SAH/WOH - Why?

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-18-2005
SAH/WOH - Why?
3166
Mon, 02-20-2006 - 7:41am

I am sure this has been done before but I was wondering this in light of recent posts lately.

Why did you decide to sah/woh?

Was it a choice or something expected of you?

Was your plan to sah/woh though out or impulsive? Long-term or short-term?

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iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 1:37pm
Wellll... I don't really agree with drilling in Alaska. There are plenty of ways to reduce our dependence on oil in general. Diesel/electric hybrids would be insanely good. A diesel Honda Accord (which they sell in Europe) gets similar gas mileage as a gas/electric hybrid Honda Accord.


Edited 3/13/2006 2:38 pm ET by charlesmama1
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 1:47pm
Correct me if I am wrong but isn't diesel fuel just gas not as well refined? So while you are getting a little better gas mileage the fuel is the same?

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 1:59pm
It's not less refined, it's actually a byproduct of refining gasoline. (Different boiling points blah blah) Diesel is combusted in the engine by pressure while gasoline is combusted by spark. You can actually pour straight peanut oil in a diesel engine and it will run. (As long as you replace any rubber hoses with plastic, as peanut oil will eat away at rubber) The original inventor of the diesel engine actually designed it to run on peanut oil. The best thing about diesel engines is that you can run alternative fuels (not derived from crude oil) and you get better gas mileage over all so you use less fuel.
iVillage Member
Registered: 11-12-2003
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 2:07pm
Here's a website that describes refinement of crude oil really well. Basically, all sorts of oils/solvents/products come out of crude oil, gasoline and diesel fuel just being 2. http://www.howstuffworks.com/question105.htm
iVillage Member
Registered: 01-12-2004
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 2:14pm

"Time to drill in Alaska"

Wow, the environment certainly isn't top on your list, huh?

Robin

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 2:15pm
Interesting. I was next to a BIG Ford F350 Diesel at the bank this morning. That thing is LOUD!! The guy looked at me and turned off his engine and we both laughed. He rolled his window down and said...I can't hear *&%#* when this thing is running. Cracked me up!

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-18-2006
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 2:23pm

That isn't the issue. The issue is that people will not give up their driving habits. The only way to reduce driving is to price gas so high that no one can really afford it. Then people will be homeless and poverty stricten. If our society was willing to ease up on driving things might be different. I just don't see that happening. I thought this article was interesting on this issue. Makes you wonder both ways what to do? I wonder (and I will research) really how much of a factor it will be on the environment when the area there is 19 million acres and they want to drill on 2,000 acres. I know the reduction seems small at 3% but a million barrels a day is significant.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21695-2005Mar9.html




Edited 3/13/2006 3:33 pm ET by snoopyme

 

Avatar for mom34101
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 3:43pm

Oh, I see. So when you said, "Really? That is about the most amazing thing I think I have read in a while. All that carpooling and caring for an elderly parent and only 7K miles?", that was not intended to express disbelief. Whereas when I respond by pointing out that you don't understand that carpooling *reduces* the amount of driving one does, I'm making a personal attack? And pointing out that your reading comprehension is poor when you ask me what kind of car my dh drives when I've already told you is a personal attack?

You poor, poor thing.

Avatar for mom34101
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 3:48pm

"No I didn't. Again you are trying your best to spin my words to prove some crazy POV. I said when I build homes I don't CLEAR lots. That in itself is a great way to save my *pocketbook* a bunch of money. I have to pay a survey team to come out and assess trees. I have to find where the roots lie, and know if they will be safe to leave up before putting in the footing on a home. We have to know where these roots lay so that we don't either a) damage the root and damage the tree, because it will die b) also make sure it will not damage a well, or the foundation. When I have the trees tagged our Tree Service guys come in and they have to log the trees and leave the ones tagged. All of this is quite expensive. I could just pay them a flat fee to bulldoze the lot. If the homeowners do not want certain trees I have left then they pay additional money."

So you don't pass on these costs to the homeowner? They come out of *your* pocket?

I think it's nice that you have donated used cabinets to Habitat for Humanity. But if you are building homes, how is it that there are already cabinets there? Are you scraping off the houses that were there to build new ones?

So you built custom homes. When you say they're not small, what do you mean? How big are they? You mentioned people building 5,000 sf homes for 3 people to live in. Is that what you're talking about?

Avatar for mom34101
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-27-2003
Mon, 03-13-2006 - 3:51pm
Right, later. But she hasn't needed an suv for the last 6 years, and it will be at least a year before she needs one. Seven years is a long later.

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