That, my friends, is just the price of getting older.

As a footnote to the title of this thread, "Flying J", I avoid them and Pilot as much as possible. We use the truck isles for our Super C with saddle tanks (140 gallon capacity). Our favorite fueling stations are Love's and TA. In the past few years, Flying J and Pilot have started asking us to estimate the amount of fuel I am going to buy. They pre-authorize and post authorize the credit card like a restaurant. Loves and TA don't have this practice so we choose to spend out fuel money at locations that are more friendly to us. Just a little annoyance that I don't care to participate with at their stations. I too use credit cards that give me cash back on all purchases. During the travel months, that cash back can be a substantial refund at the end of the month (my credit card credits the cash back to my checking account at the end of each month).



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Old 03-28-2011, 03:48 PM   #14
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Default Re: Flying J

I always pay cash for my diesel, but I feel like using my discovercard because of the 3 percent discount they give. What bothers me is that discovercard will give me 5 percent discount if I buy gasoline, but only 3 percent for diesel. Why can't they give 5 percent for both.
I agree with you that the price of diesel in my part will not stop us from using our coach. But since we belong to several private RV clubs we decided to take advantage of saving on all utilities that I use at home when I am there, by staying longer at these RV parks. But we will still go this summer to our favorite places and enjoy the activities that I always do, like golfing, fishing etc.
I also have a problem with too many toys and I wanted to get rid of my day cruiser boat that I never use anymore and a brand new quad that I only used one time for deer hunting, but my daughter has put pressure on me not to sell them. So I just left them at her place and told her to use them as long as she wants. These daughters have a way to get to dad don't they. LOL
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Old 03-28-2011, 04:18 PM   #15
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Default Re: Flying J

We are not going to kill our travel plans over fuel either, I have reservations in St. Augustine for late june and several weekenders planned in between then and now. Yes, Daughters have a way with ole dad, mine is getting married so I combined "downsizing" and wedding costs to justify selling my panhead so now I'm down to 3 bikes.....sacrifices..sacrifices... they are worth every penny!!
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Old 03-29-2011, 02:13 PM   #16
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Default Re: Flying J

quote="BikerBilly"so now I'm down to 3"

DOWN to 3???? Holy crap! How many did you have?[
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Old 03-29-2011, 03:53 PM   #17
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Default Re: Flying J

Well,
A few years ago I bought 5 Russian Dnepr sidecar rigs from a guy in the Ukraine, and I had a 1999 Honda Valkyre Interstate and a 1975 Triumph Trident.....So that was 7. Then I sold 4 of the russians, a story all it's own, and bought a 125 Honda enduro and a 1958 panhead. blew up the Triumph and sold it,I inherited my oldest boys 2000 buell blast, Bought a 2006 Electra glide classic and Momma had to have a sportster, so that was 7. Then I sold the valkyre and the buell and the enduro,so that just left the Pan, the glide, the sporty and 1 Dnepr, no partridge in any pear trees. So....selling the Pan dropped me to 3. What a long strange trip it's been...Back in the 70's and 80's there were others but I don't remember them so good.
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Old 03-30-2011, 06:35 PM   #18
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You sold your panhead? WOW! That brings back a lot of memories for me. My first motorcycle was a 1950 pan head Harley. Had a lot of good moments on that bike. Sixteen years old and with a Harley brought me a lot of girl friends.
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Old 03-31-2011, 08:06 AM   #19
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Default Re: Flying J

Nothin like old Harley stories to bring folks together
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Old 03-31-2011, 08:41 AM   #20
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Default Re: Flying J

Quote:
Originally Posted by BikerBilly
Nothin like old Harley stories to bring folks together
We've obviously digressed from the "Flying J" topic, but Billy, you are soooo right!

We were fortunate enough to be able to put a bunch of miles on the bikes this winter riding the Southern California canyon roads and parts of "Old Route 66" in Arizona & New Mexico.
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