How do rising gas prices affect your family?

[NotAVampireLvr]

With the gas prices rising again (and continuing to rise) I'm curious how it affects your family?

 

We have a long commute to church twice a week that will have to be cut back to once a week if gas goes over $4/gallon. I'm much less willing to drive places and I find myself combining errands to save on gas in a way that I'm not used to having to do. DH also has a 45 minute commute to and from work 5 days a week.

 

We're also cutting corners in other areas of our budget because money that is supposed to be going to home repairs is being spent in gas and rising food prices. (we bought a fixer-upper for a steal in 2010).

Edited March 8, 2012 by NotAVampireLvr

[JenC3]

We're lucky in that they don't. My dh works from home and I combine grocery shopping with my dd's ballet and a playdate with ds's tennis lessons. Church is 25 minutes away, but that is only once a week.

[cathmom]

What it means for us is that we can buy less food. Period. We live in a rural location 20 miles from most places. We cannot really cut back our driving at all. It sucks. Rising gas prices make me sick to my stomach.

[melissad2]

What it means for us is that we can buy less food. Period. We live in a rural location 20 miles from most places. We cannot really cut back our driving at all. It sucks. Rising gas prices make me sick to my stomach.

:iagree:

[newbie]

It makes my decision of if I will take a job or not. Currently petsitting and location and how many time a wk., is a huge consideration.

 

Also, in consideration of new jobs, like to keep to five mile radius.

[Wendi]

My husband works 45 min. away from home 3-4 days a week (he can telecommute once or twice a week). And I am taking ds to neurofeedback 35 min. away three times a week. So we're definitely feeling the pinch. We haven't made any drastic cuts yet, just saving less. Neurofeedback should be done in a month, and we'll see how our budget is, and how gas prices are, then.

 

Dh may try to telecommute more often if he can, too.

 

Wendi

[Amy in TX]

It means now I pay $60 to fill my minivan twice a week, or else not taking my dd to her cc classes and to the gym, or not taking my other dc to their YMCA classes and scout meetings.

 

There is no public transportation where I live--ugh.

[frugalmama]

It doesn't effect us at all. We've used public transit as our only means of transportation for 3 years now. $30 a month gets me unlimited rides, and dd is free until she turns 6, then she will pay $30 for a student semester pass that is good for 5 months.

[jennsmile]

It is horrid. DH drives 1 hour each way to work. I am 30 minutes from the nearest town for groceries. We combine as much as possible. I head to town for cubs, shopping, dinner with parents.

 

We moved before gas got crazy. I keep mentioning moving but dh likes living here. Of course i was the one who wanted to live here in the first place. :001_smile:

[Tess in the Burbs]

right now it's not. $4 is my line in the sand where we will be doing less. but as I look to summer only dd will have gymnastics twice weekly and it's only a few miles. I stay and not drive home during the class.

 

ds has scouts and will have camp this summer but dh is volunteering so again, only one trip there daily.

 

Come fall I may only allow the scouts and gymnastics to continue and drop Awana and not offer other activities this year.

 

If it gets higher than $4 we will be home a lot. It cuts into our food budget and with that rising as well something has to give. I will probably buy less clothes too this summer and into fall. I wash every 3rd day so in theory 4 outfits is all they need right? :tongue_smilie:

[justamouse]

No vacation. :glare:

 

Thankfully now that everything is close, I use about a tank every three weeks. But we're still doing staycation this year.

[Mom22ns]

We're lucky, it doesn't.

 

Dh works from home so we don't have work mileage. However, we live in a fairly rural area. We know we will have to drive everywhere we want to go. That includes church 3x/week (10 miles each way), gymnastics 4-5x/week (12 mies each way), band 2x/week (20 miles each way), private instrument lessons, the grocery store, and anything else we actually want to do. The gas bills go up, but I trim small unnoticed things and cover it.

[QueenCat]

So far, it really isn't. I've based our gas budget on $50/tank for a couple of years, and mostly gone under. We're just hitting where it takes the full $50. I'm guessing we'd have to make changes if it gets closer to $75, which I don't see happening in our vehicles for a while. Dh wouldn't be making changes as most of his gas is for work. I'm eternally grateful that we are still no where near what most Europeans pay for gas.....

