Gas Poll - How much will it take?

PrairieMom wrote: I know that we all need to drive, but I am talking about making MAJOR life style changes, like biking to work and carpooling, or moving closer to work and shopping to DRASTICALLY decrease your gas intake

PrairieMom replied: I am already biking a lot, and so is DH, but I haven't been biking to work yet, and we still take the car out a bit, but I can't see not making bigger changes if gas gets to be much more.
The bad thing about my town is that we really don't have a very good public transportation system.

Our Lil' Family replied: I honestly don't know how much it'll take. Moving closer to DH's job really isn't an option. If we did we'd have to send Thomas to private school so where's the savings there? As for him carpooling...I don't think anyone he'll work with lives out here. I don't work so I can control how much I drive and I've already started to!

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I couldn't vote because I honestly don't know. I suppose whenever we absolutely can't afford it anymore, but I don't know when that will be. It's difficult for us because of how far away we live from everything. We do live in a town, but it's a very small town and for now it's cheaper to drive either the 14 miles or 22 miles to the two closest bigger towns to do our grocery shopping, and Dh's work is 35 miles away so he kind of needs to drive there. Maybe after he finishes school he'll be able to get a job closer to where we live - or maybe (hopefully!) we'll be able to move closer to our friends and get a job there.

boyohboyohboy replied: we already are going just about no where....only to work and buy food, we just find ways at home to have fun...and go for walks..
but after that, if we cant afford it then we dont eat...so i dont know..

again i am so worried about those that have no choice, the elderly and the sick....

lovemy2 replied: I don't think I will ever QUIT buying gas - I don't believe I have that choice I HAVE to go to work, I HAVE to go grocery shopping, I HAVE to go see my family and friends - BUT I am getting smarter and smarter about how I do those things - they may not be as often and they are more consolidated but I refuse to let this issue totally dictate my life.......

MyBlueEyedBabies replied: i already walk it was an integral part of moving where we did. and dh rides his motorcycle to work...he could ride a bicycle but the gas is so cheap for (like 1 gallon a month) that the extra time away just isn't worth the cost. also teh far driving has been cut down...not jsut gas but time etc. so I am guessing not much will change at this point. It would be great to say that so much will be different...but I don't see us ever stopping what we currently do

Boys r us replied: it would have to go up considerably before I would make drastic changes to my driving pattern. But honestly, we're pretty "dumb" when it comes to that stuff..it's like if we can afford it, we don't change, which is probably what most people do. If more people started coming up with more ways to save on buying gas, maybe they'd do something about the gas prices to get people back to buying it freely again. We still drive the big gas guzzlers and still go where we want at $4/gallon.

grandma replied: Honestly, I live too far from work to bike there. Since I need to go everyday, I have to continue to buy gas.
Many years ago in Texas I carpooled and like it. I guess I could research it here and see if it's even a possibility. I don't know anyone that carpools.
Gas is $4 around here.
My husband does ride his motorcycle to work as much as possible.

jcc64 replied: Driving is one thing, heating oil is another. It's not like we have a choice there. I'm pretty scared about next winter, honestly.

PrairieMom replied:
Do doubt. really, they have us where they want us. What are we gong to do? NOT go to work and heat our homes?

moped replied: I will never quit buying it and can't see it happening.......

My2Beauties replied: I will probably never stop buying gas, I mean it would have to get to a point where I honestly just was like ok gas or food? I mean we both work far away enough from home to where I'm not riding a bike to work, I work in a horrible area of town where the crime rate is the highest so I would not ride a bike or catch a bus and walk to work from even the busstop around here. DH does get some relief on his gas through his work anyways via reimbursement for gas mileage on certain jobs he catches. I guess I just don't foresee it happening unless I absolutely just couldn't afford it anymore.

luvmykids replied:
Same here.

We live waaaay too far out of the city to bike anywhere. I'm close enough to my local stores to bike probably except that it would be dangerous because it would be a frontage road all the way with idiot drivers.

And I'm with everyone else who mentioned heating, our propane prices have doubled.

coasterqueen replied:
Same here. The only thing i could stop buying gas for is the lawn mower.

holley79 replied: I have no choice, have to have gas to get to work. If I quit my job still have to have gas to get places for groceries and stuff.

lisar replied: I voted never cause I live WAY to far from work to be able to do something else. But I have made changes already about not going to so many places.

Brias3 replied: I don't think we'd ever stop buying gas all together, but I'm trying to make smarter choices when needing to drive.

Unfortunately, biking to work is not an option for DH, and walking/biking is not an option for school either. Even if the kids were older, getting from our house to their school entails two super busy, 40mph roads- no thanks!

I try and condense my errands and plan out my trips better, so that helps. Unfortunately, here in the States, its nearly impossible to get from point A to point B without a car- everything is traditionally very spread out! While we were living overseas, I could easily walk from our front step into town and to the grocery and everything in about five minutes. Then again, I just spoke to an old neighbor of ours there last week and they're up to $2.20/liter, which is the equivalent of about $8.50 a gallon!