If gas were $10.00, how would your life change?

**PurpleSnowflake** · 05-21-2008, 02:39 PM

($10.00 a gallon, American Dollars)

Been pondering the widespread effects..... it will happen at some point before we run out completely.

We are already at $5.00 in some places here.

**The Muse** · 05-21-2008, 02:52 PM

DH would convert at least one of our cars to electric and we'd probably work with our employers to come up with a WFH or compressed week schedule.

Financially, assuming we both kept our current jobs, we'd be OK.

**StaceyS** · 05-21-2008, 02:58 PM

I would figure out how to walk to work or get a bike. I only work 2.6 miles from home. I have to travel a busy road to get there, but maybe it wouldn't be as busy if gas were $10/gal!:surprise:

**peanut** · 05-21-2008, 03:09 PM

We'd replace the car with electric/hybrid and bike. Also would be worth it to shop locally then. We'd be doing the Farmer's Market and stocking up for the winter. Certainly would rip up the yard for gardening.

Jean

**FrugalWitch** · 05-21-2008, 03:21 PM

Actually we already only drive when it's a complete necessity. I take DH back and forth to work and run all my errands on the morning pick-up from work lap. The only extra trips I make are to the pharmacy which doesn't open until 9am. (DH gets off work at 7am) Once a month we go to Sam's Club. I suppose we would have to drop our Sam's Club membership.

Maybe if gas goes high enough the 2 people living nearby who work the same job, same hours will decide to carpool instead of flaking out. We have tried making arrangements with them (together and individually) three times already to share rides. We didn't care if I drove or they drove so long as it was ride-sharing. We offered gas money. Nope they want no part of carpooling. Idjits.

What's weird is that one of the guys lives less than a 1/4 mile down the road from us. He and DH get along great so it's not a personality clash. We offered gas money, trading off days to drive, everything and he just has no interest.

I truly don't get people sometimes.

**hippytreehugger4ever** · 05-21-2008, 03:34 PM

DH works, oh, maybe 5-6 miles from here. We're already looking into getting a moped for him to get to work. I'd still have to drive about a mile to get to my job, but the job's only for the summer. Otherwise, I usually just walk the 7 blocks to the store unless we need alot of groceries, then try to stay home the rest of the time.

**yankeegal** · 05-21-2008, 06:22 PM

We would go back to only one car...I am only driving about 1 or 2 days a week now. Less insurance too.

**Grandma Lewis** · 05-21-2008, 06:50 PM

Unfortunately, our lives wouldn't change much, we'd just have to bite the bullet. We don't live in town, so mass transportation is out of the question as is walking. I'd still take the kids to school because I don't want them on the bus for an hour in the mornings. They do ride the bus home though, as it gives them a chance to socialize with the other kids.

I would, however, get better at scheduling my errands to coincide with the trips to take the kids to school.

Oh, I'd also do more shopping on line for things that can be delivered.

**PoorRichardsGirl** · 05-21-2008, 07:29 PM

Hmmm, scary but I guess it's good to think about.

DH isn't working right now. He's never made a whole lot per hour, and the higher gas prices go, the pickier we have to be about whether it's worth his taking a particular job. We're saving money with him home, for example he's mowing our lawn now where we used to pay somebody. If it reached $10 a gallon, it just might make his house-husbandry official and permanent. Luckily I'm making a good hourly rate right now and only drive 7 miles to work.

Maybe we'd go down to one car. We'd probably do more of our shopping close to home, and just make Aldi runs once a month. There are stores we could walk to if we had to. We'd have to stockpile more Aldi items to hold us between trips. The local stores are more expensive.

There is a limit to how much we could cut down on driving. My mother is elderly, and we are doing quite a bit of driving related to her. It's only going to increase the older she gets.

I hope beyond hope that the "light rail" plans in our area go through as planned before we reach $10 a gallon gas! DH and I both love trains and would use them instead of driving locally, if they ran where we needed to go.

**Marie78** · 05-21-2008, 08:30 PM

Our public transportation isn't reliable enough to get us to work each day. I am pretty sure we would car pool to work together each day and continue to run errands on our way home from work, like we do now. We grocery shop one day a week (5 minute drive) and I shop at Aldi once a month for staples (15 min drive). I would miss going to my mom's house once a week, but I would try going 2x a month instead and work it into my budget so I could visit her.

**joyofsix** · 05-21-2008, 08:35 PM

Not sure we'd change much. We live 16 miles from town so... gotta drive sometimes. DH works 35 miles from home so we'd have to drive some.

**LexTysMommy** · 05-21-2008, 08:38 PM

I would walk to get kids more from school. Its a little less then a mile, but means I have to take all the daycare kids with me. But I would if it meant $10/gal!

Carpool w ex to baseball games, meet at crossroads somewhere. Grocery shop and other shop when I am out for baseball.

Other then that I am sure there are days when I just want to get out ( working from home I get like this once a month or so) and would probably drive where ever without thinking!

**Jeanna** · 05-21-2008, 08:41 PM

My husband is provided a vehicle with gas for thru the week so we would be ok there. I won't pick my daughter up from school anymore and would try to only go to most stores once a month. I can do most of my shopping within 1/2 mile from my house. On weekends we would stay home except for have to trips. We would only go to church on Sundays and it is less than 3 miles from the house. We would be ok, but it would take some getting used to.

**ShawnaRae** · 05-21-2008, 08:51 PM

If the price of gas alone goes up to $10.00/gallon, we will be strapped, but okay. DH could bike to work (2 miles), and I could make store runs less often. But what worries me even more is the price of everything else going up. Food prices in particular. Gas prices effect just about everything. Our income isn't flexible enough to handle huge increases in more than a few of our expenses.

I think our lawn mower will be retiring this year! I'll be investing in a reel mower and a bow knife weed cutter! I know a lawn mower is a relatively modest consumer of gas/oil, but I am looking for every possible way to ease off my gas/oil dependence!