BeerBorg

It seems we've have had much discussion on propane and it is a sore subject with me right now with the cost skyrocketing. It is such a good Commodity for brewing though. We've talked about the cost of 20 lb tanks and how many batches we can get, safety issues, and home heating with propane, so I started this propane thread to get to the bottom of using this stuff.
I was at my Moms house tonight and we were talking how cold of a winter we are having and of course I'm bitching about how much I've spent on heating this year, she showed me her last bill from the same vendor that I have, the 19th of this month and she paid $1.85 a gal, I paid $3.53 yesterday. She say's to me you got to do what I do, pre-pay in the summer and get locked in on that price and that's what you pay all year, and in a scolding voice she say's you should know that, they tell you, you can do that. Now at 56 years old I feel like a little kid again, my 81 year old Mom just told me something I should have looked into. Now to top it off she just found out if she can burn enough propane by next month she can get $600 more through HEAP, and she said I don't know if I can use that much by then, she has it at 80 deg now and cooks all the time. I told her if I had a way to take it out of her tank and put it in mine, I would help her with the problem, she laughed and laughed about that and I liked making her happy, then I had to leave her 80 deg house back to my 65 deg. domain.

I guess it's all relative. Down south with mostly mild winters, natural gas rules and does the job. But, while you pay so much for heating fuel, we bitch and gripe about flood and homeowners insurance due to living at or below sea level. It's always something somewhere. But, I feel for the tough winter most of the country felt this year. Prices are already high and I can see it now. Miss River flooding will force many ships not to make it up the river and the cost of food will continue to sky rocket.
I just change what I can and roll with the flow.

It hit $6/gal here not long ago. At the moment I can get it for $4/gallon IF I buy 200 gallons or more. Freaking ridiculous!!!

I suggest you go visit your mom when it's time to brew. You know, to help her get that $600 credit.

GOF wrote:I suggest you go visit your mom when it's time to brew. You know, to help her get that $600 credit.

Good Idea but I would have to hide it from her like my Dad use to do when making his hard cider and wine, Alcohol is the devils drink you know.

GOF wrote:I suggest you go visit your mom when it's time to brew. You know, to help her get that $600 credit.

BEST. ADVISE. EVER!

berryman wrote:

GOF wrote:I suggest you go visit your mom when it's time to brew. You know, to help her get that $600 credit.

Good Idea but I would have to hide it from her like my Dad use to do when making his hard cider and wine, Alcohol is the devils drink you know.

All you'd be doing at your mom's house is making sweet wort. Wait to pitch the yeast until you get the wort to your house and then you won't be making alcohol at your mom's.

I'm Chuck N. and splitting hairs is just another hobby of mine.

Yeah: "Mom, it's just breakfast cereal!"
I know what you mean BeerLord. We get stressed about cold winters and fuel prices. But I try to remember that we don't have tornadoes, mudslides, earthquakes or volcanoes, and hardly hurricanes. Just really high taxes and bad drivers. Hmmm, earthquakes might not be so bad.

well fwiw I've lived in "tornado alley" my whole life and only seen 2 with my own eyes. the "bad drivers" thing is a universal problem. don't want to be anyplace where the ground might start dancing.

berryman wrote:It seems we've have had much discussion on propane and it is a sore subject with me right now with the cost skyrocketing. It is such a good Commodity for brewing though. We've talked about the cost of 20 lb tanks and how many batches we can get, safety issues, and home heating with propane, so I started this propane thread to get to the bottom of using this stuff.
I was at my Moms house tonight and we were talking how cold of a winter we are having and of course I'm bitching about how much I've spent on heating this year, she showed me her last bill from the same vendor that I have, the 19th of this month and she paid $1.85 a gal, I paid $3.53 yesterday. She say's to me you got to do what I do, pre-pay in the summer and get locked in on that price and that's what you pay all year, and in a scolding voice she say's you should know that, they tell you, you can do that. Now at 56 years old I feel like a little kid again, my 81 year old Mom just told me something I should have looked into. Now to top it off she just found out if she can burn enough propane by next month she can get $600 more through HEAP, and she said I don't know if I can use that much by then, she has it at 80 deg now and cooks all the time. I told her if I had a way to take it out of her tank and put it in mine, I would help her with the problem, she laughed and laughed about that and I liked making her happy, then I had to leave her 80 deg house back to my 65 deg. domain.

So she's telling you how to be smart and pre-pay for lower prices, but she jacks her heat up in an attempt, which may fail if she doesn't burn enough? I assume you weren't implying that she turned the heat up higher than normal and turned her stove on in an attempt to burn EXTRA propane to get an extra payment from a program designed to help the poor?

RickBeer wrote:

berryman wrote:
So she's telling you how to be smart and pre-pay for lower prices, but she jacks her heat up in an attempt, which may fail if she doesn't burn enough? I assume you weren't implying that she turned the heat up higher than normal and turned her stove on in an attempt to burn EXTRA propane to get an extra payment from a program designed to help the poor?

No not like that what you are thinking or saying and I guess I came across wrong. She always keeps her house at 78 or so and always is cooking something in the oven and likes to give the food away to the neighbours (like I do with beer ) She always keeps her propane tank on the full side, and pays for it on her fixed income. She got a letter in the mail that told her She was eligible for HEAP assistance because of her income level and age, she did not seek it, they told her that. She told me that it was too bad because she just had her tank filled and it had to be 25% or under by a certain date to get it and wants me to keep track of it and if it gets down enough she might be able to do it.
If you are implying she just wants to waste some some fuel/heat to get some more free, you are totally wrong, she is a very frugal old lady, I check on her every day or so and the other day I went down and she had a stocking hat and a sweater on and I said what you been outside? She said no just seems to be a little chilly in here, it was 78 when I checked her thermostat.
Please don't get me started on Entitlement because I would get kicked off this forum for my views on this subject and what I see everyday, a real waste of taxpayers $, people that can work and get free heat and they open their doors and windows because it's too hot, not a little old lady that worked and saved all their life and might be able to get a little help.
'Nuff said

Understand. I too see many misusing benefits, as well as have first hand experience with the elderly that think that Medicare is "insurance" and that they can misuse it as they see fit, i.e. going in an ambulance to the ER because they "feel poorly" when nothing is wrong, and then they pay nothing. They don't understand that it's taxpayers, not insurance, footing the bill.

I have two very old seniors that keep their house at 78 and wear multiple layers also.

Working in a hospital ER, its been my experience that the older generation tries to walk in with a broken hip because they dont want any help. The younger generation moans and groans with the slightest movement of a twisted ankle and usually arrive via ambulance. Young folks come in with flu like symptoms and refuse to stand for a simple chest xray while older folks wont come in at all until they cant breath from pneumonia. Its freakin sad how soft and needy the younger generations have gotten.

well if you make fun of somebody for acting like a baby now, it's bullying. so they never have to learn to "suck it up" or "walk it off"

it's all in the wording... I give my students a choice, toughen up or see the nurse, worded so they don't feel bad about being not as tough as they should be. It's not like it used to be...