This morning my Heating Fuel distributor (Abu Nabeel) called me about 30 minutes before he was scheduled to arrive. He explained that prices went up last night, and that 1000 Liters would cost 563JD ($794) instead of the usual 323.5JD ($456). It was like hearing someone had died, when they had been sick for weeks now. I told him, we’ll take 1000 Liters instead of the 1500 we agreed on the previous day. I hung up and checked the paper (al-ghad). Sure enough, it was on the first page in big bold letters.
For some reason, the prices are in canisters (20Liters):
| Type | Old Price |
New Price |
Notes |
| Gasoline- Regular | 8.6 | 11.5 (33.7%) | To be replaced by Unleaded/90 in two weeks |
| Gasoline Super | 12.1 | 13.2 (9.1%) | To be replaced by Unleaded/95 in two weeks |
| Gasoline - Unleaded/92 | 12.8 | 13.2 (3.1%) | To be replaced by Unleaded/95 in two weeks |
| Diesel (Heating Fuel) | 6.3 | 11.1 (76.2%) | |
| Natural Gas | 4.25 | 6.5 (52.9%) | To be revised end of March |
Before & After:
Not to be outdone, Zein (a.k.a. Fastlink) is now also in the business of collecting taxes.
Just in case you are feeling depressed, there is always the electricity bill to cheer you up. Complete with extra charges for collecting garbage (JD11.5 /month), a TV charge (1JD) regardless if you have a TV or not. I wonder what would happen if they found out we have 5. Finally (JD4.3 / month) to bring electricity to the countryside. Forced charity ?
My gas delivery guy is called Abu-Muhammad and he’s 50 years old.
This is his competition. How much would you pay for a canister ?!
Here’s Beyonce (Destiny’s Child) singing Bills Bills Bills complete with lyrics.
I like this line, because it says it all:
a scrub like you who don’t know what a man’s about
Lyrics:
At first we started out real cool,(cool)
Taking me places i ain’t never been
But now your getting comfortable
Ain’t doing those things that you did no more
Your slowly makin me pay for things
Your money should be handling
And now you ask to use my car (car)
Drive it all day and don’t fill up the tank
And you have the audacity
To even come and step to me
And ask to hold some money from me
Until you get your check next week
You triflin’,good for nothing type of brother
Silly me,why haven’t I found another
A baller, when times get hard he’s the one to help me out
insted of, a scrub like you who don’t know what a man’s about
can you pay my bills
can you pay my telephone bills
can you pay my automo’bills
then maybe we can chill
I don’t think you do
so you and me are through
now you been maxing out my card(card)
give me bad credit,buying gifts with my own ends
haven’t paid the first bill
but you steady heading to the mall
going on shopping sprees
perpetrating to your friends that you be ballin’
and then you use my cell phone(phone)
callin who ever that you think at home
and when the bill comes all of a sudden you be acting dumb
don’t know where none of these calls come from
when your mamma’s numbers here more than once
You triflin’,good for nothing type of brother
Silly me,why haven’t I found another
A baller, when times get hard he’s the one to help me out
instead of, a scrub like you who don’t know what a man’s about
can you pay my bills
can you pay my telephone bills
can you pay my automo’bills
then maybe we can chill
I don’t think you do
so you and me are through
22 Users Commented In This Post
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 13:12:27
i hated it so much when they took that dinar from me, all i had for the rest of the month was a dinar n 60 piasters :(…
and whats funny about “fils el-reef” is that they take 4 full dinars, its totally not a fils at all
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 13:55:47
Hani, I know it is not allowed to start cursing in your blog bas k.. o… hal shaghleh, they are so smart, the fuel prices increase was declared today, Tawjihi will be declared today and that poor poor increase will be paid on Sunday, it is the perfect game.
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 14:10:26
Manal, I hated it too. You don’t expect that from your phone company. The strange thing is that they didn’t send it to everybody. Is it random or are they saving everyone else for later ?
Even if it was a real fils. Is there anyone left in the country without electricity who is willing to pay for it ? A tent somewhere in the Ghoor, anything !
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 14:28:05
Wasim, say thank you to Mr. George W. for me will you, and look forward to another 76% increase when John Mccain decides to invade Iran and de-stabelize the region even more.
Anyways, just stay single and you’ll be ok :D
Thanks for sending me the picture!
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 14:58:39
No comment … am pissed of of all this things already type about it
and u know what as it say in Toloy blog
al mawate 5aroooooooooooooooooooooof so lets say Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 15:55:41
MQabbani, I don’t like the university support charges, and countryside (fils il-reef) charge on the electricity/mobile bills, but I don’t blame the Government for removing support from oil prices.
