Alicia64 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I'm starting to be extremely conscious of driving now. Co-op is a solid 20 mins. in the car and I wonder how high prices will go before I'll stop. Come to think of it, I could carpool w/ another mom. Once our winter "extra" classes stop at the end of March, I don't think I'll be adding more until things stabilize. What's everyone else doing? Alley Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redmom3 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Teaching my teen to drive is concerning me on the amount of gas we are using. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KarenNC Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 What I did when they went up after Katrina---work to be diligent about combining trips as much as possible and seek out options close to home. It did help that we had bought new (new to us) cars not long before that, choosing models that used about half as much gas. When we first started homeschooling, I would drive anywhere for anything that sounded remotely educational. I think it was for fear my daughter would miss something (even though she was only 5;)). Going on six years later, I've become much more selective. Something has to be pretty unique and especially relevant for me to consider a long drive (which for me is over 20-25 min) one way, particularly if it's ongoing. I also consider how much useful time we get in the activity vs. travel time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pink Fairy Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Not yet, but it won't be long. I almost fainted when I filled up the van yesterday.:svengo: The problem for me is that I don't have any unnecessary trips that I could cut out, and we have too many kids to try carpooling. I'll have to cut other areas--groceries, homeschool books and supplies, and clothing. Ugh. I noticed that food prices are increasing like crazy too, which I'm guessing is related to gas prices. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
m0mmaBuck Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I'm always aware of how much I drive and try to combine errands and avoid as much extra driving around as possible. My out-of-the-house job reimburses mileage so that's nice. DH has to drive for work (we provide onsite IT services to small businesses) so his gas expenditure is unavoidable although we may have to add a trip fee or increase our hourly rate to compensate for the rising cost of doing business. DSS chooses to drive to school so he has to pay for his own gas and his job reimburses him for mileage to/from work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer in NH Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 It won't affect us too much until May. We don't do too much driving this time of the year. Once Summer comes around here though we might have to change what we normally do or combine trips. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawnM Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Not yet, but I anticipate it soon. Last time gas went to $4/gallon we did change our behavior. We stopped going out just to go out, stopped meeting people far away for fun, and combined trips like our scouts with Costco as they are near each other (almost 18 miles each way.) We are also talking about getting a plug in hybrid as our next vehicle. Dawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Renee in NC Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 No, but I haven't filled up in more than 3 weeks, so I haven't even looked at gas prices. I am sure to pass out from shock when the time comes. It will mean less therapy and activities! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missesd Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I am sure it will be. I am getting worried as they keep going up. We were waiting to get hubby's "new" new car so I could start participating in group activities with our homeschool group, but since most of there stuff is at least a 20 minute drive for me... maybe not :( Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MariannNOVA Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Ummmmm, YES! Right now we are driving to Odyssey of the Mind practice every single day (thankfully the competition is on Saturday) -- We do OM through our co-op which is a 45 minute drive in each direction. It wasn't a big deal prior to OM season b/c we only went once a week, but since December, we have been gradually increasing and now we have been practicing 5 days and sometimes 6 days a week. I filled up the h3 yesterday and it was $65.00. It will need to be filled up again tomorrow at the end of the day when we return from OM. I also drive dd30 to all of her doctor's appointments and some of them are at least an hour in each direction, and we will be driving to lacrosse games for both dds in another month -- right now I am driving to lax practice 3 or 4 times a week. So, buying a used h2 (which is what I was hoping we would do at the end of this month) is pretty much not going to happen. DH says we need a hybrid -- I cannot even think about it till after Saturday when the OM competition is over BUT YES, it will change our lives -- we will be moving closer to the location of dh's office which is also closer to our co-op, I will likely not drive anything as large as a hummer again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
angela in ohio Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 No. When we first moved out of the city, it was the year gas prices were really high, so we set the budget based on that. We're still ahead at this point. :001_smile: If I worried about gas prices, my dc wouldn't get to do much, because we have to drive to get to anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ravin Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We're having to watch very closely. Trying to limit it to only necessary trips, etc. We're relying more on public transport as well. DD, DH and DW#2 both have bus passes (DD's is a free annual pass our city has for school-aged children, DW's is monthly, and she always gets it as she doesn't drive, and DH's is a heavily subsidized student pass that lasts until summer), and having done the math buying a 1 day pass for myself to go anywhere in a round trip is less expensive than driving our van for any round trip of 10 miles or more, with present gas prices. It's a trade off I'm staying very conscious of once the baby comes and I can actually walk real distances again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KnitWit Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 YES Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakarimom5 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 My DH will start walking to work if gas gets any higher. It's only 2.5 miles but he normally comes home for lunch so that is 