$3.50/gallon Gas - How will that change your behavior?

[Marker]

So the news this morning is saying they're predicting a national average of $3.50/gallon gas by summer.

This made me wonder how this effect people. Would it alter their behaviors any.

I'm already working from home 1 day each week, I figured that cut my personal consumption by 20% ( at least where driving to work is concerned). And on the days I go to work, I've shifted my schedule so as to avoid the heavy traffic.

I got rid of my mustang (16-18 mpg) and now drive an Escape (24-26 mpg).

My commute is 30 miles each way, but I don't see moving in my future (this house will be paid off in about 4 years).

I may attempt to work from home another day each week if I can get away with it (and if I'm not laid off in the meantime).

It will make me rethink weekend road trips.

[disneydrmr]

We'll just be eating out less and spending less money on 'extras' . Have no option to work from home. My daily commute is about 40 miles round trip each day.. most of that spent in slow moving traffic. So what should be only about a 10 to 15 minute commute can take up to 1/2 hour. I see a lot of staying home and playing board games in our future.

[JanetMegan]

Well luckily with my new short commute I can save a lot of gas in that way, but as a company owner who pays for gas for all of my employees we will need to add some money to our job quotes to cover it. Also as someone who spends almost every weekend on the lake on a jetski or in a boat I think the prices for gas at the Marina's will be up to almost $5.

[tink2006]

I have a very short commute to work, about 7 minutes. However, we live in a very small town that does not have much to offer in the way of stores (we have one grocery store and a Walmart). The nearest "big" town is about a 45 minute drive. Since we can't (or won't) buy everything at Walmart, we have no other choice but to make this commute almost every weekend.

I remember last year, about this time, they were talking about $4.00/gallon for the summer. Luckily it did not get quite so high. I guess I am an optimist and am hoping that they will miscalculate once again.

Either way, we are heading to WDW in July so I will keep my fingers crossed :mickey:

[vicster]

Yikes - we have a camper that gets around 9 mpg so who knows how much camping we'll do this summer. We use to take it to WDW and stay at FW but for the past few years we haven't done that because of gas prices - it's just not worth it. Luckily I work about 3 miles from home so that's not a problem.

[DizneyRox]

I've changed my driving habits somewhat. Use cruise control more, etc. I've overinflated my tires to get better mileage, etc. Try to consolidate trips, buy more at the stores so as to not go out as often, etc.

Other than that, we're talking about a few cents differnce really. In all honesty, it's not enough to break the bank, or it shouldn't be. While I'm not happy about it, in the grand scheme, if that's major issue, then I've probably got bigger issues than gas.

[Ian]

I'll believe it when I see it. They've predicted this same thing like two years running now and it hasn't happened yet.

Why? Simple supply and demand ... when the prices go up too high, people change their habits and demand drops. Thus, prices drop.

But if it did hit $3.50 a gallon it wouldn't change much for me. I mean in reality how much does that extra really cost me?

I use about a tank of gas every 10 days in my Tahoe. That's about three tanks a month. I have a 22 gallon tank. At $2.96/gallon (current price) it costs me about $65 to fill my tank or about $195 a month. At $3.50 a gallon it would cost me $77 a tank or $231 a month. So a whopping difference of about $36 a month.

Hardly anything worth getting upset or drastically changing habits over.

[Jeff]

No change here.
I'll get in my Trailblazer and hopefully soon, another Chevy 4x4 truck and drive happy and safe. After getting hit head-on by a drunk last January I won't ever drive a small vehicle. God and my Chevy Truck saved the lives of my daughter and me. No one need ever lecture me about driving green and getting great milage - I'll gladly pay extra and drive big the rest of my life.

I paid $1.00 per gallon while in college working minimum wage, back in 1979. Now that I make many times what I did then, I won't complain about $3 or even $3.50.

[Terra]

I'll believe it when I see it. They've predicted this same thing like two years running now and it hasn't happened yet.


