travelinwifey

Yes, I am doing most of our shopping next to our house and I am staying in my neighborhood, fortunately I am close to the grocery stores, bank, post office, etc. My spouse cannot change his work route so he still ends up driving all over town. I'm too cheap and am really self-conscious of how much it costs me to drive to far away places these days.

Scarlett

We are SO lucky, that we drove across the US from Florida to Oregon before the prices went through the roof!
Tonight after filling our tank ($40-) my husband figured that it would cost us $1500-more for gas if we took that drive today.
*which is not gonna happen, ever! If gas cost 5 cents a gallon, I am not driving across the US again *

allovereurope

For all of you bemoaning the high gas prices, at least you're not the chucklehead who just bought a new SUV. Yep, that's me. Luckily the hubby takes the train in to work, so we only use the car to run errands. I'll be doing a lot more walking to the store from now on!

alya

Not really,

I'm a stay at home Mom, DH works from home, DS travels to school on the school bus (I bet they're suffering), It'll impact DD most she's in college (15 miles each way) and has 2 jobs but since she works at the local store - I'll give her a list and she can pick up the groceries

The weather is due to improve - i'll do my bit and stay home all day, the garden needs some work. I know, it's tough but what can you do?

To be serious. Last week (before the effects of Katrina)on Provo in the Turks and Caicos Islands we paid $4.35 for a gallon of gas - I know we don't feel it but we really are lucky that we pay so little for gas compared to other residents on this little planet we reside on.

Katrina has probably opened eyes, some in NO and the surrounding areas in a dreadful way and my thoughts are with anyone who is suffering from the fallout.

Others are potentially doing the same as me and bitching about the fact that it's rained for the last few days and gas prices are going up. At the end of the day we have a roof over our heads and food in our bellies - We really are lucky!

haynesnf

Not at all. I don't have a car. But it's over $3 a gallon in Chicago. Whoa!

BigJim

Anyone regret owning an SUV???

Tulips

Are you serious? Only 2.80? Is that per gallon? Here in Belgium we now pay 1.40 Euros per litre. Am I correct that a gallon is about 4.5 litre? That would be 6.30 Euro per gallon. It has not changed my lifestyle (but maybe I should cycle more instead of taking the car).

Budman

No, it's about 3.8 litres per gallon, but I get your drift. It has always been expensive in Europe.

Stephanie

I remember in the early 70s (I was under 10) that gas was $.45/gallon. This was over 30 yrs ago so now its $2.69-$3.00 in most people's areas so when you think about it in 33 yrs it has only gone up $2.50. Something not many people want to hear but think about it - with inflation not much. However, like everyone else I like cheap gas and the freedom to go on weekend daytrips or overnight vacations locally but that will be a luxury soon.

spartangirl

No because as it is my husband and I carpool and own a civic. He has a new job now about 10 minutes from me so we are forced to buy a second car (that will be good on gas) and we stillcar pool sometimes.

gail

I am a community health RN and I drive a lot - and most of it is in my 7 year old minivan (bought when I was hauling carpools of kids to sports, etc - now only have one at home but car is too big). I don't get mileage allowance (it is presumed to be built into per visit rate) and I can't very well tell my patients to stay healthy because gas is high.

I do most of my errands between home visits anyway.

I think the real question to the economy is what will people not be spending money on since they are spending it on gas. I am probably spending $30-40 more per week on gas - so that is $1500/year I am not spending elsewhere.

OldSouthernBelle

There was a panic rush on the stations in our area last night. Several totally without gas! Hope that isn't going to be the norm for awhile!

Belle.

jersey

We have an old SUV that now sits in the garage. We bought it over six years ago when all my five children lived at home (and three dogs). We have used it for so many trips lugging stuff back and forth to college. But its too expensive to drive now and I can't afford a new car. So DH and I share the other car.

My husband works at home as much as possible so that cuts down on the cost of buying gas. And we carpool whenever possible. But living in the "boonies", as my kids say, there is no mass transit. And anything you need, you have to drive to get. So, yes, this has affected our lifestyle.

BTilke

My husband has a car that he uses for work (in Brussels), which is a diesel that gets about 30 mpg. He fills the tank about once a month.
Over here in the UK, where we live (my husband Eurostars back and forth between Brussels and the UK), we don't even have a car. And even though we live out in the burbs where everybody seems to drive everywhere, we don't miss it that much. There is a bus a couple of times an hour, downtown is only a 2 mile walk away, London is only 35 minutes away by train (we have NO interest in driving to London), and when we really need to go someplace, we use a regular cab service. We spend about $200 a month on cab fare, but for that we get driven around in a nice new Mercedes. We'd spend more than that each month on insurance and gas alone if we owned a car.
There is even a pet shuttle service, so when our dog needs to go to the vet, we don't have to worry about driving.
One of these days we will probably get a car, but until then, we find it surprisingly easy to get by without one.
Will people also be living lives differently when the cost of heating their homes goes through the roof this winter?
My brother, who lives in Philly, contacted a local church in one of the poorest neighborhoods and made arrangements to pay the heating bills of an elderly lady living along on a (very small) fixed income. He's never met her (and doesn't really want to).

dcespedes

Great timing, Scarlett!

"Anyone regret driving an SUV?" No.

Shane

With a 100 mile round trip commute, I am very much an exurban citizen. The price hikes in gas have strained the family finances and less money is spent on other things- restaurants, appliances that the family could use etc.. These sorts of expense cuts among tens of millions of Americans will filter down into the economy and almost certainly weaken economic growth in the USA and the world. Thought this is not a political site and I will not eleaborate further, I would imagine that the Democrats will make serious gains in the 2006 American elections and possibly pave the way for a Hillary Clinton presidency in 2009.

Vittrad

I have a question for those who live in exurban burbs. And please do not take this wrong, no insult is intended, but why did you chose to live ther? (or are their other mitigating factors and it isn't so much a 'choice', as I fully acknowledge that one does not always have the privledge of 'chosing' where they live). I understand wanting to move away from a city, my parents moved to what could be considered an exburb in northwest indiana from the inner-ring chicago burb I grew up in, but they don't have to commute into the city for work (my mom works locallly and my father from home) but many of their neighbors do. I've lived in the city proper for years now, but work with a lot of people who live in both inner and outer burbs, and it it seems the people who live in the outer burbs have the worst commuting stories, and spend a lot of time complaining about their commute, which makes me wonder, why would you do that? I can understand that cost of living and schools may indeed be a factor, but surely there are affordable communities with decent schools withing a reasonable distance of where one works.

Vittrad

oh, I wish I could edit, I really do know the difference between there, their, and they're. really I do

Rocky

I have to agree with Peterboy. This shouldn't be a surprise for anyone. Gas has been relatively cheap for us for years... and I am not only talking about the monitary price. Yesterday I saw a Hummer with a handicap sign in its window. Not only does this ridicules vehicle get 9 miles to the gallon, it's impossible to get in and out of. It's just a symbol of how spoiled our society has gotten. The only time we deal with these issues is when they hit our pocketbooks. It's sad!

SAnParis

No, I only fill up my vehicle about once every 10-14 days. Sometimes longer if I am traveling for business (or pleasure). Our expenditures for gas are relatively low anyway, although we are thinking of trading in my wifes Tribute for an Escape hybird (which is basically the same car).