Jordan has very few resources, and those support measures may have been well and good back when we were getting free oil from Iraq, but now that Iraq has been brought down to its knees, and has to grovel without even basic security. It’s is George W.s minders who are to blame, and not our Government. We’re on our own, and everyone has to fend for themselves. I guess we just have to grow a thicker skin.
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 16:44:56
Man , the Gov. stopping support many thing if we take Oil Free or now ,
in past when it come Free to to Jordan they take $$ , so they save A LOT,
man the Gov. waste many , what about the LIFE time salary for each minister the cars they take too, what about pay 100,000JD for buy clothes for some Aemam in al 2aqaf , what about sending support for other country that we need more than them , what about the Oil rock that we studied in 15 years ago that if the petroleum reach 25$ its worth to work with it , now its 88 and they say its not worth !!..
there’s A LOT of things that Gov. do and its meaning less i know that petroleum in whole word get high , but even so , the gov. should do more than that let it support petroleum and nothing else Just support the OIL , its CORE
effect ALL sectors
now i have to pay .5JD at least for Gardines BUS it is a BUS you know how much it going effect who use the public transportation ??
and the whole country productivity
i guess they should support the Oil and nothing else , LOOL as they support any thing else well !!!
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 17:05:52
I don’t believe in God Mqabbani, so I have to find that serenity on my own. Good luck!
I’m waiting to see how much public transportation costs will rise as I don’t own a car either.
I don’t kid myself, I have to start 2 diets now. One nutritional and one financial.
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 17:19:16
i know that about u,
but for what happen in Jordan i can see just TWO kind of ppl
UP and DOWN , there’s no middle thing any more …i met ppl who pay 25,000JD for curtains 5 Windows, and u know what they didn’t like it , so they ask to CHANGE IT ..
About public Transportation
it will be from 13% to 25% starting form today
depend on type
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 17:45:14
I’m still alive, and if it will keep us from ending up like Iraq, if it will maintain our security, I will go around fifth circle 10 times each day saying maaaaaaaaa3 until the cows come home, but it won’t :)
Read a bit about what it’s like in Iraq now, and you will know why I feel that way:
Baghdad Burning
25% you say ? That means I have to pay 6.2JD each day just to get to work. Hmmm I have a solution that will kill 2 birds with 1 stone. If I completely stop eating junk food, that should take the weight from my stomach and leave it in my wallet where it belongs :D
Posted from
2-8-2008 at 21:13:51
Thanks for sharing a scan of your electricity bill with us. Mine was 190 JD for last month and I almost had a heart attack! Saw my MIL’s bill laying on her kitchen table a couple of days ago and it was 8 JD, yes, 8 JD. Being an ijneebia and inexperienced in what people are really paying, I thought I was the only person in the country with a bill higher than 10 JD , LOL.
Posted from
2-9-2008 at 00:20:15
Sabdein, I’m not sure how to pronounce your name. Luckily that bill gets divided by 3 at our house, which would also explain why it was so high to begin with!
8JD ? Wow is your MIL still using radio instead of TV ? :)
I know some people go nuts if their bill ever goes above JD60. Our bill is a bit high, but I think its the fact that each one of us sits in a separate room with their own TV, electric AC/heater, and computer running. Family bliss :D
Posted from
2-9-2008 at 08:26:44
My God. Allah y3een il 3alam. and here i am thinking why not to live in amman?
Damn man. How will people survive? heh..and we complain why there is so much robbery and wasta in the economy. Can’t blame them man. I seriously think that we shouldn’t mind people stealing from us.
Posted from
2-9-2008 at 09:17:48
Hamza, I agree. I consider myself to have a decent income, but some people were already on the edge before this price increase.
Posted from
2-9-2008 at 19:54:42
few years ago when i used to watch american movies and see the poor people drowning in bills i used to laugh coz if u go back 10 years in time you’ll see that in the early ninties we didnt even have the sales tax.wewere better off.now i really dont know how people will manage their salaries,i expect the rate of crime to rise.
i sometimes ask myslef could we have prevented this from happeining? we accept and try to accomodate with the new prices, we never object . and as our dear brothers in egypt say “ya far3oon eh illi far3anak..ma l2etshi 7ada yrodenny
stay tuned.i heard today that electrcity will also have a 60% rise..what’s left? mmm..internet? water?
Posted from