Do you feel like you've been grounded?

It really is getting to me big time. Just over the last week I had to cancel two trips to a nearby city after looking at the price tags near the pump. I love to ride my bike and never used to clean but just ride it but now it is spending a lot of time standing still and I am just blowing the dust. The call charges are dropping and the fuel charges have gone so high that now most of the friends tend to just call and not visit the "places".

They are making things more challenging for me, but they are not cramping my style as yet. While I have to put more money aside for airfare for my frequent trips to the USA from Canada, I don't hae to worry as much on a day to day basis because I do not drive, and my CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) card allows me to ride local city busses for free.

Do I ever! I've been grounded by "Big Oil" and I don't see any end in sight to my imprisonment. I also used to love to go for rides and we used to always go on vacation and take a few nice day trips during the summer but I don't see that happening anytime soon! Airfares are so outrageous now I don't know how we'll ever be able to go to Florida again, it's downright depressing and frustrating! Annie

Yes, the ever increasing gas prices do up our expenses, and even if we are not car owners, we still end up paying higher for public transport. Each time there is an announcement of an increase in gas prices at the pumps, it makes us drivers frown. So far, my wife and I try not to let this price increases stifle us in our travels. Of course we try not to make unnecessary trips to save some money, but we still drive whenever we have to work, go to church, run errands, buy groceries or occasionally go shopping. If we cannot cut down much spending on transportation, then we'll try and save in other ways like eating less in expensive restaurants, going less to the movies, etc.

Gasoline prices are ridiculous, we also use to go on week end outings to the mountains and such. We are no longer able to do this as a result of the prices in gas, in fact getting to work even is becoming more and more difficult with the price of gas, what are we to do when we can no longer afford to go to work? Yes this needs to come to an end soon, gas is a necessity of life to some, others can get by by walking bicycling bus but some can't. It is sad when you can't afford to take a ride in the country and enjoy life because of the price of gas. I find I am paying higher prices in groceries because I have to go to the stores that are closer to me that are so much more expensive, life is getting so hard.

well! im feel okey myself! because, i dont feel the others!

yes I do, I have had to cut down my marketing around the town because Gas is so much money I can barely afford having my day care provider let alone, being able to make any sort of money if it is not a set appointment for my business. It really sucks. I have tried to do more phone calling but for marketing purposes it is so much better to go and find things happening in Person....it just gets a lot more done faster if you pop in and visit with people than to try to call them. It sucks!

Gas prices are really killing us here. Stressing us out so much. Is there any end in sight to these rising prices?

Youdon'tsay, this whole crisis is beginning to affect very part of our lives. You are so right, I have gotten to the point that I plan the weeks trips out with the car. No errands unless there is several to do in one day. No more "oh we are out of milk, be right back", we stay out of milk until there are other errands to be run, or it can be picked up after work. We do not drive 20 miles out to the lake just to watch the sunset any longer. We can not. At 4.00 a gallon for gas, it is not with in our budget to do so.

I know what you mean. I love to drive, but no can do. I don't even want to go out on the weekends, and I used to love to. I try to put off going to the roomie's folks and they don't even live that far away.

I am driving less, at least for those unnecessary little day trips. I thought about going to a farmer's market/flea market the other day, but reconsidered because of the gas that it would take. So for the most part my driving has been cut down except for my 10 mile round trip to therapy 3 times a week, and I usually try to add any errands to those days. However, due to my employer putting me on medical leave due to an injury at work, I am saving on the 45 mile round trip to work 5 days a week........I'd rather be working lol I've been off 5 weeks now with a splint on my left wrist, and will be off at least 2 more weeks if not more! It's saving on the gas expense, but it's driving me crazy lol

No....if I want to go somewhere I'll still go. If you take it into perspective and you get 26 mpg.....and gas is four bucks....it still only costs you about 6 cents a mile to travel. That's cheaper then alot of other things we do. Eating out...is very expensive....a movie per hour is very expensive......

Without a doubt it is making a difference in our household. My daughter in law filled the truck and got gas for the lawnmower yesterday and it was over $100. So we have to really try to stretch a tank of gas these days. In fact, we don't plan on taking a vacation this year, just going to do things near home. So yes, it is definately cramping our style.

Most definitely, the gasoline prices have really affected my lifestyle. I have had to make a lot of changes. I am not able to travel the 10 hour drive to where I am originally from as many times as I normally used to go. My boyfriend lives one hour from me and it cost me $30 just to drive to and from his home. Needless to say we have even had to cut back some on the amount of time we spend together due to the costs of gasoline. I have found that I now will walk to the corner store to grab a loaf of bread or a gallon of milk instead of driving. My children and I spend more time at the park now that is close to the house instead of driving to the one that we like the most by the lake. I just wish the prices would go down and stay down, so I could afford to visit my family that is so far away from me more often.

Yes, I definitely do feel like I've been grounded. I used to take day trips all the time to do my photography and I even bought a new car because my old one was overheating in the desert too much. But, now, I don't go anywhere. I can take a bike trip, but my stamina is not that great due to my health, so I can't go as far as I used to. I might take a car trip once I get my economic stimulus check. Some of our local small towns are really suffering because of lack of visitors. I hope to go up to one of them to help them out.

yes, i think so, due to thsi, there are price hikes everywhere. there is no respite. food, oil, daily life and all are expensive now. My GOD!

I totally agree. We try to plan everything on the same day. We don't go anywhere not unless we have to. I'm unemployed right now. I can't even afford to go job hunting. So I have been looking for places on the internet that I can apply to. Its just rediculous. Gas here in Indiana is 4.20 a gallon. It cost my husband around 150-200 dollars a week just to go to work.

Heck yeah it is! My life has shrunk down to going to work, stopping at the store on my way home, going to work, etc. It's been ages since I've gone anywhere and we have so many places we could be going. We have a boat but we're not even talking about taking it out with the price of gas right now.

Yeah me too youdontsay.I feel like ive been grounded bcoz if gas high price.Bfore during my day off we always go to my friends house who lives very far from our house.Now we only go there once a month....huhuhuhuhu!I feel im grounded...waaaaaaaaaaaa

Things have become harder for us and we have had to cut back so much .We were gonna go on vacation and we now are just going to the near by lake. Just getting so frustrated. I understand !