So, my propane tank is reading zero....

[Mob Mama]

and the high here today, in the south, is barely gonna crack the low fifties. My thermostat is reading that it is a chilly 59 degrees in my house right now. My kids and I are bundled up and freezing our collective asses off.

I call the propane guy - minimum order is 100 gallons, at a whopping $2.49 per gallon. Meaning $249 for not even four weeks worth of heat, not to mention about $200 short of what I can actually afford this week.

Why are the prices so freaking high, and what's a poor (in every sense of the word) liberal to do?

[skinfusionz]

1. get a few space heaters

you'll be fine for a month on space heaters I would think, that should give you enough time to figure out where to get the 250

[MarsThe Cat]

9. 250 PLUS-

as in- PLUS the cost of next month's electric bill for using the heaters...not to mention the original purchase cost(but i guess that i just did).
unless you've got a franklin stove and a patch of woods- there's no such thing as free heat.

[likesmountains 52]

26. I just bought a space heater that heats at "chair level" rather than floor

level...it is 54 degrees in my hose right now, but the space heater is keeping my desk space toasty. It is a lot cheaper than heating my whole house. It only cost about $40...good luck. Last year some mornings my house was under 50 degrees most mornings.

[MarsThe Cat]

28. being a resident landlord-

i'm required by law to keep the heat to at least 64 degrees.
we have hot water radiators with a natural gas boiler/furnace, and in the past i've kept the thermostat at 72...this year, it's going to 68.

[Flammable Materials]

2. If Bush had his way ...

... you would curl up and freeze to death.

"Mission accomplished."

Seriously, though, I'm very sorry to hear about it. You might try contacting United Way. They might be able to put you in touch with someone who can help you.

[ComerPerro]

3. "Mission Accomplished". Exactly

[SammyWinstonJack]

25. bush** knows how hard it is to put heat on your family.

I sure hope all those 'value voters' are still happy with their idiotic and selfish choice last Nov! They alone, should be the ones' to freeze their collective asses off, this winter.

[acmavm]

4. Good question. I'm in the same boat in the Midwest using natural gas.

I guess this is going to be a long hard winter. If we stay warm we either lose the house or don't eat.

But we are by far not the only ones in this leaky boat. It, I believe, will be the final nail in the bush** (political) coffin.

Had to clarify that so any snoopy idiot republican supporting spy wouldn't be so misguided as to interpret that as the threat against pResident AWOL.

[GreenPartyVoter]

5. We're in a similar boat *hugs* No heating oil yet here in Maine and

it'll cost us $300 to get the minimum 100 gallons.

So I have the oven on with the door open and there's a little electric heater running too.

[spinbaby]

16. You can go get a few gallons of heating oil

We do it sometimes when things are getting tight--just take your gas cans to a place that sells the stuff and get a few gallons. The $100 minimum is if you have it delivered.

Why, BTW, does heating oil cost more than gasoline now?

[GreenPartyVoter]

17. Oh we have done that many times before. Thank heavens for Irving stores,

which are open 24/7!

The cynic in me thinks the high cost of heating fuel is due to gouging. The real reason, who knows?

[MarsThe Cat]

6. You called the WRONG propane guy...

HERE'S the guy you want-



he'll fix you right up with a hearty helpin' of God's gas.

[the_spectator]

11. Yep, it sounds like you're getting your propane

from Thatherton Propane. Everyone knows they're sharks. Time to switch to Strickland!

[MarsThe Cat]

12. Thatherton FUELS...

he also deals in the bastard gasses...

the bastard.

[Poppyseedman]

7. ACF

has a program to help with home heating costs

Google ACF. Look for energy assistance Link

[salvorhardin]

8. Don't go cold

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program will probably be able to help you out -- and quickly! They have emergency assistance available.
http://www.state.tn.us/humanserv/commsrv.htm#home

And the neat thing is you might not even have to apply through your local Dept. of Social Services. LIHEAP is often administered through local community development agencies which can be much more understanding and accomodating of individual circumstances than DSS.

Here's a list of local LIHEAP administrating agencies.
http://www.state.tn.us/humanserv/liheap-agencies-05.pdf

[MadHound]

10. Aw geez, $2.49/gallon? That's highway robbery.

I did our prebuy up here in Missouri about a month ago, and it was only going to cost $1.60/gallon, and I thought that was outrageous. Even for the folks around here who are doing the pay as you go route on propane, it looks like they're only be paying in the $1.90/gallon range. I'm so sorry, but you folks are getting screwed.

Check around your area, there should be a number of energy assistance programs for low income folks, you shouldn't go cold this winter.

[durablend]

13. HE'S getting screwed?!?

$2.49 sounds CHEAP here in Pennsylvania...I'm going to call later today just for the heck of it to see what the going rate is but I'd imagine it's close to if not over $3.00 a gallon right now. $1.90 a gallon (never mind $1.60 a gallon) would be almost like winning the lottery!

And just remember like I'd posted several times not too long ago, the less one uses, the MORE you're going to pay for it.

[MadHound]

20. All relative I suppose.

All I know is that the jump in propane has been big enough for me to be putting in an external wood stove next summer, and possibly put up a solar hot water heater.

The real kicker on this whole deal is that while we're paying through the nose for propane and natural gas, and some of us are going without due to it being unaffordable, and while people will die this winter, meanwhile, the oil and gas companies are cheerfully shipping propane, heating oil, natural gas and other energy resources overseas, not only to pick the money up over there, but to create the artificial shortages that we're paying for now.

[RebelOne]

14. I have a 100-gallon propane tank also.

I went to Lowes and bought 2 space heaters. One for the living room and the other for the bedroom. I think that will be a lot cheaper than turning on my furnace.

My gas company, Gas Inc. lets me pay my gas bill in 2 installments when it gets too high. Have you asked your gas company about doing that?

[TX-RAT]

15. Sell your computer, fill up your tank.

Kids come first.

[Mel]

23. how do you solve the problem

if use of their computer is how the poster makes their money?

[TX-RAT]

27. Obviously using it, ain't paying enough.

[FormerOstrich]

18. When I was younger and lived in the mid-west

I could hardly ever afford to have my tank filled so I mostly used my wood stove. I'd keep the thermostat set just enough so the pipes wouldn't freeze when I was away.

However, my point for posting is.....I had a house burn down.

PLEASE PLEASE be careful with the space heaters, wood stoves, and fireplaces!

[bleedingheart]

21. Thanks for making that point...

[Village Idiot]

19. Welcome to the new Amerika!

The Kleptocracy has decided that USAsians do not pay enough for heating their homes, so they decided, in the wake of declining supply, to raise oil and gas prices!

Don't worry - you will get all your money back with *'s tax break!!!

[Toots]

22. Put plastic over as many windows as possible and place plastic on the

ground under your house if possible. Just laying on the ground under your home will add considerable insulation factor because the ground generates cold and you place an additional barrier. Wadded up newspaper shoved into every conceivable crack helps also. It is going to be a tough winter for us all and we all need to increase our heat saving efforts as much as possible. I was able to build a little plastic enclosure in front of my two kitchen windows to capture escaped heat and my wife turned it into a green house of sorts. At least a place to add extra protection to her plants that she wants to winter over. Serves two purposes, actually three because it also pleased my wife immensely.

[Cults4Bush]

24. We had 39' last night and refused to turn on the heat.

House was 44' inside. We just bundled up and thats that until we get the windows sealed. Then I'll turn on the heat to about 62-64. A humidfier if your house is dry helps make it feel a little warmer as well.