Is your long commute giving you buyer’s remorse?
I know a reporter looking for a few sources to interview. Did you buy a house in the exurbs when gas was 3 bucks a gallon and now it’s over $4.00? Are you rethinking your decision to live there? At one time, did the longer commute seem a worthwhile trade off and now it’s killing your monthly budget? Do you have buyer’s remorse? Are you changing your lifestyle to accommodate this added expense?
Come on’¦ I know there are a few Queercents readers regretting that move to Valencia, CA or Alpharetta, GA. If you’re willing to talk about it, then email me at nina [at] queercents [dot] com.
I have the opposite problem. I live in the city and bus to work. My WORKPLACE is now moving to the suburbs (such genius!) and bussing would add 40 minutes to my commute each way. Thank G-d I was able to find someone to carpool with- and seems nice enough. Hopefully, I won’t have to worry about too many days of bussing or alternate transportation. I will not be buying a second car for our family; its just *wrong* to have to be one adult=one car in this day and age.
Lets see… Asbestos Wig, HeatProof Lip Gloss..Ready, Set,…
I’m going to throw the Gasoline on here… If you moved to the “burbs” when gas was $3 a gallon and now find you can’t afford to drive to work at $4 a gallon YOU HAD NO BUSINESS MOVING TO THE BURBS TO BEGIN WITH!!!!
The average American drives 15-18,000 miles a year… thats 1200 to 1500 miles per month… if your ride only gets a measly 20 mpg then you need 60-75 gallons of gas a month.
Double that for a couple and your talking 120-150 gallons a month. If your income can’t absorb a hit of $120-$150 more a month (difference between $3 and $4 a gallon…a Whole Dollar!!) you have been living WAY past your Means and should have stayed in your old cheaper place instead of moving to a new place in “the country”.
Now wheres that Fire Extinquisher… I here Flame Throwers revving up.
~ Roland
DivaJean: Earlier this year, The New York Times did a piece on reverse commuters. You’re not alone. A lot of jobs are now in the suburbs!
Roland: I think that’s the point… Americans are so tapped for cash that jumping from 3 to 4 bucks is hurting those that were living beyond their means in the first place. Thanks for highlighting this.
Like Frugalzen, I can’t conceive of my budget being so tight I don’t have $100/month.
But, I hate to say, my Subaru does only get about 20 mpg city because of the AWD system.
In a couple of years hopefully we’ll have the Subaru diesel from Europe (abpout 30 mpg city)
Roland is really on point here. A big part of the reason I am moving back to Southern California is that Phoenix is nearly impossible to navigate without a car. The public transit system sucks here. They’re just building a light rail system and it’s 2008! If you want to go anywhere outside of Tempe, you can forget it. At least in LA and Orange Counties, you can get around via bus or train. Sure, it takes a little bit longer. But you save on gas and the frustration of sitting on the 101 or the 405. I’ll take my latte and a paper during the commute any day over idling on the freeway and wasting that $4+/gallon. Sure, my rent is going to go up if I don’t find roommates. But at $40 a week for gas (and that’s just going to and from school – AND I carpool!), I can’t afford to stay here any longer.
I know this will sound harsh, but I really don’t have any sympathy for people who are living beyond their means. If there is one upside to the current economic climate, at least people are having to reassess their priorities and there is actually a groundswell of support for cars that are more enviro-friendly because of the economic impact.
Serena: You’re spot on as well. Here’s an excellent article that lists Eight reasons why $8-a-gallon gas will do us a world of good.
The writer argues this is the best way to jump-start mass-transit development: