by Tony Jones

Created on: May 23, 2008   Last Updated: May 28, 2008

How does rising gas prices affect my life - in a word: Less. Less of everything. When crude oil exceeded $100 a barrel, the first thing we began to notice was the increasing costs of everything I knew and loved. Pizza restaurants were setting minimal prices for home delivery. Either I ordered more or hopped in my car and picked it up. Our local newspaper boy had apologized for having to charge for daily delivery and even beer was becoming more expensive. I also began to justify longer drives to take advantage of cheap gas offers. I would wait until I was practically driving on vapors before refilling the tank. My son and I began to bicker about who's turn it was to fill the tank.

It got to the point where cars became a source of discontentment in our family. We became immobilized at the thought of just up and going" anywhere, anytime like we used to. Eventually we realized that the cars were spending more time in the driveway that on the road, So we decided to sell one of our two cars. Actually one trip to the gasoline station made the decision for us. It was a typical Saturday morning of shopping and stopping to fill-up on the way home. My wife was driving our Mazda wagon, while I was on the other side of town in a sports-car from my bachelor days. I played a morning round of golf while she did the weekly shopping.

Later when we compared gas receipts we realized that having two cars was now a luxury we could no longer afford. My pre-marital sports-car was being used by the men in the house. I used it for my daily commute to work, and my son used it for personal entertainment. My wife, on the other hand, needed the larger car for commuting, shopping, car-pooling and taking the dogs for their walkies. Needless to say, the dogs are still being chauffeured to their favorite walkabouts while my son and I make do. In truth I knew she always resented my sports-car and it was just a matter of time before I found myself permanently behind the wheel of a family car.

Now I use public transportation and my son putts about on the family scooter. His social image has taken a hit, but he has more cash on hand for entertainment. Fortunately he also has several college friends that have their own cars (and similar problems) and are always open to carpool options especially when he offers to contribute to their gas tanks. Now they contact him when they plan outings or road trips.

Less time: My ordinary commute went from a frustrating rush hour race of 45 minutes to a slightly uncomfortably

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