[lailasmum]

It has definitely affected us. I have stopped doing the longer trips to home ed social groups that I used to do nearly every week. It costs a fortune especially as insurance has gone up the last year too.

 

We are thinking of getting rid of one car this year and just keeping my car which dh will use as it's much newer and in better condition. He works away from home so he can't do without a car. The public transport system is pretty bad here as it we are rural but I will have to learn to live with it.

[Susan in TN]

We're fortunate to live within a 15 minute drive of almost everywhere we go - dh work, church, stores, extra curricular activities. 4 times per week we have activities 45 minutes away, but those are temporary and will only last a couple more months, thank goodness. It's possible that if gas prices go up a whole lot more, we'll have to make a few driving and/or budgeting adjustments.

 

Our local grocery store gives "gas rewards" on it's customer card and I've found a gas station close to one of our "far away" activities that I stop at to buy gas each week. This particular station is usually 10 to 15 cents cheaper than the ones near home, and I can usually get 20 to 30 cents off per gallon in addition with the customer card. That means I can save $12-$15 per fill-up of our 12-passenger van.

[Mergath]

We're walking a lot more. :tongue_smilie:

 

We are lucky enough to live within easy walking distance of a grocery store, the library, four playgrounds, my dh's workplace, two museums, two thrift stores, and the downtown area with all the little shops. It's a pain on the colder days, but if the temp is up above twenty, I bundle up dd and we walk everywhere we need to go. In the summer, dh bikes to work, and we hardly use the car at all. It's how we've gotten by sharing one car for years.

[Mommee & Baba]

My dh works 45min away. He makes the drive both ways 5 days a week. Our car does decent gas mileage, however we purchased a motorcycle for him 3 years ago and this year we had 100% intention on selling it for us to get another vehicle. Now that we see the gas prices I have NO intention of selling it now. He will have to ride it as much as weather permits this year to save us on gas!

[Stayseeliz]

My husband is an insurance salesman and drives a lot so of course that will hurt us. Thankfully he has a little sedan that gets good mileage but it will still hurt us. All our homeschool activities are in a different city so we might have to cut some things out so I drive a minivan.

[Princess Peach]

We are lucky in that it really doesn't. We live very close by to DH's work, the stores, etc. It does cost more to visit our parents out of state, but they usually help us out and it's only twice a year or so.

[Sputterduck]

Well, I have to commute to America once a week now and that's costing 100 dollars per week just in gas now, which I don't have.

[Tammyla]

I drive less and less and feel like being sick at the gas station.

 

Our city bus system is next to useless.

[MHowell]

I drive for a living, and put 100,000 miles on my last vehicle in a little over 2 years, so yeah, we feel the pinch.

 

We have a policy in place to charge gas surcharges but I am trying REALLY hard to avoid charging it. We are already over the surcharge price here.

 

I'm working really hard to loop all my driving instead of multiple trips out of the house or back tracking. I used google driving directions to figure out the best route for the business that saved me about 40 minutes of driving every week.

 

I also started budgeting for EVERYTHING. We are down to $140 a week for food (breakfast, dinner and kids lunches), I have a separate budget for my lunches, since I am always out. If it gets much worse I might start brown bagging it on the 3 days I usually eat out. I am not shopping at all right now, and I'm starting to miss my friends. I hadn't realized how much our friendships revolved around shopping trips.

[Kari C in SC]

It means I sit in the parking lot at a LOT of my dd's activities. She had a 3 hour gymnastics class twice a week. It is a half hour there and back. I used to come home or go run errands (ie shopping for things I didn't really need). Now, I take my books, laptop, etc. Anything I can work on away from home and I just stay. I am actually enjoying the quiet time. My mom watches my ds while I go to these things. Other than that - I just try to combine trips as much as I can. It is CRAZY that I spend more on GAS getting to gymnastics that I actually spend on the lessons.

[5wolfcubs]

Gas prices are hurting us also. :(

 

My husband calculated driving to work (near DC) vs taking the train. They used to be about even, but now the train is a bit cheaper so he is trying that this month.

 

I'd like to get to the point where I only leave the house 2-3 times a week in the car, right now it is 4-5.

 

Our kids currently have two fun activities: archery and ice skating. Archery is $3.25/kid and ice skating is $1/kid. But with the cost of gas combined with distance to each, it is about $20 per activity. Which is still a good deal because most lessons around here are $20/kid. However we've decided we can only afford do one activity a week instead of two, so we are alternating those two things.

 

We can walk about 1/2 a mile to a shopping center that has a Petsmart, KMart, and an asian food store. I'm contemplating walking to the library...but it is 1.5 miles away and across a very busy street.

 

:grouphug: To everyone struggling!

[Aggie]

It is naive to think that gas prices don't or won't affect you.

 

We will see a price increase in everything that is transported by trucks. Food, clothing, furniture, etc will go up.

 

Think about milk. The farmer is going to have to raise his prices because he's paying more for gas and everything else. The processing plant has to pick up milk and deliver it. That is 3 times the price of a gallon of milk has gone up before it gets to the store.

 

Public transportation prices will increase. Those buses run on....gasoline.

 

That flower store down the street? Their costs will go up. They might have to let one or two employees go right away. When the rest of the community is feeling the pinch of high gas prices, one thing they will cut out is flowers. It won't be too long before the flower shop won't be able to afford to stay open.

 

Our dojo owner has to support his family. He will have to raise his rates. Because we can't afford to drive there 2 times a week, we won't be customers any longer. How long will he be able to stay open? When the dojo closes, he and his 2-3 employees are out of a job.

 

Our dance studio owner's husband commutes. His salary won't rise to keep up with gas prices. She'll have to raise the cost of classes to keep her family afloat. There's another thing our family will have to cut out. If she closes the studio, she and her 5 teachers are out of a job.

 

The cost of building homes will rise. Fewer people will build, meaning small and large building supply stores will feel the rising gas costs. How many people will Lowe's and HD lay off?

 

Rising gas prices will affect you. Everyone except the few self-sustaining families will feel the pinch. We can count on higher unemployment, incredibly high food costs, and a lower standard of living. Please don't think you (unless you are incredibly wealthy and have unlimited resources) will escape the effects of high gas prices.

Edited March 8, 2012 by Aggie

[4everHis]

It is naive to think that gas prices don't or won't affect you.

 

We will see a price increase in everything that is transported by trucks. Food, clothing, furniture, etc will go up.

 

Think about milk. The farmer is going to have to raise his prices because he's paying more for gas and everything else. The processing plant has to pick up milk and deliver it. That is 3 times the price of a gallon of milk has gone up before it gets to the store.

 

Public transportation prices will increase. Those buses run on....gasoline.

 

That flower store down the street? Their costs will go up. They might have to let one or two employees go right away. When the rest of the community is feeling the pinch of high gas prices, one thing they will cut out is flowers. It won't be too long before the flower shop won't be able to afford to stay open.

 

Our dojo owner has to support his family. He will have to raise his rates. Because we can't afford to drive there 2 times a week, we won't be customers any longer. How long will he be able to stay open? When the dojo closes, he and his 2-3 employees are out of a job.

 

Our dance studio owner's husband commutes. His salary won't rise to keep up with gas prices. She'll have to raise the cost of classes to keep her family afloat. There's another thing our family will have to cut out. If she closes the studio, she and her 5 teachers are out of a job.

 

The cost of building homes will rise. Fewer people will build, meaning small and large building supply stores will feel the rising gas costs. How many people will Lowe's and HD lay off?

 

Rising gas prices will affect you. Everyone except the few self-sustaining families will feel the pinch. We can count on higher unemployment, incredibly high food costs, and a lower standard of living. Please don't think you (unless you are incredibly wealthy and have unlimited resources) will escape the effects of high gas prices.

 

unfortunately. . . :iagree:

[QueenCat]

It is naive to think that gas prices don't or won't affect you.

 

We will see a price increase in everything that is transported by trucks. Food, clothing, furniture, etc will go up.

 

Think about milk. The farmer is going to have to raise his prices because he's paying more for gas and everything else. The processing plant has to pick up milk and deliver it. That is 3 times the price of a gallon of milk has gone up before it gets to the store.

 

Public transportation prices will increase. Those buses run on....gasoline.

 

That flower store down the street? Their costs will go up. They might have to let one or two employees go right away. When the rest of the community is feeling the pinch of high gas prices, one thing they will cut out is flowers. It won't be too long before the flower shop won't be able to afford to stay open.

 

Our dojo owner has to support his family. He will have to raise his rates. Because we can't afford to drive there 2 times a week, we won't be customers any longer. How long will he be able to stay open? When the dojo closes, he and his 2-3 employees are out of a job.

 

Our dance studio owner's husband commutes. His salary won't rise to keep up with gas prices. She'll have to raise the cost of classes to keep her family afloat. There's another thing our family will have to cut out. If she closes the studio, she and her 5 teachers are out of a job.

 

The cost of building homes will rise. Fewer people will build meaning small and large building supply stores will feel the rising gas costs. How many people will Lowe's and HD lay off?

 

Rising gas prices will affect you. Everyone except the few self-sustaining families will feel the pinch. We can count on higher unemployment, incredibly high food costs, and a lower standard of living. Please don't think you (unless you are incredibly wealthy and have unlimited resources) will escape the effects of high gas prices.

 

I disagree. I don't think the adjustments to living will be that extreme, especially not in the long run. I think rising gas prices will not be as extreme as you think. And that we will be pursuing alternate forms of energy at a much faster pace than we currently are doing. By we, I mean our society as a whole, especially the U.S. society.

[momto2Cs]

We've been trying to tighten down our budget for some time, and rising gas prices (which in turn affect grocery prices, etc.) are definitely burdensome. We drive a small car, so we get good mileage thankfully.

 

DH rides his bike to work every day, 3 miles each way. I would if I could, but I have to drop the kids off at my mom's in the morning (1.5 miles) before driving 8 miles to work.

 

I combine errands as much as possible, mapquest shortest routes, and we walk the 3 blocks and back for ds's piano lessons. When I drive my aging father around for dr's appointments, prescription pickups and so forth, I always bring a book with me so I can wait comfortably in the car.

 

I think having a good veggie garden this spring/summer/fall will help cut costs in general, and give us a tiny bit more flexibility with gas!

[HollyDay]

Well, it was certainly a factor. We are not driving as much and combining trips every time now. We are also having to tighten other areas of the budget such as groceries and misc.

[elegantlion]

It means we need to get the other car running again, better gas mileage, but we don't have the money to do so. Dh drives over 30 minutes one way to work. He's been having to work every 3rd weekend too, which is another two days of driving. That's going away soon, so that will be better. I don't have a (working) car during the day.

[Lara in Colo]

Agree with Aggie, this will effect all parts of our lives.

 

I don't really go anywhere (maybe 20 miles a week in the van, to church and the grocery store). DH goes to work every day so this will hurt us here.

 

The cost of shipping will go up, and thus any business that transports their inventory (which is just about everyone) will see a price increase.

We will probably let our part time employees go and since our business product takes 6 months to make, we will be taking a loss on the projects that were priced in October, but completed this month (since supplies have increased in price but our estimate has to be within 5% of the original).

[Aggie]

I disagree. I don't think the adjustments to living will be that extreme, especially not in the long run. I think rising gas prices will not be as extreme as you think. And that we will be pursuing alternate forms of energy at a much faster pace than we currently are doing. By we, I mean our society as a whole, especially the U.S. society.

 

I keep hearing this, but I don't see any evidence of it. Do you have any links I could follow?

 

Several weeks ago I heard that gas prices are expected to be $5 by summer and $6 by fall. In our home, that is extreme, as dh's salary won't be going up at the same rate.

 

Think of the few small businesses in your area. It will be near impossible for them to stay open if gas hits $5-6. It's simple economics. If they can't stay open, and with unemployment already being so high, it can only mean that more people will be hurt by rising gas prices. If you have a credible source explaining otherwise, I'd love to read it. :001_smile:

[Aggie]

Agree with Aggie, this will effect all parts of our lives.

 

I don't really go anywhere (maybe 20 miles a week in the van, to church and the grocery store). DH goes to work every day so this will hurt us here.

 

The cost of shipping will go up, and thus any business that transports their inventory (which is just about everyone) will see a price increase.

We will probably let our part time employees go and since our business product takes 6 months to make, we will be taking a loss on the projects that were priced in October, but completed this month (since supplies have increased in price but our estimate has to be within 5% of the original).

 

I'm so sorry. I do think it's businesses like yours that will take the biggest hit initially. :grouphug:

[QueenCat]

I keep hearing this, but I don't see any evidence of it. Do you have any links I could follow?

 

Several weeks ago I heard that gas prices are expected to be $5 by summer and $6 by fall. In our home, that is extreme, as dh's salary won't be going up at the same rate.

 

Think of the few small businesses in your area. It will be near impossible for them to stay open if gas hits $5-6. It's simple economics. If they can't stay open, and with unemployment already being so high, it can only mean that more people will be hurt by rising gas prices. If you have a credible source explaining otherwise, I'd love to read it. :001_smile:

 

Links, no.... I generally listen to NPR on the radio. NPR is a credible source. I guess I just don't believe we'll see gas hit that $5-6, or if we do, it will be very short term, like the last time it went over $4. Unemployment has been going down, not up, which you can find at any reputable news source. Not going to debate which of us is more credible. This is simply my opinion on what I see happening, from listening to NPR, watching the evening news, past research, talking to people, etc.

[TGHEALTHYMOM]

:confused: I am trying not to worry, but for the past few years I have been combining many errands, and mapping my best route to get tons done in one day.

 

We go to church 1 -2 times per week and have to be picky about what field trips, or youth events we sign our kids up for. We live 12,25,40 miles and farther from places we have to get groceries.

 

 

Diesel rising so high puts my husband's job and many others at high risk.

He is Director of a sheltered workshop and they have to use trucks to deliver and pick up materials. Everyone is cutting corners as much as possible and that is putting heavy demands on the drivers. Driving me crazy with calls every weekend to dh at a moment's notice he may have to go himself, or make several calls to work it out.

 

Other gov. mandates are causing chaos and threatening businesses, dh's included. I worry he will have a heart attack and already has a stent close to his heart.

[LibraryLover]

We try to combine trips as much as possible, and we do walk and bike when able.

 

The fact remains that we pay more monthly for gasoline than we do for food (and we buy local and organic as much as posssible. We eat well.)

 

During the building boom after WWII, we created suburbs with cars in mind, not public transport. We are paying dearly for that. I still don't understand why we continue to build and build, without taking commuting into account. I want to scream at the lack of decent public transportation in so many areas. I live near a city that had a fabulous public transport system before 'everyone' had a car. It was mostly completely dismantled in the the mid 1950's. It would be to everyone's benefit if we could rethink and rebuild a decent system.

Edited March 8, 2012 by LibraryLover

[Gingerbread Mama]

It is hurting us hugely. Is that a word? LOL

 

My DH works/lives in IL (as he can't do his kind of work in our area), we live in TN because this is where my family is, this is where the kids started school. Our goal is to move to be with DH at some point but we have to sell our house, plus DH's work puts him in areas for anywhere from 6-18 months which would mean moving OFTEN... Anyway, part of the lure of homeschool was the ability to travel more frequently to be with DH. Well, it is about $100 to fill my Expedition up (but that gets us just over 1/2 way to Chicago) making it $200 one way... Cheaper than flying us all but still a headache when you add up round trip (plus food, we did pack picnic last time and that cut out a lot of spending...)

 

Oh, we also live in a rural area. We have....drumroll please....a Walmart! If I want a big library, actual grocery store/variety of foods, clothing stores....then I must travel at least 30 min. The shopping/amenities get better the further away from us you get, so 1 hr away is even better, 2 hours is the optimal area. I hate, HATE, being here >:(

Edited March 8, 2012 by Gingerbread Mama

[Hilltop]

I have always tried to combine my errands and will continue to do so. I have tried to curb quick trips to the store for a single ingredient by sticking to my meal plan, making a grocery list, and calling a neighbor to borrow an item if I don't have it in my pantry.

 

Rising gas prices will affect our camping trips this summer. We will definitely choose locations closer to home and limit out-of-state trips.

[LibraryLover]

Trains and Mega Buses can often be options.

Edited March 10, 2012 by LibraryLover

[MSNative]

It is naive to think that gas prices don't or won't affect you.

 

We will see a price increase in everything that is transported by trucks. Food, clothing, furniture, etc will go up.

 

Think about milk. The farmer is going to have to raise his prices because he's paying more for gas and everything else. The processing plant has to pick up milk and deliver it. That is 3 times the price of a gallon of milk has gone up before it gets to the store.

 

Public transportation prices will increase. Those buses run on....gasoline.

 

That flower store down the street? Their costs will go up. They might have to let one or two employees go right away. When the rest of the community is feeling the pinch of high gas prices, one thing they will cut out is flowers. It won't be too long before the flower shop won't be able to afford to stay open.

 

Our dojo owner has to support his family. He will have to raise his rates. Because we can't afford to drive there 2 times a week, we won't be customers any longer. How long will he be able to stay open? When the dojo closes, he and his 2-3 employees are out of a job.

 

Our dance studio owner's husband commutes. His salary won't rise to keep up with gas prices. She'll have to raise the cost of classes to keep her family afloat. There's another thing our family will have to cut out. If she closes the studio, she and her 5 teachers are out of a job.

 

The cost of building homes will rise. Fewer people will build, meaning small and large building supply stores will feel the rising gas costs. How many people will Lowe's and HD lay off?

 

Rising gas prices will affect you. Everyone except the few self-sustaining families will feel the pinch. We can count on higher unemployment, incredibly high food costs, and a lower standard of living. Please don't think you (unless you are incredibly wealthy and have unlimited resources) will escape the effects of high gas prices.

 

:iagree:

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I already had to push ds's speech therapy to once monthly, I may have to cut that. I can't go to physical therapy.

 

If I can figure out how to afford music lessons, we will have to walk which means we will not be able to do lessons year round (too darn cold!).

 

I may try to go food shopping every other week instead of weekly. We can walk to the farmers' market May-October for weekly fruits and veggies. I'm also going to attempt a garden this year (if the LL allows it).

[LibraryLover]

Every word you write is truth.

 

It is naive to think that gas prices don't or won't affect you.

 

We will see a price increase in everything that is transported by trucks. Food, clothing, furniture, etc will go up.

 

Think about milk. The farmer is going to have to raise his prices because he's paying more for gas and everything else. The processing plant has to pick up milk and deliver it. That is 3 times the price of a gallon of milk has gone up before it gets to the store.

 

Public transportation prices will increase. Those buses run on....gasoline.

 

That flower store down the street? Their costs will go up. They might have to let one or two employees go right away. When the rest of the community is feeling the pinch of high gas prices, one thing they will cut out is flowers. It won't be too long before the flower shop won't be able to afford to stay open.

 

Our dojo owner has to support his family. He will have to raise his rates. Because we can't afford to drive there 2 times a week, we won't be customers any longer. How long will he be able to stay open? When the dojo closes, he and his 2-3 employees are out of a job.

 

Our dance studio owner's husband commutes. His salary won't rise to keep up with gas prices. She'll have to raise the cost of classes to keep her family afloat. There's another thing our family will have to cut out. If she closes the studio, she and her 5 teachers are out of a job.

 

The cost of building homes will rise. Fewer people will build, meaning small and large building supply stores will feel the rising gas costs. How many people will Lowe's and HD lay off?

 

Rising gas prices will affect you. Everyone except the few self-sustaining families will feel the pinch. We can count on higher unemployment, incredibly high food costs, and a lower standard of living. Please don't think you (unless you are incredibly wealthy and have unlimited resources) will escape the effects of high gas prices.

[Butter]

We only put gas in the car or van at Costco. They used to be about 4 cents cheaper (than the next cheapest). Since gas prices skyrocketed again they're 15-20 cents cheaper. We bought a new car for my husband last May. We chose the one we got because it gets excellent gas mileage (he averages 34 mpg in stop and go traffic to and from work). He was driving our old minivan to and from work (and pretty much killed the thing) so we figured up 6 months ago the difference between the costs for the van only vs. van plus his car was $100 added to the budget a month, including the car's monthly payment because of the decrease in cost of gas. Sometimes my husband works in DC and he always takes the bus when he does (still has to drive 10 minutes to get to the commuter lot, though). It costs more per trip even factoring wear and tear on the car to take the bus, but the wear and tear on his nerves makes the bus worth the extra dollar or so a day.

 

Sometimes I wish we were back in the same city where Jamie works again, but that's not an option. He was a 15 minute walk from work then. But we moved here to help out my parents so going back is not an option. My husband is considering switching to an alternate work schedule (4 days one week/5 days the next) and telecommutes sometimes. He's considering switching jobs to a full-time telecommuting one and that's partly related to gas prices (not totally, though).

 

As for my own driving, I haven't changed anything. I have never been one to be on the go in the first place. We live in the middle of nowhere (6 miles from town) and the closest town sort of has public transportation, but not really, and it's not useful if you have to drive there in the first place anyway.

[Aelwydd]

 

Public transportation prices will increase. Those buses run on....gasoline.

 

 

I just wanted to say, that while I agree with everything else you said, the devil in me just had to point out that...our buses run on 100% natural gas. :D

 

That said, we're currently trying to sell a second car (it's paid off, but insurance will go down a bit). That leaves our minivan, which we are seriously looking to trade in for something that runs on diesel, like a VW Jetta TDI, or something similar. Diesel is more expensive than gas, but the vehicles we're looking at more than double the gas mileage we get with the minivan. Since we only have one kid, there's no sense in keeping such a large vehicle. I'll be sad to see it go though!

 

Our community is situated very close to a train station, which would be freaking awesome if my workplace actually was close to public transit. Which it is not. :thumbdown:

 

However, I couldn't just go and find something that pays the same salary, so I'll just have to live with the commute (about 11 miles each way).

[kalanamak]

When I lost my vanpool, we moved closer to work. At first I thought I'd hate not having acreage and having close neighbors, but it hasn't been bad. My neighbors are nice.

 

 

Now that prices are going up again, we went from a minivan to Subaru. I barely drive anywhere, and hubby appears committed to slowing down and pushing gently on the pedal. He has a gauge in the car that tells him if he's wasting gas. FEEDBACK works.

[QueenCat]

I just wanted to say, that while I agree with everything else you said, the devil in me just had to point out that...our buses run on 100% natural gas.

 

The bus system in our city is converting to natural gas. About half of the buses have already been converted. I believe they will be fully converted by the end of this calendar year.

[DawnM]

Scout is the big one for us. It is 15 miles away or so and we often go more than once a week if there is something extra going on. It is well worth it to us to go to that scout troop though (homeschool, Christian, etc...)

 

We have changed churches and now drive one mile!!!!! Bible study is 3 miles away once a week as well.

 

Homeschool group and activities are often 15 miles away, but we will just have to combine those with errands.

 

What I try to do is spend close to the same amount on gas no matter what the cost is.....so higher prices will just mean fewer trips.....not as many "just to get out of the house" trips.

 

Dh works 25 miles away, but 13 of those miles is on the train and a train pass is $54/month. Well worth it as parking at his work is over $200/mo and the train stop parking is free.

 

Dawn

[Lisbeth]

It just means the roads are less crowded. I use major couponing incentives to keep our prices low. However, if friends stop wanting to go on mutual outings, that could start to hurt. There has already been some talk of that.

[Lisbeth]

High prices/ inflation for food, gas, etc have been coming for a long time. Certain economists have been sounding the warning siren. Our Church has always taught self-reliance. The time was def 2 yrs ago to get a serious program in place to coupon, learn to grow food, store food as an inflation hedge, etc, but it's not too late to do some good for yourself even now. We have spent two yrs getting a safety net in place, including a plan if dh loses his job. I highly recommend it. The stress level over these things drops and it is a nice feeling to be prepared. Even if things get better, it is always great to save a bunch of money...why spend more if you don't have to?

[Mommy22alyns]

We just don't go into the city much at all, which stinks because there's nothing good where we live. DH works about 45 minutes away and there's no cutting back there. The girls' activities except for co-op are all in town. Co-op isn't going away either. So the only way to cut back is to not go into the city to shop.