“One hack I would like to have is carpooling,” said Alexa Lopez. But she hasn’t found a viable option near where she lives in Kissimmee, Florida. She has a long commute: 81 miles every day from her home to her job at a plumbing company in Melbourne. So to save money on gas, she needs less extracurricular driving, as well as some more essential activities.
Ms. Lopez, 30, used to go to the grocery store without thinking twice. Now, due to inflation and high prices to go to the store, she only goes every two weeks. She previously said she would buy “anything and everything,” including snacks like chips for her son. But, she said, “I can’t really buy much more of it.”
She added: “I kind of feel like the average American now: wrestling.”
For the first time in years, some who did relatively well are faced with tough compromises. As the war in Ukraine and the pandemic continue to wreck the economy, concerns are growing that the US economy is on the brink of recession. People move to make their commute easier. Family visits are minimized. Future savings will be funneled into rising supermarket prices. It’s been a hard blow.
Elizabeth Hjelvik, 26, a materials science graduate student at the University of Colorado at Boulder, keeps a close eye on her budget. She recently started cycling to campus. She’s also increasingly started working from home, using her parents’ Kroger refueling points to fill the tank on her 2005 Honda, and cutting back on spontaneous weekend trips.
Ms Hjelvik recalled that when she and her partner recently drove back from a trip to Fort Collins, Colorado, about 50 miles away, she said, “This drive is so beautiful, but it could be something we can’t do in the future.” to do. .” Her family lives in New Mexico, within driving distance of Boulder.”Ideally, we could see them more often, but it’s a lot of gas,” she said.
Kaitlyn Thomas, 25, a medical resident living in Horseheads, NY, said she sometimes googles gas prices in nearby Pennsylvania. She also has a running note on her phone where she keeps track of what’s being advertised at the stations she passes on her commute. Next week she’s moving to Sayre, Pa., to live within walking distance of her work.
