It's a gas, gas, gas

It's no secret that gas prices continue to rise and show no signs of ever returning to pre-Hurricane Katrina levels, which is when they took a big jump up and never really came down. The cost of a gallon did its usual twenty cent weekly climb today and sits around $3.45 here. Talk of $4/gallon gas has been rumored, and I wouldn't be surprised to see it hit that price in time for Memorial Day travel or no later than this summer.

If gas prices haven't reached the tipping point where people start making drastic changes in their driving, I can't imagine it is too far off. My co-worker mentioned some differences in how much he drives now, and I know I'm doing many of the same things.

On the weekends I probably don't venture much farther than five miles from my apartment. If there's something special I have planned or want to do, I'll still go, but most of the time I stay nearby. I'm lucky that most of the places I need or like to visit are close enough that I don't have to go far. If possible I try to be efficient and hit all of the places in one trip.

I've made a big change in attending advance movie screenings. Ordinarily it wouldn't be unusual to go to four of them in a week, trips that really start to add up. I've been skipping the overwhelming majority of them in recent months--a decision that wasn't initially based on gas consumption--and catching up on the weekends. I have a theater within a couple miles from where I live. Their weekend ticket prices before noon make it cheaper to pay to see the films when they open than to spend the equivalent or a little more in gas to go to them for free ahead of time.

Until last Memorial Day weekend I lived less than a mile from where I work. I'm still not that far--not quite eleven miles--but in racking up more miles with the commute, I've become more conscious of how much I drive. With the changes mentioned above, I probably drive about the same amount as I did when I could walk to the office. On average I can go a week to a week and a half between trips to the pump.

I don't mention this to show off or to make a case for higher prices being a good thing. (Those who make the argument for inflating gas prices so better alternatives will come to market irritate me to no end. These prices are having significant impact on people's lives, and it'll get a lot worse for many if gas costs continue going up.) I'm not sure what the point is other than this was something on my mind today.

Perhaps it's because I've been wavering on whether to go to a Reds game this weekend if I can't find someone else to share the travel costs. I will spend more to get there and back than to buy a ticket and pay to park. Contrary to everything else I've written, if I want to go, I'll do it, but it doesn't mean I'll be happy about what it takes to fill my car's tank. It does mean that I'm less likely to go as frequently as I would. Don't think this is limited to frivolous things like ballgames. (Please ignore the fact that I'm driving to Illinois for a film festival next week.)

How are gas prices changing the way you drive and travel?