Fuel Costs.....Revisited

[musician/lawnman]

Hey guys I just wanted to complain out loud so to speak.... I just got done updating & entering my expense logs.... Holy Hell.... In the last 2 months with 1 truck/trailer, 1 mower & the usual hand tools I have spent over $1300 in fuel! $650+ a month is a little nuts aint it? Just wondering if the other 1 crew companies on here are in this same ballpark on fuel expenditure?

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AAA QUALITY CLEAN CUT, LLC.
LAWN CARE & LANDSCAPING
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i know what you mean, it is real hard for me just getting going and all, may i spent $487 on fuel and that was a big bite, when will it stop? Bush started all this and i guess it was a long time coming but holly crap man, i paid 4.01 a gal today and thats insane.......real tuff, i am in florida too, and , ****, just sux, could go on ranting all nite about this subject so i will leave it alone......UUUUGGGGGGGGG

[musician/lawnman]

I paid $4.09 a week or so ago..... it's gone down a few cents but I'm sure it'll just rebound even higher.

[Steve]

What are you doing now to keep your gas usage to a minimum? Is it effecting the way you create your routes or who you will or won't take as a customer?

[musician/lawnman]

Steve, it does come into play a bit, but at the same time as business grows you are going to spend more to make more.
Real example:
I got a phone call today from 1 potential customer about 5 min past my boarder of where I will normally go & told them I would in fact accept the account..... 2 hours later I got a call from a friend who's parents live just around the corner from that customer.... they're old guy went m.i.a. & there pissed. He refered them to me & that's who they want doing their lawn now. Now if I told customer A no I would have cost myself the efficiency of going a little further for 1 account, instead of 2 nearby. What the hell ya gonna do ya know?!

[musician/lawnman]

P.S. that little bug in your avatar is driving me nuts! I keep thinking theres a nat om my laptop screen!

[Steve]

LOL I thought the bug was funny.



What made you accept the first job? Did you charge more because it was outside your area?

Also how do you determine the area that will be your border of where you will and won't work out of?

[Little's]

I'm spending $200 per week. I am also trying to minimize unnecessary driving. Trying to be more efficient in my routes, trips to home depot etc.

[justin_time]

So far, I've paid for May 2008

Vehicle fuel - 395.72
Equipment fuel - 99.52

Total - 495.24$

Note. I do alot of driving

I spend $100 each fill for my truck, and I go through a little over a tank each work week, plus about 2 gallons/week in my mower and a gallon/week for the trimmer/blower. So for me, that works out to about $560/month.

Next week, we get the new provincial gas tax, which will start out at $0.10/gallon and progressively rise until 2012 when it hits $0.48/gallon. With gas at $5.92/gallon, that will put it past $6/gallon next week