Gas Prices - has it changed how you live your day to day?

Here in the US gas is at or above $3/gal. depending on where you live.  I heard this morning that gas in London is over $6/gal.!!

How are you coping in the UK with gas prices like this?  I know here in the States, many people are turning in SUV's for smaller cars, and many people here at work are trying to have more work at home days.

They showed one guy in London filling up his Bentley for $150!!!!!!  It's just insane.

Anyway - just wondering how you are coping over there, or if it's really not that big a deal because public transport is so much better than here in the States.

~Liza

Doesn't make a lot of difference to me,I fill her up every couple of weeks,usually costs between £15-£20.

Dave

Nope...people are used to the prices...they've always been higher than over here...and most people don't do the translation to US dollars, so it's not as huge a hit.  My bf hasn't stopped using his car when we need it but like many other Londoners, uses public transportation more often than not (as do I).

Gas prices have always been high here-which I think makes people much more careful about driving in the states.  Here it would be highly unusual to drive more than a couple of miles to go shopping or the grocery store-there my mom drives 45 miles.  We would only go to the mall or Ikea(a hour away) a couple of times a year whereas in America that would be a journey you'd make without thinking about it. 

We only use the car for a once a week shop at Sainsburys, if we're going away somewhere for the weekend where public transport isn't convenient, or when univ is in session -- hubby takes it one night a week for a night class he takes.  So, to be honest, I can't tell you if we even fill up the gas tank one time per month -- it's probably less than that on average, and obviously more if we've gone traveling anywhere in the car for a weekend or longer.

Other than that - it's public transportation for us -- to work & back every day, as well as numerous day trips in the area that we might make.  We also live on one of our town's high streets, so quick small grocery stops, post office, etc are only steps away.

As someone who is NOT used to these prices, it's having a significant impact on my finances.  I put nearly 100 miles per DAY on my car, just commuting to and from work.  While I used to enjoy a quick trip to Las Vegas or Salt Lake City, my 'discretionary' travel has been cut considerably.  Thank heavens my little Saturn is still running....I'd hate to think what it would cost me to drive an SUV!  

petrol, not gas!     gas is the stuff you run your cooker on! 

It doesnt make any difference to me... obviously i would rather pay less for it, but i still drive to work every day, and fill up my 2.0 litre motor once a week.  I filled up yesterday, and it cost £44.

I'd hate to think what it would cost me to drive an SUV!  

I filled up my Jeep over the weekend - thank goodness I have a Sam's Club membership and got a decent price of $2.41/gal. - but that was Friday afternoon and it's gone up another 20cents since then.  $37 to fill up from almost "E".

I think, of all the things that will be culture shock learning curves for me, it will be the whole giving up the car thing.  Not that I'm that tied to it, it's just that whole spontanious way of life I'm used to now will have to become a bit more planned and organized.  Not a big deal really, but something I'm mindful of. 

Growing up in the car culture of Detroit, it's just hard to imagine life without one.    But I'm about to find out!!!

~Liza

I lived without a car for the first 10-11 years i lived over here.
But i did finally get fed up with being on someone else's timetable, instead of my own.

I think, of all the things that will be culture shock learning curves for me, it will be the whole giving up the car thing. Not that I'm that tied to it, it's just that whole spontanious way of life I'm used to now will have to become a bit more planned and organized. Not a big deal really, but something I'm mindful of.

It is a big deal though.  It's do-able but it IS a huge hassle.  I didn't have a car for the first 9+years and it was the amount of time you waste on public transport that finally made me give in.  I'm back to not having a car of my own and it's a pain.  Every thing has to be planned ahead and there's a lot of relying on and asking favours of other people. 

We just spent alot of money tuning up my SUV to try to get some more MPG out of it, but I need to fill up again on the way home from work today.  Not only has it not made it better, I think it's made it worse.  The prices have prompted me to seek out a new car, but I'm still upsidedown on mine. 

Hmm, the idiot below us just bought a Hummer (bright yellow at that!).  I wonder how he's coping with filling that monster up.

We leave the driving to holidays, festivals and family events ...most of the time we take public transport......for shopping and commuting I buy online and top up food by heading to the shop via bicycle everywhere...

I wish I could cycle.  I'd love to take Niall out on rides, but besides having no place to store the bike, there are no cycle paths and the roads are so horribly narrow.  I'd live in constant fear of being mowed over.

We're a rare 2 car household here. When we lived in Exmouth, public transport didn't work for the DH to get to Uni so he always needed his car. And then I needed to start job-hunting so needed to be more independent. It was a bit of an indulgence when we got the second car but now it's essential as public transport to my job is impossible from where I live. Ironically, DH now uses his car less but still needs it enough to warrant the extra costs. Fortunately we both have reasonable car insurance and don't drive enough miles to really rack up the petrol costs.