I was thinking the same thing...I think I even had a friend who said one news story that last summer it was going to hit close to $4 a gallon! :secret:

Anyway I will say for us one income families [my husband is an Exceptional Student Educator for our county school system...
That we already live on a budget and watch what we spend and how much we go out...
So we would/will continue to do it...
I already try to make sure that I do all my errands in pretty much one day if I can...I plan out things I want to do in advance...
Like if I want to go to visit my friend who lives 40 miles from me or Disney which is about an hour I wait until it is more feasible...I just don't go out on a whim driving around for a 100 miles....LOL

I did want to say though that for some people it IS a hard stretch with gas being a bit higher...so don't be too hard on us people who may be "poorer"....Shoot as we all know teachers should be paid more but sadly it is not the case...
And we choose for me to be a stay at home mom...so it's not necessarily about "having bigger problems" or issues...it is about what we are willing to sacrifice for our family...
Okay off my soapbox...he he...

[Cinderelley]

Things won't change too much for us. I drive to work 3 or 4 days a week (depending on if I work overtime) which is a 20 minute drive. I drive to my doctor's appointments and take my kids to their jobs. DH drives to work and back (20 minutes also) Mon - Fri. We do errands together on a weekend day. Our summer vacation might be a bit more expensive - driving to Yosemite- but we'll just save a little more before we go.

DH says the hardest hit people will be ones who live up north on a limited income. Something about the oil prices being too much for them to heat their houses. That would be horrible!

[BrerGnat]

Gas has already gotten HIGHER than $3.50/gallon here in the past.

When it happens, other than doing a double take when I pull in to fill up, nothing else in our life is really affected by it. I suppose if we were REALLY strapped for money each month, it might make a difference, but as Ian said, when you consider that it's usually a difference of $20-40 per month for MOST people, it's nothing to get excited about.

Now, for those who commute huge distances each day or drive for a living, I could see it being an issue.

I just fill up at Costco as much as possible...at least I feel like I'm getting a deal when I do that.

[adoptionislove]

I don't think it will change us much.

I drive a Suburban (I know, I know) and my husband drives a 300. I am a stay at home mom and I only put about 3 miles a day on the car. So, no it won't change my spending or savings habit!

[Ian]

The one place it will hurt me (as Janet already mentioned) is in marine gas.

My boat has a 45 gallon tank and it cost me like $3.90 a gallon last year to fill up on the lake. It could go to $4.50 or even $5.00 a gallon this season (if this rumor comes true this time) and that would definitely curtail my boating habits.

Boats do not exactly get good "mileage" (especially if you're towing a skiier or a tube). I only get maybe 4-5 hours out of a tank, so you can imagine how often I have to fill up!!

45 x $5.00 = OUCH!!! :ack:

[RenDuran]

I can handle the cost of gas for the car. It's the oil we heat our house with that is killing us....and the bad part is our system is a boiler that also heats our water, so it stays on year-round. Our payments this year are about 75% greater than last year.

[Nascfan]

We changed our habits a "long" time ago, when it went from about $1.10 to well over $2.00 just a couple summers ago. We've doubled what we budget for gas, and that just covers it, used to use some of that for maintenance such as oil changes but that is all extra now. We consolidate errands as much as possible, eat out less, ride our bikes if where we're going is within distance and we can carry what we purchase.

Ya know, it's not just the price at the pump. Everything is at least partially fuel driven. Food has to be delivered to the grocery or restaurant by truck, same thing with all other durable goods. Look how much milk has gone up alone. So a difference of 50 cents a gallon may not seem like much when talking about filling up a car, but when everything else goes up because of it, it DOES make a difference in the big scheme of things. I'm just sayin'...

Off soapbox now.

[merlinmagic4]

It won't change much for us. We do camp on an island for a couple of weeks over the summer so gas for the boat might be an issue (I think we pay almost 200.00 to fill it up). We might not want to take any trips into the "mainland" and we might be tubing a bit less. We are driving to Disney in April but it is still much, much less than airfare during a school vacation week.

[Terra]

We changed our habits a "long" time ago, when it went from about $1.10 to well over $2.00 just a couple summers ago. We've doubled what we budget for gas, and that just covers it, used to use some of that for maintenance such as oil changes but that is all extra now. We consolidate errands as much as possible, eat out less, ride our bikes if where we're going is within distance and we can carry what we purchase.

