At thirty-something, my kids already think I’m old. I can’t imagine what they’ll think when they’re teens who can drive and hear me say, “I can remember when gas was only a dollar or two.” I suppose they’ll feel the same way I did when I heard my parents talk about 8-tracks. After all, it doesn’t look like my kids will see a day when gas is less than two dollars a gallon!
I’ll admit that at first I didn’t pay much attention to the rising gas prices. It wasn’t until I saw the prices escalating at the grocery store that I became concerned. It seemed as though suddenly sale prices were what used to be regular prices. It was time to pay attention!
The other day, I found myself calculating how much gas we use to get to and from the places we normally drive. It was sobering to realize how much it all adds up! Shortly after that, I was paying closer attention to our budget.
In addition to being more mindful about where and when we drive, I’ve also decided to enroll my daughter in the preschool that is closer to our home. Fortunately, both schools I liked were more than adequate, so I don’t feel like I’m settling, but I’d be lying if I said the driving factor wasn’t an issue.
The driving factor will certainly be an issue this summer when we visit grandparents in both Iowa and Colorado. We’re lucky that we won’t have to cancel our trips, but we’ll certainly be curtailing our other travel throughout the summer in order to compensate for the longer road trips.
How are you dealing with the rising gas prices? Are you still planning on road trips this summer? Are you finding ways to maintain your budget at the grocery store despite the rising prices? Do share.
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