Drivers won’t change their habits until gas costs more than $4 per gallon, says the car leasing website LeaseTrader.com. REALLY?
AAA calculates the national average price for a gallon of regular gas is already at $3.47. Last year the average was just $2.70. In my neighborhood, I’m already seeing $3.59 a gallon.
At what gas price do you start changing habits?
When filling my 12.5 gallon tank hit $50 two years ago, I freaked out. I began riding my bike to do errands around town and carpooling whenever possible. Incremental increases don’t seem so big until you realize how much it adds up to. I’m not the only one who took note back then. When gas prices spiked in the summer of 2008, 78% of all SUV/truck transfers were due to high gas prices, according to LeaseTrader. Now, gas prices are the reason behind just 16% of SUV/truck transfers.
I’m giving up my car for 40 days (for Lent) starting Mar. 9, so I won’t have to worry about gas prices in the short term. Scary thing is that I doubt gas prices will come back down before I start driving again on Easter Sunday, Apr. 24, 2011. The combination of rising gas prices and my temporary auto sacrifice may convince me to give up my car for good.
Are you content to pay $4 per gallon?
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
I try not to overreact to the gas prices, but use them as impetus to ride my bike, to benefit myself with some exercise. Once the weather gets nice, I’ll start up my 5 mile ride to work.
Actually, $3.50 was the number that did it for me.
Maybe you should make sure that you fill your car up now, before it gets higher…so when you go back to it, you will “save” at least on that one tank. 🙁
Sadly we don’t live within walking or even bike riding distance of any place except a gas station! I try and cut back my driving as much as possible – but I do have a big SUV – but I need it because of our family size. sigh!
There is a thing going around the internet that everyone should stop buying Exxon Mobil since they are the largest. If their sales go down, maybe they will lower their prices. I’m skeptical about that though
By now, we know what is going about the prices! I am not well and am stuck with my Jeep/SUV. Not everyone has the resouces now to buy a vehicle with better gas mileage. There is nothing within walking distance now either. Too many have gone out of business. I have found busses not only are not reliable, they don’t have a stop I need for a medical visit. This Jersey girl is dusgusted! I plan when I drive, put Jeep in neutral while I am stuck at a light. I look ahead to the next intersection and if it is red, I keep my foot off the pedal so it turns green when I get there. Also, driving 5 under the speed limits of 40 and up and it helps. Another thing to stress out too many. Then it hits the truckers and watch other prices rise. Wish I had a bike now, lol. May God bless us all.
@Linda ~ That e-mail about not buying gas from Exxon, et al., has been going around for YEARS. Your skepticism is well founded. Check it out on snopes.com.
“Content to pay $4 a gallon”? Not at 18 miles per gallon! Whoever thinks that must own a Prius.
Unfortunately, I can’t afford to buy a new car. Nor can I afford the $50/gallon, twice-a-month bills it takes to keep my clunk running. Nor is bicycling feasible around here. Nor is our city’s excuse for public transit feasible, not in terms of time, of safety, or even of cost.
About $2.50 a gallon is my upper limit of affordability. Right now I’m back to hypermiling, arranging errands so they can be done in one trip, and trying to limit driving to two or at most three trips a week.
This summer I’ll have to teach four days a week, and I’m not looking forward to the gas bills.
Yikes. Not looking forward to this. Hoping to reevaluate my budget so it doesn’t have a drastic empact. thanks for sharing.
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I think lumping errands all in one is a great idea. I find that to be very effective. I also try to set a limit on how much I get and try to haveset days to fill up. Hoping to cut back on what ever I can to make up for the prices. I try to make my children so simple crafts so I don’t have to drive them around on the weekends. Excuse typos above. . .meant impact.:)