Ya know, it's not just the price at the pump. Everything is at least partially fuel driven. Food has to be delivered to the grocery or restaurant by truck, same thing with all other durable goods. Look how much milk has gone up alone. So a difference of 50 cents a gallon may not seem like much when talking about filling up a car, but when everything else goes up because of it, it DOES make a difference in the big scheme of things. I'm just sayin'...

Off soapbox now.
ITA! but then I'm weird too because I don't care how much money someone has....I think it's such a shame to say..."Oh $50 or $100 is not a lot of money"....I think it is or should be now matter how wealthy you are....we are so blessed here in America and we really tend to take that forgranted sometimes!!

[Ian]

ITA! but then I'm weird too because I don't care how much money someone has....I think it's such a shame to say..."Oh $50 or $100 is not a lot of money"....I think it is or should be now matter how wealthy you are....we are so blessed here in America and we really tend to take that forgranted sometimes!!Just to be clear ... I'm not "blessed" ... no one came down from the heavens, waved a wand over my head, and made me successful.

I worked my tail off ... working all day ... raising a family ... going to school at night ... to get where I am.

Frankly, I find it marginally offensive when someone implies that I should feel guilty about my success. I don't and I never will.

To me $50 or $100 is not a lot of money and I'm glad for that. I'm glad my family doesn't have to struggle from paycheck to paycheck.

[DizneyRox]

Maybe I misread the original posters intentions, but they were talking about gas prices at the pump. I assumed they meant to talk about actual gas pumped into your car, and how it might impact travel, etc.

Way back when I was a kid, I found it strange when my friends would get muscle cars as their daily drivers (1970 Mach 1, 1969 Camaro SS, 1980 Monte Carlo SS, etc). I would always chuckle when they couldn't go anywhere because they couldn't afford to put gas in the tanks. If you can't afford to put gas in the car, you can't afford the car.

I think many people don't live within their means. Putting gas into your vehicle is part of the deal, so whatever the price of gas goes to, it's some thing that's got to happen. Maybe it's a harsh statement, but it's the way it is.

Same goes for heating oil. If you can't afford to heat the house, you can't afford the house. But I think that's getting off topic.

And yes, I understand the whole fixed income mess, etc. But, it all boils down to living within your means. Whatever those means are...

And that is none of my business.

Note: The use of "your" is not meant to point fingers. It implies, not me.

[Terra]

Just to be clear ... I'm not "blessed" ... no one came down from the heavens, waved a wand over my head, and made me successful.

I worked my tail off ... working all day ... raising a family ... going to school at night ... to get where I am.

Frankly, I find it marginally offensive when someone implies that I should feel guilty about my success. I don't and I never will.

To me $50 or $100 is not a lot of money and I'm glad for that. I'm glad my family doesn't have to struggle from paycheck to paycheck.

Sorry Ian, I didn't mean it to offend you...I think it is wonderful when people work to be successful..that is the way it should be!

When I say blessed I'm talking about in regards to other countries [mostly third world]....I've done mission trips in light of people sleeping in shacks and having nothing....I meant that we are blessed to not have to go through that...that most people in America have a fighting change IF they want to work....[like all of us]...
I don't think anyone should feel guilty at all for working hard...

I do think though that we should never think any amount of money "isn't alot"..but remember that is just my opinion too :)

Also though I don't think any amount of money makes anyone better than someone else...
And I don't think my husband is less successful because he is a teacher..

So in some ways it could be a 2 way street where I "could" get offended by someone saying that he is not just because he teaches [which you did NOT say...in the past people have said that ...not on Intercot...lol]...Anyway...I don't really get offended by it though because to me their priorities are skewed...and to them I'm sure they think ours is too....

Success is also in the eye of the beholder...to me yes of course we want and do pay our bills,e ct....
But having luxuries like nice new cars and homes is not important to us....we chose to live our lives searching and living out what God wants us to do...[which again is our choice and not everyone believes or follows that...]...

Gosh what a ramble...just wanted to apologize and make myself clear though that I didn't think you needed to feel guilty at all!!

[Terra]

Maybe I misread the original posters intentions, but they were talking about gas prices at the pump. I assumed they meant to talk about actual gas pumped into your car, and how it might impact travel, etc.

Way back when I was a kid, I found it strange when my friends would get muscle cars as their daily drivers (1970 Mach 1, 1969 Camaro SS, 1980 Monte Carlo SS, etc). I would always chuckle when they couldn't go anywhere because they couldn't afford to put gas in the tanks. If you can't afford to put gas in the car, you can't afford the car.

I think many people don't live within their means. Putting gas into your vehicle is part of the deal, so whatever the price of gas goes to, it's some thing that's got to happen. Maybe it's a harsh statement, but it's the way it is.

Same goes for heating oil. If you can't afford to heat the house, you can't afford the house. But I think that's getting off topic.

And yes, I understand the whole fixed income mess, etc. But, it all boils down to living within your means. Whatever those means are...

And that is none of my business.

Note: The use of "your" is not meant to point fingers. It implies, not me.

I think you have to remember though that also [by region] you can have a great job...but in the region one is in can mean a higher or lower pay on the whole pay scale...so sometimes there is not much of choice unless you want to move clear across the country or something...

Do I think some of your statements are a little harsh? Yes...but that is your opinion and you are entitled to it just like everyone else :)

I would think that if a person continues to work they HAVE to put gas into their car....unless they want to take public transportation...which if you lived in our area is not available...
So it's hard to make general statements about living above one's means if you don't have all biographical and regional information...

[SteveL]

And then are idiots like my son who is actively looking for a low mileage preowned Hummer.

[Terra]

And then are idiots like my son who is actively looking for a low mileage preowned Hummer.

:haha: when he finds that tell him to let us know where to get one...

Gosh aren't hummers like 10 mpg only? eeks...

I would LOVE to have a Hybrid one day!

[Ian]

Sorry Ian, I didn't mean it to offend you...And I don't think my husband is less successful because he is a teacher..To be honest, Terra ... you didn't need to apologize (but thank you for being polite enough to do so anyway!).

I wasn't honestly offended by what you said. I was really more making a point about why I don't sweat an extra $50 or $100 a month. I worked really hard to not have to worry about it. ;)

And also ... I hope I didn't come off as equating success with money, because I most certainly DO NOT. Often the two are linked because in America success sometimes comes with financial rewards, but not always. You can be successful and broke, too, because each individual defines what successful means for themselves.

Anyway ... didn't mean to hijack Marker's gas thread ... we now return you to your regularly scheduled program!

[Terra]

To be honest, Terra ... you didn't need to apologize (but thank you for being polite enough to do so anyway!).

I wasn't honestly offended by what you said. I was really more making a point about why I don't sweat an extra $50 or $100 a month. I worked really hard to not have to worry about it. ;)

And also ... I hope I didn't come off as equating success with money, because I most certainly DO NOT. Often the two are linked because in America success sometimes comes with financial rewards, but not always. You can be successful and broke, too, because each individual defines what successful means for themselves.

Anyway ... didn't mean to hijack Marker's gas thread ... we now return you to your regularly scheduled program!

Ahh you are too sweet Ian! I actually agree with you too about the success equaling money...

Actually just from getting to know you by posts...you sound like such a hard worker and a family man with a great head on his shoulders...

Shoot I remember when I was dumb and got irritated with you for giving GOOD advice one time...which turned out to be true..
Which is why DH finally does have the better teaching job now...
Gosh if we could only get teachers to be paid even more...he he...

I'm actually working on my master's degree myself and hope to become an online professor [to be home to homeschool the kiddos]...

oopss..done..didn't mean to hijack either!
I love talking about stuff like this!

[laughingplace<3]

This won't effect me at all (although I can't really say at all because I do go away about once a month on a weekend, etc.)

I live in NYC and am proud to say I don't own a car and use public transportation to go EVERYWHERE. :D Helping stop global warming and of course, saving money. Anyways, the gas prices are so high here in NYC that it wouldn't even be possible for me to own a car with the distances I travel!

