Gas Prices On The Rise To $5/Gallon: How Will You Cope?
Paying $4/gallon is pretty much a reality for many of us across the nation right now as gas hit another record high over the weekend. We took a trip to NYC for mother’s day and it took $70 to fill up an almost 19 gallon tank! I gasped as this was the first time I’d ever paid so much for one tank of gas. There was a time when that would have been two weeks worth but now that has more than doubled. What will you do?
I am definitely feeling the pinch and ready to get a bike and take a metro where ever I need to go at this point. The cost is one thing but it is also the feeling that we’re being duped by forces we have no control over, not even who we elect in November. So what are you doing to combat the constant increase in gas prices? I get the feeling that no matter what we do to save on gas, unless we completely give up our cars in favor of public transportation, the savings won’t keep up with the increasing prices.
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MC | May 12, 2008 | Reply
I’ve had to cut back on expenses where I can - buying less of everything, not eating out at all, minimizing all trips and trying to stop at several places while out instead of making separate car trips from home. I’m afraid the gov’t stimulus package will do little for the economy since much of it will go to the oil companies, and they haven’t been willing to share their profits so far. I live too far from my job to bike, and the public transportation is still several dollars more expensive for me to use than driving is, so these are my only options right now. As you’ve said, the feeling of being duped is compounding the feeling of helplessness. We cannot sustain this kind of price increase for very long, as everything that’s carried by truck (which is most everything these days with a dying train system) will increase in cost. Sorry I have no real concrete suggestions…
Danielle | May 12, 2008 | Reply
I signed up last week for a credit card that offers really great cash back rebates on your gasoline spending. Of course the interest rates are also high, so I will definitely be paying off the bill in full each month. Since most of my daily commute involves highway driving I’ve also cut down my speed by 10-15 mph (no more speedracer!), and that has made a dramatic difference in my gas usage. I always try to combine errands, and do most of them along my way home from work to cut out any extra driving.
No Debt Plan (4 comments.) | May 12, 2008 | Reply
We are stuck having to accept the prices for the most part. I would say we are cutting back on trips and whatnot, but we weren’t traveling extensively or making multiple trips to the same area either. We go to work, and combine trips elsewhere.
Other than that, we’re just increasing our budget for gas. We’ve got the flexibility in our budget to pay for it though. I know that isn’t true for some folks out there.
No Debt Plan’s last blog post..Seriously, Where Is Our Rebate?
Raybozz (1 comments.) | May 12, 2008 | Reply
I have no Idea what to do other than to pray…
I can’t cut back anymore than I already am.
I’m ready for a change in the Oval Office.
Savemefrommystudentloans | May 12, 2008 | Reply
I take public transportation everywhere. My monthly passes just went up a combined $11, a ding I’ve hardly paid attention to. An extra $30 or $50 shouldn’t be completely derailing anyone’s budget.
MC | May 12, 2008 | Reply
When you have 2 cars that a year ago cost $40+ each to fill up, but now cost $60* (and this is a low estimate considering the gas-guzzlers many Americans are driving today), and you must fill up at least once a week, probably more, it quickly starts to pinch the budget. That extra $20/week extra gets doubled, and before long, your gas bill has gone from approx. $320/month to almost $500/month for a family. That feels like a pretty substantial hit to the budget.
hank (8 comments.) | May 12, 2008 | Reply
As long as my paycheck keeps increasing, I’m able to cover it for now. My wife drives a suburban to fit the kids and work stuff in it; we can’t make it in anything smaller! But we should be thankful! In Europe they’re hitting 8$ a gallon!
At that point, it might be time to start thinking about bicycling to work with a couple kiddy chairs on back. 
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Willfe (1 comments.) | May 13, 2008 | Reply
It’s bike time for me. I don’t drive much anymore, and I don’t much miss it. I love the comment “an extra $50 shouldn’t be completely derailing anyone’s budget,” as if a flippant attitude towards an expense spiraling out of control is the way to deal with it properly. I will say the $30-$40 per month I save by biking instead of driving sure feels nice, though — it’s kinda like paying myself cash just for exercising
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Ginger (16 comments.) | May 13, 2008 | Reply
When I bought my car I was able to fill it up with $30. Now it is taking $70 to fill it up. GRanted I bought it a few years ago but still, the sharp increase is enough to cripple ANYONE’s budget. While it hasn’t cripped ours because we live in a large metro area with many transportation options (slugging, car pooling, metro, walk to metro etc). But for the family that is already finidng it hard to get by, you better believe high gas prices are becoming a hardship especially with it affecting near everything else.
MC | May 13, 2008 | Reply
I like the idea of biking, and have done it before in other cities when I worked and lived close. Metro areas may not suffer the hit as bad as outlying cities and areas like in Texas, for example, or in many cities in the Midwest, for example. Although European countries have traditionally paid more for gasoline than we have, many of their cities were designed in a hub-like structure so that supplies are in the center and homes surround it (think Britain’s villages), or there is great public transportation available. Is anyone carpooling yet? I see no difference in the number of cars on the highway during my morning and evening commutes. Traffic seems worse than ever in my metropolitan area here in the south…
Jenna (1 comments.) | May 13, 2008 | Reply
Hubby’s been driving his scooter to work (more on the lines of an automatic motorcycle he constantly points out. Apparently the ability to speed by a Harley is more importent to him then the fact he’s only paying $20 bucks a week for his daily hour round trip commute!) since the weather warmed up, and I’m scheduled to take my license test here in a week. We take the car once a week for a consolidated grocery/errand/get outta the house trip. I’m happier then ever I work from home, its not a lot of cash… but the working a part time job wouldn’t even cover the gas to get to and from work.
Beyond that? Gardening, bulk buying, carpooling, and learning just what we can do within walking distance is making a big difference. We’re hoping to be able to put enough aside by using the scooters to be able to cover his gas this winter in the car. He’s also campaining for the ability to work from home 2-3 days a week. We’ll see.
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Serendipity (1 comments.) | May 13, 2008 | Reply
I’m staying at a low-paying job that has a negligible commute. I’m dying to get a scooter, but I live in the land of giant trucks and am concerned about getting run over. If things get bad enough, though, that Vespa’s going to start looking better all the time…
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Ginger | May 13, 2008 | Reply
Ooooohh I remember a friend of mine wanting a ink Vespa! LOL! Maybe if I lived and worked in my old neighborhood, I would SOOO go for one. But right now? No, I have to cart myself across the beltway so its either I drive or take the metro.
Ginger | May 13, 2008 | Reply
That should read pink Vespa.
JC | May 16, 2008 | Reply
It’s decision time for America : continue to be slaves of your addictions to big gas guzzeling cars and be at the mercy of all kind of “evil do-ers” or change your thinking and transportation structure. Get a president in the White House that has a solution to this problem not a bandage that is worse than the cure (Iraq anyone)….
SavingDiva (3 comments.) | May 18, 2008 | Reply
I ride my bike to work (or walk). I’m also exploring the public transportation system. I’m also grouping my errands (grocery shopping, etc) and doing them on the weekend, so I have a full day and I’m not rushed.
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Julie | May 20, 2008 | Reply
Personally I think this is an opportunity for Americans to finally wake up. Our gas is still heaps cheaper than in most other countries. We just got back from Australia where it was already $6/gallon and in the UK it’s $9/gallon. If Americans would vote for a government that would force the car manufacturers to put a minimun on mileage/gallon like they’ve been doing in Europe and other areas for ages, then we all wouldn’t be driving such inefficient cars anyway. Plus, the government needs to get more serious about alternative fuels. If Brazil can end it’s reliability on foreign oil, then so can we. I realize we are a much bigger/more populous country, but we are also more powerful/have more money.
MC | May 20, 2008 | Reply
I’m thinking most Americans that drive are very much awake. If not, they surely wake up when standing at the gas pump throwing cash into their tank. But what does waking up do right now? Fuel has always been more expensive in Europe than in the US, and while I feel for them, knowing this does nothing to soothe my heart or my wallet. Everything in the UK is more expensive than in the US, so it seems relative and difficult to apply. But in the UK, cities and villages were and remain so designed in a hub sort of layout…a center with a weekly market and a good grasp of public transportation. Many Brits bicycle to the town center for their shopping, and leave their fuel-efficient vehicles at home until they have to drive to work. Considering the entire UK will fit into the state of Texas, it’s still difficult to apply this bicycle-to-town example to most American cities and suburbs. We do not have the infrastructure in most of America for cycling, at least yet. I’m all for smaller cars and better efficiency though - especially for getting away from foreign oil. We have plenty…but we can’t drill in Anwar…
Julie | May 21, 2008 | Reply
In regards to the comment by MC, I guess I am always just annoyed at hearing Americans bitch about how expensive things are, when in comparison, everything is SO MUCH cheaper than they are in other countries. I realize most people don’t know this and it’s all relative to where you live, yada yada, but having lived in both Australia and the UK, it still annoys me. Everything is so cheap here comparatively…gas, household goods, food, everything. We’ve got it better than nearly everyone in the world in terms of the price of goods/services and all we do is moan about how we can’t fill up our expensive, gas-guzzling SUVS that are used for what I ask you? I don’t understand why people buy these cars anyway when they are single or don’t go off-roading or camping or don’t have dogs to haul around or whatever. Most who drive these huge cars do not need a car that big. It’s a ridiculous status symbol for people who are now wishing they had a hybrid instead.
And, as for the size comparison. I realize the UK is very small and how they are laid out, however Australia is not. I lived in Brisbane for 18 months before we even had a car and after that, we only had 1 car and still both took public transport (either the train, bus or water ferry) to work and other places. Or we walked, the cities/towns there are very walkable. There needs to be more focus on public transportation in this country, particularly in the mid-to-large cities. It’s sad how far behind the US is in this capacity compared to other Western countries.
David (1 comments.) | May 21, 2008 | Reply
I am shopping at Costco in bulk for many things that I once did not give much attention to. I think a lot of folks are thinking twice about what they really need vs what they really want.
Thanks for creating a fun and informative website!
-David
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