Has gasoline prices made you change your habits?

[Thomas]

Just wondering if the higher gasoline prices have made you change your style of living? We have not. We continue to drive the same vehicles, the same distances, and not car pool with anyone. How about you?

Regards,
Thomas

[Paul B]

Not at all.

Consider that people in other countries, particularly Europe, have been and are paying much more than we do in the US.

[Lisa]

No - I really only drive to and from work (30 miles r/t each day) and for shopping and meeting friends........

[Angela Z.]

No, if anything we're even bigger gas hogs these days since my son got his license and we gave him my Honda Civic and I bought a Mustang.
Also, I use my car for my job (for which the state reimburses us all of .29 cents/mile).
I hate high gas prices!
Angela Z.

[Thomas]

Darn Angela, that's a cheap reimbursement rate. My ex-company was reimbursing at 39.5 cents/mile. Oh well, the government is always struggling for money while spending tons on needless pork.

Regards,
Thomas

[rollerdonna]

Nope. I take the train anyway!

donna

[sue]

Well, we looked at the Toyota Hybrid yesterday. We are thinking to give dh car to oldest daughter and buying a car that is good with miles. But I must say my dh also drives 2 1/2 hrs a day to/from work. We do get free gas for him but I think it is important to conserve as much as we can. Bad enough all those big gas guzzlers are out there!

I saw the gas price increase coming and traded cars. I had a corvette that got 140 miles for 26 gallons of gas for a Chevy Cavalier that gets 1019 miles for 26 gallons of gas. If gas goes to $6 a gallon it will not affect me.

[marvholly]

I certainly have. I am thinking 2x about any extra trips (try to do all errands between home/work) or running the AC in the car (decreases my milage about 20%). However, since I have a grandchild on the way and another DD getting married in Sept I have had a bunch of showers this month. In the past month I drove an extra 200+ miles just going to 2 showers. Used about $27 extra in gas. Also, while work is only 21 miles rt, one DD lives 35 miles rt and the other 82 miles rt. Therefore, I am stuck and will be ALL summer with the baby due the end of July and additional parties for the 82 mile daughter the end of Aug.

I have had to alter my habits to compensate:
We have had/will have nearly 14 days of 90+ temps here in metro Chicago this month. I manually change my thermostat setting to nearly 10 degrees higher than I used to from when I leave in the am until I get home late afternoons.

I have NOT bought any steaks though I will probably do so for the 4th. I bought a bunch of hamburger ($1.49/lb this weekend) and chicken thigh quarters ($0.29/lb last Thur only) although I really prefer white meat. I am NOT buying ANY junk (chips, pretzels, dip, ice cream) food. I ONLY buy fruits and veg on special.

I am NOT eating any meals out, fast food or sit down.

I almost all grocery/home care shopping at dollar stores, Aldi and local fruit markets.

Nope, but I drive a Jetta stick shift that gets great gas mileage plus I only drive 2 miles to work!

Gas prices are high but after being in Italy last fall and putting fuel in a rental, they don't seem so bad to me now. We were paying 35 Euros to fill up (43.75) and that was for a Fiat, stick shift diesel on the small side. In 14 days, we spent 150.00 US filling up.

Susie

[bigjohn461]

I am not going to let the terriost ( our government ) dictate how I live..I just traded vehicles and got one that does not get as good gas milage as the one I traded in. We still go where and when we want to. That may all change but not for now. They may take my home and property to build a mall but I'll be damed if they are going to make me change my travel plans..>G< as long as I still have the RV...

It most certainly has! I now do not make any unnecessary trips with my car. After coming back from the gym I run all my errands on the way home. I fault our government; they are letting the oil lobbyists, who wine and dine them, have their way. We should have been exploring for oil, in our own country, years ago and shouln't have been so dependent on foreign oil. These countries have us now where they want us and we still give them foreign aid!

[Dorothy]

It hasn't changed my daily life, but it is making me think harder about a trip to Florida this summer to visit family!

In all actuality, it probably won't make me postpone the trip, but will certainly take away from the discretionary spending fund a bit.

dorothy

[UConn1]

I haven't changed my habits, but I only have an 18 mile rt to work, then on weekends probably put 100 miles on. I only have to fill up about once every two weeks. My father, however, traded his Avalanche for a Hyundai XG350 and cut his fuel costs in half.