This is also okay (I won't say good) news, because now I won't ever have to drive to FL during a family vacation EVER again because flying is cheaper! ;)

[vizsla]

The gas prices are already hitting us pretty hard in the pocket. We have 3 vehicles, a Honda CRV, Nissan Titan, and a Dodge Ram 1500 4x4. DW uses the Honda since she does alot of business travel everyday, and I use one of my 2 trucks which are both horrible on gas. It is really starting to hit me hard because, between traveling back and forth to work, then 4 days a week running DD back and forth to gymnastics, and both of my parents are having medical problems so I am leaving work and driving back to get them to their doctor appointments and then back to work again. The last couple of weeks it almost seems like I never even shut off the truck. Then if they need help during the night I am running over to the house to help them. I am not complaining about helping my parents, I would do what ever it takes to help them and that is even sacrifing things for ourselves which we already did. We decided not to make our annual WDW trip, so we could help my parents at whatever cost through their recovery process. My father has one more major surgery Feb. 20, and if that goes as well as the others, hopefully he will be fully recovered in a couple of months.

[DizneyRox]

So it's hard to make general statements about living above one's means if you don't have all biographical and regional information...
Maybe we are talking about two differnt things. Living within your means DOES take into account everything. "Means" to me is basically salary. Living within that, means you are living (staying alive) and not accumulating debt. It is not important what your salary is, only that you don't spend more than that salary. That would mean, if it becomes too expensive to put gas in your car, then you need to look at not putting gas into the car, or selling the car and getting something that you can afford to put gas into.

None of this is any reflection on the person themselves, except when it becomes my job to bail people out of trouble.

[Marker]

Amazing how far a simple question can go.

It's wonderful that so many people find themselves in situations where and extra $100 per month doesn't matter. But I think I would be very uncomfortable with the assumption that people in situations that make that $100 per month a hardship are there because of lack of hard work, ambition, or intelligence. Sure, there are those for which that is absolutely true. There are also those for which misfortune can take many faces, health issues, lay offs, natural catastrophe, etc. Circumstances that don't care about how hard a person works can leave them financially, and socially devastated.

Likewise, one's career choice may leave them with less earning potential than other, but still just as vital to our society. As an example, I have friends and family who are teacher, and farmer who are definitely not in high earning careers, but heaven forbid they weren't there. And those are just 2 of many examples.

I would also be very uncomfortable equating earning with success. If I may use my own household as an example, we made a conscious choice to have a parent at home to raise our children. A choice we felt very strongly about that definitely had a consequence in earning/saving potential. A consequence we were well aware of and that we felt was well worth it. If anyone were to imply that that loss of earnings was due to lack of hard work and motivation I would have to very strongly disagree.

I would consider someone raising children of good character and high moral fiber, who stuggles to make ends meet to be far more successful than someone who "falls into" money and lives a life without significant effort. Working hard for a good way of life is fine, but there can also be rewards for hard work that don't involve dollar signs.

I am happy that so many seem to be in a situation that allows them to not really care about rising gas ( or anything else) prices, or the effect it will have on them. However, I am also concerned with the people who are not in such a fortunate situation.

Back to the subject of gas prices, as long as people on willing and able to pay, the price is destined to rise. It will rise until it cuts deeply enough to truly effect the population's ability to pay. Sounds like we're destined to see higher prices.

Hey, you had to know I'd have to chime in on this.

[merlinmagic4]

It's wonderful that so many people find themselves in situations where and extra $100 per month doesn't matter. But I think I would be very uncomfortable with the assumption that people in situations that make that $100 per month a hardship are there because of lack of hard work, ambition, or intelligence. Sure, there are those for which that is absolutely true. There are also those for which misfortune can take many faces, health issues, lay offs, natural catastrophe, etc. Circumstances that don't care about how hard a person works can leave them financially, and socially devastated.

Likewise, one's career choice may leave them with less earning potential than other, but still just as vital to our society. As an example, I have friends and family who are teacher, and farmer who are definitely not in high earning careers, but heaven forbid they weren't there. And those are just 2 of many examples.

I would also be very uncomfortable equating earning with success. If I may use my own household as an example, we made a conscious choice to have a parent at home to raise our children. A choice we felt very strongly about that definitely had a consequence in earning/saving potential. A consequence we were well aware of and that we felt was well worth it. If anyone were to imply that that loss of earnings was due to lack of hard work and motivation I would have to very strongly disagree.

