Making Ends Meet
Gas prices are inching closer to the $4 mark putting a crimp in budgets and maybe summer vacation plans.
If it was just gas prices that were skyrocketing that would be one thing, but it seems the prices on everything are rising at the same time. Household budgets just don't go as far as they did even just a few months ago.
Do rising gas costs have you looking to cash in spare change, or pawn off unused items in a search for gas money?
Click on the link to add a post to let us know what you are doing to change your spending to stretch your budget further or how you are finding gas money in new ways.
If it was just gas prices that were skyrocketing that would be one thing, but it seems the prices on everything are rising at the same time. Household budgets just don't go as far as they did even just a few months ago.
Do rising gas costs have you looking to cash in spare change, or pawn off unused items in a search for gas money?
Click on the link to add a post to let us know what you are doing to change your spending to stretch your budget further or how you are finding gas money in new ways.
posted by lbarr at
12:17 PM
17 Comments:
I'll probably will end up unemployed or homeless. I've cut back to the bare bones. Groceries at Aldi's are even too expensive for me to purchase. WE are headed into a major depression if things don't change soon. I have a college degree and am a single parent and can't make it, what about you?
I pinch pennies by shopping for cloths for my 2 growing girls and the Goodwill or a place called Fabulous Finds. I got 15-20 things for the both of them and only spent $40. It should get them through the summer. The other thing I do is shop at the Giant Eagle in Streetsboro, not Twinsburg or Solon. Streetsboro has been offering double fuelperks due to the Super Walmart opening near them. Twinsburg and Solon are not. Then we use the fuel perks to defer the cost of gas each week. So instead of pay $3.50 we pay $3.10 or less. That along with not going anywhere we don't have to go saves some money. I may have to start car pooling with a coworker that lives a couple miles from me. That is hard because I have a "special needs" daughter that I have to leave work for periodically.
For God's sake let's get oil baron,
George Bush, and his cronies out of office! Then maybe someone in our government can and will do something about these unreasonable gas hikes.
I have a 100 mile a day commute. I drive a 4 cyl car; and I'm still spending about $100/week in gas. I have no choice but to make this drive, there is no public transportation to consider. What do I do? I try to run all errands together, in an orderly fashion to avoid back-tracking, I keep the weight in my car down, I pack my lunch, and I don't buy anything unless it's on sale. My husband has a 50 mile a day commute-he drives a 10 year old car with 100k+ miles. Luckily, we have no credit card debt. We're just holding on and keep hoping that this will level off.
I refuse to pawn off things to pay for gas. But will we be cutting back, ABSOLUTELY. I've already told my kids I won't be driving this summer. Wednesdays and Sundays will be the day to drive. We will eat from the garden. So they better learn to like tomatoes. I've told my kids if they want to go the rec center or library, they will walk or ride their bikes. The mile and half won't kill them, unless it is hot.
It's a shame it has come to this, I just hope I don't have to give up cable, internet, caller ID, or voice mail. And the last note, I yell at my husband everytime he drives downtown
I am almost to the point that I can't afford the gas to get to work. It is 60 miles round trip a day for me to go to work. If I could take a bus I would. However, I live in Lake County and LakeTran doesn't go to Beachwood:(
Between my husband and I we spend about 150.00 a week in gas. IT SUCKS!!!!!
Now that the weather has warmed up, I'm riding bikes with the kids to and from school. At least I'm getting exercise too! Any nearby neighborhood trips are going to be done on a bike. We don't go for Sunday drives anymore (and really haven't for a long, long time). I combine errands and have them mapped out to avoid backtracking. We'll be expanding our garden this year - nothing too fancy as last year was our first attempt. My husband compared this with the dotcom industry, the housing bubble, etc. May this be a bubble that will soon have to burst as well. I hope that things improve come fall (catch my drift?)
I drive 300 miles a day for my job. I've been forced to call in sick at least once a week because i can't afford my gas. I sometimes call off 2 times a week so I can save the money on gas. One week I called in 3 days. Thank goodness I have an endless sick bank. I only worry my boss will get sick of me calling in all the time and fire me.
Talk about pinching pennies. I roll my pennies everyday just to get enough gas to make it to work. I never can afford to put more then $10 at a time in my tank. It's crazy. I can't wait until I get my tax rebate check. I'm buying myself a new tv, and some beer. I only hope the gas prices go down so I can get some more.
Everything is rising because the fuel costs to move the products around is going up and up. I can save gas by car pooling, but if food prices rise I still have to eat.
Gas is getting out of hand but drive on I90 or I480 with the cars going 80 miles a hour and people realy don't care about it.dxzco
We usually get season passes to the local amusement parks but his year we won't because the gas prices are just to high. It would cost $80.00 round trip in gas just to go to Cedar Point. What a crock!
I told my kids we will be staying home this summer and doing very little driving. I was joking with my oldest daughter today we need to get a wagon so we can start walking to the store to buy groceries.
My Sons And i Drive A Motor Scooter
For Most Our Erans. It Gets 100 Miles To The Gallon Plus It Fun To Drive Around Town We Are In The Prossess Of Getting A Begger One For longer Runs It Will Ony Get 80 Miles To The gallon Thay Run From $695.00 To $3000.00 The $695 Will Do 30 Mph With A Few Mofacations It Now Does 40 Mph Wile A Bigger one Will Run Me Apx $1500 That Will Do 70 MPH Thay Are Floding The Market From China If You Purchase One Of These Cheep Ones Please Have A Wrench Handy For Simple Maitence Is Required.
I am a 96 year old man. I have been frugal all my life. I still use the black and white 17 inch Philco television, with rabbit ears, that my late wife Thelma and I bought back in 1953. I only get three stations but that's fine with me. At night I use candles or a kerosene lamp to save on my electric bill. In fact, two years ago, a fellow from the electric company came out and wanted to know why my electric bill was so low. He said "Pops, you're one in a million!" I also can my own vegetables. Just yesterday I had green beans we canned back in 1962. They were delicious. I use a washboard when washing my clothes and hang them outside to dry on the line. I also make my own soap. I live in the city, but have two goats, so I have plenty of milk and also churn my own butter. I grow my own fruit and vegetables and grind my own wheat for breadmaking. I also have chickens so I have eggs and poultry for dinner when I want it. I am very self reliant. Thank you.
To those dimwits who voted for Bush/Cheney, you are reaping what you sowed. There was, nor is there, any excuse for mass incompetence in The White House. Misleadership affects EVERYTHING, including world markets and the price of oil.
I'm trying to get a second job as a waitress to be able to afford my mortgage, gas and other expenses. My first job requires me to drive from location to location using more gas than I would like and eliminating te possibility of public transportation. As a single mom of teenagers, I hate to lose more time with them, but we have to eat. That means going to work and paying the bills. If only I could work from home...
We are going to lose our home this Fall because we can't pay our property taxes. Can't afford the gas to go to work and can't afford not to either. We have to go to a food pantry to eat and we didn't pay the electric or phone bill last month because we had to buy gas to go to the doctor and medicine and still need money for more medicine. We have saved and scraped by for years. We have a college degree and we were promised more than minimum wage job when we got out. Thank you to all the people who voted for Bush.
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