A new study shows that at-home "moms" have been staying home more because of high gas prices. I don't think my habits have changed, except for I don't play outside with the kids during the nasty hot weather.
What about you? Have gas prices kept you home? Or do you go out just as much as before?
Not much different for us. We can still hop the subway or walk. It is the same as it was in the winter. Although in the really nast weather its was hard to get out but we still went to our local playground, just earlier in the day.
Be Seeing You.
What is this "outside" of which you speak?
For those that live in major metropolitan areas, there's always plenty to do. For those of us that have no choice but to drive everywhere, we don't have the luxury of plenty to do that's easily accessible. I can come up with plenty for Butters and I to do without wasting gas.
-Will
gamingwithbaby.com | all your diapers are belong to us
my flickr
BRING BACK THE IRRELEVANCE!!!!
I've always driven my kids to where we're going, but everywhere we go is relatively close, (under 2 miles), so I keep the mileage down. But this summer has been different - we've been driving all over the place. I've been going crazy exploring new parks, swimming pools, bike paths and fishing spots, a few times we travelled up to 80 miles a day. The gas prices are ridiculous! True. I fill up on X85 ethanol, but can never quite top off being limited to $100 p/pump. It's all part of a long fun summer, starting in September we'll be back to sticking in our neighborhood and back to low, low mileage.
Alby1 - Chicago, IL
Regardless of how much I may drive the kids around as a stay-at-home dad, I will never drive as much as I did when I was taking them both to daycare, then to work, then back to daycare before heading home. My gasoline consumption is way down.
Would I have made an extra trip or two to the zoo this summer if gas prices were lower? Probably. But overall, I'm winning.
Since my back surgery I haven't been able to get out much at all. Plus my two year old is highly sensitive to mosquito bites. Since all the rain and flooding we've had in southern Wisconsin, they've been terrible!!! So we stick pretty close to home (or should I say the couch).
Proud to be an ADHD-SAHD
I try to keep the driving to a minimum . But if ya gotta roll ya gotta roll..
If we are going to play group I'll try to take the people who live closest to me along for the ride....
I also take my wife's car instead of my truck ( 15 miles to the gallon, apposed to 28 )
Chef Kev
WHY? DADDY
JPhillip said it, therefor it is, Chef= C=Caring, H=Helpful, E=Excellent, F=Fubar
I'm having trouble remembering the last time I drove my car. My daughter hates the car and loves the bus. Plus, there's dozens of things to do in close walking distance including a park <brag>with four playgrounds, sports fields, a climbing rock, a wading pool, kid-oriented BBQs and "concerts" every other week during the summer, elderly folks playing lawn bowling who dote on babies, and gorgeous mountain views</brag>. I love Vancouver! :)
I had high hopes for the bike, too, but right now her bike trailer is barely rating above the car. (She dislikes the harness and hates the helmet. She LOVES the helmet as a toy, however.)
Cheers,
Steve
(This message courtesy of a temporarily distracted baby girl.)
We have our own playground in our backyard. We bought a Rainbow Play-set and had a pool put in last summer. With the Dads group that I am a part of though, we go all over the area for playgroups. Sometimes it is 40 miles away for were we all meet. Plus the music appreciation class that we are a part of has been a distance away from home. Do our best to be gas conservative however, go where ever we need to as well.
We have cut our running around miles, for stuff like playgroups and multiple errands a day in more than half during the last year.
Early on as a SAHD, I was still putting 20-25K miles a year on my car. Better than the 40K a year when I was working! But this past year I put less than 13K miles on my car, inculding all out of town family trips. Also, we try to take the wife's 28mpg VW Beetle on days that the kids and I are going to be all over town.
We have still gone on several 300-400mile weekend driving trips to visit grandparents all over the state this summer though.
The biggest change for us is that my 40 year old Chevy Truck never gets out of the garage anymore. The kids and I used to cruise around in it most evenings. But at less than 10mpg, I can't even afford to start the thing more than once a week!
Mike S
Austin TX
Joined: 2006-11-06
Dad Points: 1355