I would consider someone raising children of good character and high moral fiber, who stuggles to make ends meet to be far more successful than someone who "falls into" money and lives a life without significant effort. Working hard for a good way of life is fine, but there can also be rewards for hard work that don't involve dollar signs.

I am happy that so many seem to be in a situation that allows them to not really care about rising gas ( or anything else) prices, or the effect it will have on them. However, I am also concerned with the people who are not in such a fortunate situation.

Back to the subject of gas prices, as long as people on willing and able to pay, the price is destined to rise. It will rise until it cuts deeply enough to truly effect the population's ability to pay. Sounds like we're destined to see higher prices.

Hey, you had to know I'd have to chime in on this.

Gee, I hope my post didn't make it seem like I don't care about the impact of higher gas prices. I stay at home, too and we have made great sacrifices. But, I am not a big gas consumer. My van sits in the driveway almost all of the time and I only fill up about once a month. The only place we will feel it is during our summer camping vacations with the boat. But they cost us so little money (8.00 per night) that even with more gas costs, the vacation costs a fraction (and a very small one at that) of a typical family vacation.

My husband doesn't have a very long commute although we would LOVE to trade his truck (which he also uses for landscaping when he is not teaching) for a hybrid but we couldn't afford the extra monthly payment. It actually costs us less to drive the truck, if that makes sense.

I guess where I feel it (and this is off topic) is the incredibly increased prices at the grocery store. I need at least a third of my husband's take home pay to cover groceries, home supplies, and gas, too. But gas is the least of our worries actually (although it is all intertwined anyway).

[BronxTigger]

I don't have a car, so it won't directly affect me.

However, it does affect me.

My Metrocard (train/bus pass) is rising from $76 to $81/month soon. (Still far less than car costs, I know!)

Grocery prices are insane! They just keep rising and that's where I'm feeling it the most.

[MsMin]

I agree that its the inflationary effect that is the bigger picture. It's hard to run into the grocery and pick up a few things w/o leaving $100. Gas prices have made me more aware of my expense report. I used to run to N.O. about 120 miles round trip and not bother to report the mileage b/c of the hassle of the expense report but gas is just too expensive.
:twocents: as far as hard work = success-- I would disagree... I would just consider myself blessed. I've seen people work very hard and have some tragedy or misfortune and lose everything or be very happy making an honest living. I've seen ppl too with loads of money and they were miserable. WE all have to make our own happiness and be thankful for what we've got. The only thing we can be certain is that life isn't always fair-- there are no absolutes.. but we do have choices....

[magicofdisney]

I'm a SAHM so the affect at the pump isn't significant. I rarely need to leave the house. But the rising costs of living, due to the rising costs of gas is affecting us. It blows my mind when I need to grocery shop. As a minor example...
We used to get pizza from a franchise, Hungry Howie's. A carry out, large cheese pizza was $3.99 just 2 yrs ago. That same pizza is now $6.95 and the sign on the door specifically states the increase in price is due to the increase of fuel to transfer items to the store. :(

[conorsmom2000]

It won't affect me directly, as I am lucky enough to work from home (and for that, I am extremely grateful!) I only do local driving and some of that I can definitely cut back on (I'm the PA President at Conor's school so I'm there a LOT, but I can walk sometimes, etc.) I've had my Honda Pilot for 8 months (today! :party: ) and I only have 3,000 miles on it - and that's with a few trips to upstate NY! (it drives my siblings with very long commutes crazy when they hear the milage on my SUV! :blush: )

With my husband, it won't affect us....yet. He's currently working locally (2 miles away) but this job is scheduled to end in May. So, if there's no work in the Union at that time, it will definitely hurt us some. If there is work, odds are he'll have a 40 minute commute - after 4 years of a 5 minute commute, we'll feel the difference.

But, I agree with others who have said they feel it elsewhere, especially grocery shopping!!

