My rant about gas.

I've started my old position at a new store. I'm a dog trainer again. I don't mind that. It's the drive. Not the distance. I can handle that. It's the gas. Every mile I put on the truck, my mind is thinking, "There goes another gallon." I'm not even going to get started on the cost of gas. (Not much, at least.)

I'm looking forward to the potential of moving to the new store. It's just a hop, skip and a jump to work which is different from everywhere I've been working since Pittsburgh. I liked being able to walk less than ten minutes to work. Not even enough time to build up a sweat. While the new store won't be quite so close, it is within biking distance. (My biking distance is any distance I can bike to in thirty minutes or less. I can bike much farther, I just get more sweaty doing it.)

Will gas prices going up end up costing me more than I can earn before the new store opens? If so, I may have to take a little hiatus and get a temp job much closer. The only other options would be less costly vehicle to drive like an electric vehicle (EV)(too costly to purchase or make in the short term), a scooter/motorcycle (too dangerous, according to wife, on local roads), or pumping it on a bicycle (which would take forever on local roads over twenty miles it takes to get to work), or public transport (heaven help me try to figure out the local bus schedule/routes).

I know what some people would say. "I have to drive farther than that every day." Up hill, both ways, in the snow. Yes, I know how bad it could be.

I keep remembering the first few years that I was living with my wife before we got married. We didn't have a car for the majority of the time that we lived in Pittsburgh. After we moved to Florida, we still got around on foot or bike (putting quite a few miles on both).

The question is, how much is too much? Does the price of gas have to go to $8/gal. (recent prediction) before the average person has to start finding alternatives? What is your limit? I told my wife that a $50 fill-up* may be my limit, but as local prices start to approach that number, is it really?

*$50 for my truck just short of once a week plus $50 for wife's car per week. That's $100 out of our paycheck per week just to drive to work and typical errands (not even a heavy driving such as trips to Miami or Boca/Delray).