10 miles a day driving. I'm also limiting my errands to one day a week, combining trips and walking to the bus stop even if it is raining. We have decided not to go to NY this year for vaction..from AL that is quite an expensive trip in gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mama2cntrykids Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Yep, we try to combine trips as it is because we live in the boonies, but with the gas prices rising, we'll REALLY be considering what we do. Especially come this summer (cuz, I'm sure they'll be even HIGHER) when we normally drive here, there and everywhere. I'm seriously considering investing in a above ground pool (think Wal-Mart here lol) so that I won't have to spend $$ on taking the kids swimming at the lake at least once/week. I'll have to think about what else I can skimp on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoughCollie Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 (edited) There is no way around having to drive a lot since we live in a rural area, one of us has to pick up DD from school every morning and take her home for cyber school, and we have 3 boys chomping at the bit to learn to drive. My SUV gets 10 mpg and uses the most expensive gas -- not good. Edited March 4, 2011 by RoughCollie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truscifi Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We are talking about getting dh an electric scooter to drive to work, one of the good ones that will do highway speeds (he doesn't take the interstate or anything, but he wouldn't want a little putt putt one). He currently drives a small car that gets 35mpg, so I would switch to mostly driving it instead of my Escape which gets 23mpg. I have already rearranged my shopping schedule to reduce trips, but our dojo that we love and go to 5 days a week is 20 minutes away. It would be hard to give that up, I am 2 years into the 3 it takes to get a black belt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laurie4b Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 One thing I end up doing is 'staying put" when I drive the kids to outside activities. We live 15 min on one side of where I work. Some of our activities are 15 min on the other side. i would often drop the kiddos off, then drive to work and then drive back to get kids, then drive home. Now I drive and stay. I sometimes exercise or do homeschool planning or whatever while I wait, but I don't drive. I'm also using Gasbuddy.com to find the lowest price gas around. There is at least a 10 cent difference in prices around here. Saving $2.00 or so per tank is helpful as long as I don't have to drive too far for the cheaper gas! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
5wolfcubs Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I'm struggling with this today! Last week dh asked me to be conscious of my driving, combining trips, etc. He reminded me that activities I think are "free" aren't really since I only get 15/mpg and I'd already spent the entire month's gas budget by myself. In one ear and out the other... :001_rolleyes: <-- me last week This week, having spent almost half the gas budget already, I agreed we need to alternate weeks on activities. Instead of rapier *and* archery every week we are going to have to alternate weeks. Library must be combined with another scheduled outing, even if I have books on hold! :scared: <-- me this week I hate spending money on gas because it doesn't seem to benefit anyone... But I don't want to reduce our "quality of life" which currently includes 2 activities for extrovert 10 yo ds (one ending soon) and 2 family activities (which are now going to be alternated) and grocery shopping and the library, plus the occasional trek to a homeschooling friend's house. But the increased $$$ has to come from somewhere in the budget. What am I willing to give up? I just don't know yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SweetMissMagnolia Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 not really yet but if it goes up over $4-5 then yes-not that we drive much now...hubby goes to and from work (that's the longest travel at 20+miles both ways)---we go around town to make dr appointments and grocery trips....maybe to the movies or bowling.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garga Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 :001_rolleyes: <-- me last week :scared: <-- me this week That's me! I haven't had to get gas in a couple of weeks and didn't realize how high it was getting. Last time it did this (a couple of summers ago), I started going to the grocery store once a month instead of once a week and doing our best to stay home whenever possible. THANKFULLY, last month our local library moved to a new location only one block from my house! Lucky me! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dakarimom5 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 THANKFULLY, last month our local library moved to a new location only one block from my house! Lucky me! I would be in heaven if this happened here!!:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baseball mom Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Even though I live right in the middle of town I am still rethinking extra outings. I have been trying to do all errands on 1 day and plan my "route" so as not to waste gas. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BMW Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Yep... looks like we're going to stop giving rides to and from school... The schools are 1 to 1-1/2 miles from the home and I have driven mostly for the sake of my youngest, who has aspergers and worries about change... But, enough is enough. Besides, I have to drive 200 miles every 2 weeks for either my older children to come see me or my younger children to go see their dad... and their dad is way too much of a bugger to understand, "I don't have the money for this! So, it's time to stop the school rides... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ElizabethB Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I would be in heaven if this happened here!!:D :iagree: We lived 1 block from a library in 1995, I loved it! Ironically, that was also the location that had no late fees. (Although I liked that, too, it is just ironic that the one time I'm near enough to run books by without hassle, they have no late fees.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Linda1951 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 DD will be taking drivers Ed in a few weeks and all the driving we have to do with her after she is through. We may be eating a lot of beans and rice for four months before she gets her license.:001_smile::001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mom0012 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Yes. The nearest town that has the activities the kids want to participate in and larger stores like Target is 40 minutes round trip. When the gas prices hit their highest a couple of years ago, I figured it was costing me $7 every time we made that trip. So, now I have their activities lined up on 2 days a week and I hit the stores when I need to while they are in class. I did add in an art class for my daughter this year, but I won't even consider it for next year because of gas prices. There is a coop I'd like to investigate that is very highly regarded and a number of my friends participate in, but it's an hour away and if gas prices continue to rise, I just can't afford that. We usually visit with my parents every Saturday and I am thinking that we may have to cut back on those visits as well if prices go to the level I keep hearing. Lisa Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BikeBookBread Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 The first time they changed (5 years ago) we changed our lifestyle. We traded in our Expedition for a Subaru Outback wagon. When we moved to a temperate climate from Minot ND, he began bike commuting. He hasn't stopped. Our Subaru is our primary vehicle, and his Corolla sits in the driveway, driven perhaps 3 x a month. Of course he's driving nowadays because he had ankle surgery two weeks ago, but as soon as he gets the A-ok from his doc, he'll be back on his bike, commuting 16 miles each way to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joyofsixreboot Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 When the gas prices hit their highest a couple of years ago, I figured it was costing me $7 every time we made that trip. So, now I have their activities lined up on 2 days a week and I hit the stores when I need to while they are in class. Lisa Us too. Our nearest town is 60 min round trip so everything gets scheduled into one or two very long days. We've been doing this for since the last gas hike. We've sort of gotten used to it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
creekland Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We never changed back to using more gas after the last time they went up. We already combine trips and do less driving. We'll just continue that. Fortunately, we a really nice spot on our farm that goes up to a nice sized creek (maybe 40' across), in the woods, and quite private except for the multiple herons and the family of bald eagles. The setting beats almost any campground we've ever been in except for the flush toilets being about 1/4 mile away back at our house. We love it down there in the summer - hardly any gas required. If we drive the truck to it we even have electric for the laptop (no generator required as we use the truck battery). When it comes time to visiting colleges for middle son, we'll have to see what we can do. He might have to fly to a couple of the farther ones alone. We didn't do that at all with oldest son. For now, we're only visiting the closer places. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Every store I shop at is within a couple of miles of my house. Church (2x/week) and private music lessons (2x/week) are our biggest mileage uses and I don't see us cutting back on those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mymonkeybug Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Oh yes, it has changed things significantly. Our vacation to Vermont in April has now turned into a 3 day weekend in PA at Hershey Park instead. For the price of camping and theme park tickets for 3 days, we will save $$$ as opposed to just the driving to Vermont and home to Maryland. Just saw a news story about gas at one station in DC at $4.55 for regular and a station in Cali for $4.99 for regular. Hubby is ready to drop a grand on a road bike to ride to work because even though the initial investment would kill the bank account, the gas prices will do more damage over time. :auto: as little as possible these days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwickimom Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 SIGH. We are rural and my family lives 300 miles away. I have to drive everywhere and since we HS, we would drive to the park or somewhere just to get out. With hubbys hours cut and us in debt it will of course hurt us pretty badly, as does everything! I am not going to cut down on seeing my family, life is too short to not be around them as much as I can. So...whatever to stupid gas prices :001_smile: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
.... Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 SIGH. We are rural and my family lives 300 miles away. I have to drive everywhere and since we HS, we would drive to the park or somewhere just to get out. With hubbys hours cut and us in debt it will of course hurt us pretty badly, as does everything! I am not going to cut down on seeing my family, life is too short to not be around them as much as I can. So...whatever to stupid gas prices :001_smile: Yeah. Our family is scattered across Chicago and MO (and we live in TX). I also have a rental house in MO. What can you do... We're 15 miles away from the stupid grocery store, too. In July, we're moving into the city. :glare: That should help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Well, dh has had to take my car (our new reserve gas tank) to work a few times already. We had to cut back to library every other week. This will not work next year, but we've started jogging in the morning and I'm hoping we can get up to the fifteen miles we need to get there, as well as the weight training to carry the books. It has helped us with math though. For some reason ds has taken to doing the math to figure out how much it would take to a. fill up my car, b. get me half a tank, c. how much gas I can get for the amount of money I'm spending. Who knew this would result in a more mathy kid? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rhonda in TX Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 DH does drive 30-45 minutes to work, but moving closer would mean a much higher house payment and higher taxes, so I'm not thinking we'd come out ahead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 DH does drive 30-45 minutes to work, but moving closer would mean a much higher house payment and higher taxes, so I'm not thinking we'd come out ahead. Could he work closer to home? Dh drives about 20 minutes. He took a huge paycut when he changed jobs (and we lost our benefits), but we save a TON of money of gas, and he gets to be home more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SailorMom Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We've always been very aware of how much gas we're using. I try very hard to combine trips.... Two years ago we started being even more frugal about it, and haven't stopped - so there is no where else to cut back for this current increase. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dsmith Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We haven't given it much thought at all. We don't really drive that much on a day to day basis. Dh's office is less than a mile away, as are the supermarkets, Starbucks, and a few other stores. The library, community center, and various playgrounds are a 10 minute walk, and there is a nice deli up the street. Definitely one of the perks of living in a 1 mile square town in suburbia.:001_smile: Once a week dh drives about 45 minutes each way to work with an employee that works from home. Most of our longer trips are business related, so they are going to happen no matter what gas prices are. We have a 4 - 6 week driving trip planned in May but it's a business trip with sightseeing on the side. We will just increase the fuel budget or stay in slightly cheaper hotels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dm379 Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We haven't changed too much yet. I try to combine trips anyway just because it is such a disruption to the school day. We still have to go somewhere just about every day though. The nearest anything is almost 20 minutes away so trips are long. We have a Prius so it isn't too bad on us - yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 DH does drive 30-45 minutes to work, but moving closer would mean a much higher house payment and higher taxes, so I'm not thinking we'd come out ahead. Must he go to work to work? Some companies offer a telework option. Could he work from home one or two days a week? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Typically I only drive a couple times / month, if at all, from May to the end of October. I have a trailer to hitch to my bike for groceries, and often walk to the store if I have one or two items. The closest store is 1.5 miles, a pleasant walk. I also walk or ride my bike to work. This winter the weather has been just ghastly. I've been driving to work occasionally (1 mile), and I usually drive my son once a week to his Japanese tutor, then while he's there do the shopping. We've only ridden our bikes to Japanese once this winter. So I'm driving just slightly more than usual, but still only driving fewer than 15 or 20 miles / week. I plan to get rid of my vehicle this spring, partly because of gas prices, and partly because our household income has been slashed in half. I have a Zipcar membership, and the cars are only a mile from my house, parked where I work. It works out to be ridiculously cheaper to not have a vehicle and to walk or bike or Zip to activities, and it's only slightly less convenient to not have a vehicle. (The biggest challenge I've had so far is finding a natural deodorant that actually works!) I have only dragged my feet about getting rid of the van altogether because of the unusual snow / wind / rain we've had this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
prairiewindmomma Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Our vacation plans have changed. We are staying home on weekends. I bought, where possible, this year and next year's books as I was ordering homeschool curricula as I think shipping rates will probably increase. We are planting a much bigger garden this year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nicole M Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 Our vacation plans have changed. We are staying home on weekends. I bought, where possible, this year and next year's books as I was ordering homeschool curricula as I think shipping rates will probably increase. We are planting a much bigger garden this year. Oh. Yes, this. I had planned to drive out to Illinois to pick up my son from college in June, and swoop around the country to see friends and visit historical sites, but I don't think that can happen. Cross country driving trips were a big part of my childhood, epic "moments." It strange to think that my boys won't get to experience that. If the train were not quite so expensive, we could do the swoop that way, I suppose. We're also planting a bigger garden this year. I hadn't thought about shipping prices -- most of the curricula that we are using and plan to use we already own, because I'm taking basically the same route with my youngest as I did with my oldest. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Georgiana Daniels Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I want to change our driving habits, but we already culled extra trips back in '08 when the prices were high before. We never got back to doing extras. Right now we only drive when absolutely necessary, and combine trips. The extra $40 (or so) plus higher food prices really makes a difference. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristineW Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We're loving that the new place is within walking distance of BART, the library and grocery store. The only places we have to drive are preschool for DDs and to church. I saw a listing in our soon to be old neighborhood and was sad until I realized that where we live now is an additional 10 minutes each way from everything. My 11 year old Neon is on its last legs and mileage is definitely figuring into what we're considering for the new car. Christine W Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jody Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We combine trips as much as possible. We just have to cut other places. I use the library more than ever and not buy new books. Wait on reading the newest books till the library gets them and same with dvd's. Cooking from scratch, not buying clothing unless needed, and just staying home. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 We haven't changed our driving habits but we definitely do not like watching the gas prices go up. When we traded the van in last summer, I got a Hyundai Sonata because it gets almost 30 mpg. That was important for me since I drive 68 miles round trip twice a week to attend school. Everything else we do seems minimal compared to that. :tongue_smilie: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Desert Rat Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 It won't affect us as much now. But, dh just started back to work this month. If he were still unemployed it would have drastically affected us. As it is, even with my cleaning jobs and the boys' activities, etc. I put about $40 in the van every other Thursday. We're very lucky. I'm so grateful he's back to work! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fairfarmhand Posted March 4, 2011 Share Posted March 4, 2011 I've cut my driving in half. I've decided if milk goes up to $4 a gallon, I am buying a dairy animal. (I am not kidding. This is something I've considered for awhile) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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