[PirateLover]

Here in the city, I'm pretty sure that we've been close to $3.50 before, if not actually there. I think currently it's somewhere between $3.05 and $3.10 depending on where you are. I'm currently not working but when I was I was driving almost 30mi per day. Also I've been working in NJ which costs me $3 per day for bridge fare, which will also be going up soon. No one likes prices to rise, that's for sure. But I definitely agree with the fact that you need to live within your means, and live sensibly. I hope I don't offend anyone because I am of firm belief that what you do with your money is your business... but I can't help but notice the increase in large SUVs in the city. I mean some of these vehicles are so big that people have to park them half on the sidewalk to ensure they aren't side-swiped.To me that is ridiculous.

I have a Ford Taurus. Sure it's not the coolest car around but it gets good mileage :thumbsup:

[jennbunn]

i am a bus girl. i have noticed that ridership has gone up since gas prices are so high. i also work in a grocery store and to me that is where it hits home about gas prices. milk is 4.50 a gallon and eggs about 2.25 for a dozen. both items have gone up at least 50% if not more in a year. yikes.

[diz_girl]

It won't change my behavior much. Not because I have a lot of disposable income, but because of the car that I drive and the fact that I work close to home. However I do take one to two 150 mile trips per month. I used to spend $30 per month, but now I spend $40 per month on fuel, so I'm not hurt by the prices.

I drive a Diesel Jetta and I love it. It averages 42 mpg, but I can get 50 mpg on the highway if I don't drive much over 65 mph. It can go from New Jersey to Columbus, OH on 1 tank and from NJ to WDW on 2 tanks. Yes, 2 tanks. The first time that I drove it to WDW I got 52 mpg (driving 60-65 mph on the scenic route) and the second time I averaged 46 mpg (driving 75 mph - on I-95). On a trip to Canada I went 675 miles on 13.5 gallons of fuel.

My BIL bought a diesel Jetta and it paid for itself in fuel savings. He has a long commute and was spending $600-$700 per month on fuel driving his Ford Ranger while working a 7/12 shift (seven 12-hour days per week). When he got the Jetta his fuel was $300 per month and car payment was $400 per month (with a decent down-payment). So at least he now has something of value out of it.

They're not available right now in the US, but this spring they should be available in all 50 states. It will get 140 hp and 236 lb ft of torque and go from 0-60 in 8.5 seconds, so no one should have any worries about performance. I have a 2005 model which is 100 hp and 170 lb ft of torque, and it's a little slow off the mark, but really zooms once you get over 20 mph and into third gear.

I know that this car is not for everyone, as you can't tow anything. Rear-seating is tight for three and probably won't accommodate three forward-facing car seats (or probably even three boosters) - and definitely no more than one rear-facing infant seat and that one has to be in the middle. Until we turn around my son's convertible car seat in a few months I don't think that my husband can be either a driver or passenger in the front of the car (he's 6'1"). The Passat is roomier, but probably can't comfortably accommodate three child seats either, and I don't know when a diesel version will be available. VW will be selling a van at the end of this year, but not in a diesel version right away because it's on a Chrysler Town & Country platform and can't accommodate the diesel equipment under the hood. So the only other VW diesel that is available now is the Touareg, but that is $65K and was loaded with so much power (310 hp, 554 lb ft of torque) that you only get an extra 2 mpg.

Can you tell that I like VW diesels?

[BelleCiavo]

Here in the city, I'm pretty sure that we've been close to $3.50 before, if not actually there. I think currently it's somewhere between $3.05 and $3.10 depending on where you are. I'm currently not working but when I was I was driving almost 30mi per day. Also I've been working in NJ which costs me $3 per day for bridge fare, which will also be going up soon. No one likes prices to rise, that's for sure. But I definitely agree with the fact that you need to live within your means, and live sensibly. I hope I don't offend anyone because I am of firm belief that what you do with your money is your business... but I can't help but notice the increase in large SUVs in the city. I mean some of these vehicles are so big that people have to park them half on the sidewalk to ensure they aren't side-swiped.To me that is ridiculous.