Jodi

[steph_texas]

I didnt change SOLELY becasued of gas prices... but I didn trade in my Chevy Avalance (which I miss terribly) for a new Chrysler Pacifica... which I like ALOT, BUT its NOT my Avalanche. We are still paying almost $50 to fill up the Yukon and its amazing how much I am NOT on the go anymore. With all the health problems Ive had, I just hang out close to home unless I get a crazy bug to go somewhere... I went into a craft store yesterday for the first time this month, as soon as I got my shopping cart I started getting "woozy" and it almost killed me to stand in line for 3 measly items that I did NOT have to have.

Steph

[Phyllbo]

BJ, you're funny.

Can't say that the prices have changed my driving habits. I am glad that my newer SUV gets 27 MPG compared to the 20MPG my other one was getting. I'll take any little savings I can get.

Phyll

[rayb]

No change at this household.

[Paul B]

You don't really need to buy a tiny car to get reasonable mileage.

Our large "old folks" Buick Park Avenut gets 30 mpg on the highway and that is driving at 70 mph.

We haven't changed our habits. Well, I guess Keith has, since he can't drive! I drive both cars, one really economical the other not, but the second newer car is ever so much more comfortable. I enjoy it so much I don't begrudge the gas or payment.

Judy

[PapaBill]

No change in driving habits. Work , food, children and grandchildren are at the other end of most of my driving. My head just shakes a bit as I walk back to the drivers seat with a receipt that says $42.00.

[skymaster]

I use the gas prices as an excuse to ride my motorcycle more often. It (Honda GoldWing) gets something over 40 mpg, and my Toyota Tundra gets only about 15. It's a lot more fun as well. Life goes on.
Happy sailing,
Ken

[Angela Z.]

Yes, Thomas, we do feel like we're getting the shaft with our .29/mile and every once in awhile there's a rumor that we're going to get an increase but it's always just a rumor.
Oh well, I'm to the point where I've been there so long (21 years) I don't see myself leaving over something like this. You'll never get rich working for the state but you can't beat the time off and the health insurance! (thank goodness my husband has the real job in our family!)
Angela Z.

I just drive to work and back and try to get any groceries/shopping on the way back. The items in the stores are going up because of raised delivery costs so we are trying to get by on less. Pays are not keeping up with costs so something has to be dropped from our day to day expenses. We also have oil heat in our house so it will be putting on more sweaters in the winter indoors.
Have any of you noticed how much the oil companies are making in profits. Billions and billions. Bush and co have not much incentive to make the companies lower the prices as they are all in the oil companies pockets and a lot of the politicians are or closely connected to the oil companies.

[TBug]

Car. What about a boat? We used to have one, sold it to go bigger. Been looking. Good news is that the boat prices have dropped, the bad news is it will cost about 900.00 just to fill the tanks. Don't know about other area's but here in Michigan the gas prices are hurting that industry. Our season is short enough.

Oh, well. Guess I'll just have to keep cruising!

TBug

[MichelleP]

Nope... we haven't changed our habits at all.

Cheers,
Michelle P.

[LisaK]

the only thing that we do differently is to fill up the tank when it hits half.

[Thomas]

Not a good idea LisaK. You get better gas mileage with less gas in the tank. The added weight of a full tank makes your engine burn more fuel per mile.

Regards,
Thomas

[Mike M]

By driving with your tank half full or less you leave a large air space in the tank. This leads to an increased risk of condensation, precipitate, fuel injector clogging, fuel pump problems, (gas keeps the pump cool in newer cars) plus the inconvenience of running out of gas. If you do this for a long period of time you will build up a bunch of "stuff" in the tank. To me it isn't worth it for the small increase in fuel economy. Especially, here in the land of where temps of -30F degrees is more than a state of mind. <VBG>

Take care,
Mike

[Anne Campbell]

If I was planning to purchase a new car, it wouldn't be a SUV mainly because of gas prices and also because of the environment.

I don't let my tank get below half now. My work is only five miles from my house so I have never had to drive alot and the grocery and other stores are a mile or less from my house. I do recall and miss the days when $28 was all I spent on gas in a month!