I have a Ford Taurus. Sure it's not the coolest car around but it gets good mileage :thumbsup:

But at least if you fill up in Jersey you'll only pay around $2.79 a gal. :thumbsup:

[Scar]

... and eggs about 2.25 for a dozen.$0.19 per egg… one of the best deals around. :thumbsup:
But at least if you fill up in Jersey you'll only pay around $2.79 a gal. :thumbsup:I saw it at Hess in Perth Amboy today at $2.75. :thumbsup:



The only thing I really do different is what I started a few years ago. I accelerate slower, and let off the gas sooner when approaching a stop (helps save the brakes too.)

An added benefit I find is I’m much more relaxed and less stressed.

It boggles my mind when I see people accelerating approaching a red light just to slam on the brakes at the last second.

As far as excess goes, I couldn’t care less what people do with their money (as long as it’s their money and not taxpayer’s money.) You can buy as big a house you want and blow all your money on stupid stuff all you want, but I have no sympathy for those who go into foreclosure because they bought too expensive a house, spent on other things, then lost their job and now can’t pay their mortgage.

[crazeedizneefinatic]

I am also a SAHM. My husband luckily does not commute 2 hours a day anymore! His job is now about 5 minutes from home, but I still say the gas prices have hurt us. Like a few others have said not just at the pumps, heat for the house (we got our bill today, I almost fainted at the door!), groceries in particular. It's way out of line. Yes, some may argue that maybe prices have caught up with the times (explain that to our paycheck!) but it did so in such a short amount of time it's hard on the budget. Before my son my husband and I both worked and worked hard. We both had very good jobs that paid well. After I left to have my son the company closed down and my husband was out of work. There were 2 very long months without income, we lived off savings which we have never been able to replace, while he worked jobs here and there through a temp agency. Even though the money is not there like it was I am grateful that we are able to pay our bills, sometimes with not too much left over, but somehow things manage. I feel absolutely blessed. If things go much higher I am not comfortable enough to say things will be alright. Not because I have squandered my money, or been irresponsible, lazy or unsucessful. It's because this gas thing is out of whack!

[BelleLovesTheBeast]

The rising prices are effecting my household. My husband has worked for the same company for 3 years without a pay raise or bonus. Gas costs twice as much so not only do we pay more to fill up our cars (both Honda Civics) but everything we buy costs more. We have much less money to spend on non-necessities than we did.

[poeticeclipse]

This is a touchy subject with me and I can get very heated when dealing with the average truck driving Michigander.

I always get terribly upset when I see people that are loaded with money drive off of the lot in a huge 10mpg gas hog of a truck/SUV. They make HYBRID trucks and SUVs now and people that have the choice to drive anything in the world pick the thing that is worst for the environment and worse off for their pocket. I really don't think that many people have been exposed to the effects of global warming that we are dealing with. Just place that on top of the financial strains of not just America, but the entire world.

My husband and I are a young couple just starting out and we are in search for a new car. If we could afford it, i'd have a Toyota Prius. We're actually looking into a Scion xB (not the '08) because the gas mileage is very good for a really decent sized vehicle.

We also carpool when we go out of town on weekends. It's so much easier on the wallet to split the cost of gas between all of the travelers.

[NewmanFamily6]

We are fortunate that DH works maybe 2 miles down the road. I am a full time RN student and SAHM. Luckily no classes during the summer so in our case the kiddos will just have to play close to the house with maybe the occasional trip. Budgeting isn't a problem since we became Dave Ramsey envelope users last year. It is amazing what his common sense ideas helped us pay off:blush:

[jillluvsdisney]

I 'm still going to have a 46 mile round trip commute to work every day. I do drive near the speed limit and keep my car maintained because I know this helps gas mileage.

It will affect my other habits like eating out for lunch or hitting the sales at the mall. I'm already doing less of both now and I can see the saving adding up.
I guess I'll need that to fill up every week.

I drive a car that gets about 25-26 mph on the hwy. Most of my driving is hwy miles.

[Dakota Rose]

I wish I could say that I'll drive less or carpool more or something. But, I live miles outside of the city. Just taking DS to school is 15 miles. So the only behavior that will change is the level of complaining. I'll just gripe more.

[PirateLover]

But at least if you fill up in Jersey you'll only pay around $2.79 a gal. :thumbsup:

Oh totally. When I'm working, or when I'm visiting my fiance who lives in NJ I always fill up there. :thumbsup: