Spiraling gas prices start to hurt S. Florida pocketbooks, psyches

miamiherald ^

[TexasCajun]

Hey Doc, Are you on the Gulf side?

Do you guys have a seaweed problem?

Our upper-coastal beaches are full of brown seaweed?

[finnman69]

Every state yes, and it's nto just commuting costs.

think gas is bad? Wait till people get the heating bills for their oversized homes this winter, another factor that will contrubute to the popping the housing bubble.

[SaveTheChief]

Some drivers are altering their routines, going out less, or even going to therapy as gas prices begin to strain family budgets.

Maybe the latter are still holding on to false hopes that Kerry will somehow be declared the winner in the '04 election.

[frogjerk]

Quote: Don't underestimate telecommuting

Most jobs you cannot telecommute. O.k. for airline reservation type jobs but not much more else. Can't telecommute if your a nurse, miner, manufacturing person, veterinarian,retail etc etc

The many jobs you CAN telecommute for are the very jobs that pay enough for the employee to live quite a while away from HQ.

Almost any types of software related, finance related and other high-tech service industry job can be performed remotely, at least once or twice a week.

That's a big chunk of the economy. Don't sell the finance and high technology sector of the economy short.

[frogjerk]

Some drivers are altering their routines, going out less, or even going to therapy as gas prices begin to strain family budgets.

Maybe the latter are still holding on to false hopes that Kerry will somehow be declared the winner in the '04 election.

WORKER: "My budget is strained with the recent gas prices. I know, I'll lay down a couple hundred on Therapy sessions"

Ugghhh...

[frogjerk]

Wait till people get the heating bills for their oversized homes this winter, another factor that will contrubute to the popping the housing bubble.

Question: Are the people waiting with joy for the so-called housing "bubble" to pop the same people who did not get in on it when they should have?

[funkywbr]

Well I guess I'll suffer too then as I've got 3100sf.

Guess we''l turn off 1 zone and all sleep down by the Fire Place.

Guess one good thing to come of all this is it will get families closer together.

And put a damper on LIEberally spoiled rotten kidz!~}

[frogjerk]

I guess I just need to bring lunch to work more often to offset the cost.

And then buy stock in Ziplock bags, Tupperware, Reynolds Wrap, Hellmans, Land-O-Lakes, Boar's Head, etc...

[frogjerk]

I guess I just need to bring lunch to work more often to offset the cost.

In NYC, you can easily save $20-$30 a week doing this...gas money.

[US_MilitaryRules]

And who do we sell our 10% less gas milage cars/trucks to?

[1Old Pro]

LIFESTYLE CHANGES If gas prices stay high -- as they are expected to do -- one expert in finance and behavior says drivers will eventually be forced to make some major changes in lifestyle.

I agree and these Lifestyle changes WILL BE traumatic. For example, someone might have to GIVE UP having their $2.00 specialty coffee and make a 10 cent cup of regular coffee at home. Thus freeing up more than enough to cover the increase in gas. OH THE HORRORS. Some people will be FORCED to give up HBO or CINEMAX!!

Even worse, people who eat out might have to give up ONE restaurant meal a month. This is a CRISIS!

[stuartcr]

Very few jobs requiring hands-on personnel, can be done at home. This includes hi-tech jobs.

[stuartcr]

Indians and Chinese people.

[traumer]

We just did !
"You pay what we pay!" - The Employee Discount..... :o)

[stuartcr]

Won't giving up a lot of these luxuries, hurt those that are in the service-oriented jobs? Isn't that where most of the new jobs are?

[devane617]

"And who do we sell our 10% less gas milage cars/trucks to?"

Eventually they will go the way of any other old car -- to the junkyard. Until their expected mechanical life is up they will still continue to be driven, however the resale value will be diminished.

Like any other task, we have to start somewhere.

[traumer]

[frogjerk]

All of the US economy requires hands-on personnel jobs?

[stuartcr]

I would say a majority do. Defense contracts are really big employers, but a majority of them require security clearances, and would be impossible to do from home. A perfect example is the DC area. Some of the commutes in that area are huge.

[Arthalion]

And many jobs you can't. I live in an area where the average job pays about $35k to $40k a year, and the typical house is selling for $450k to $550k nowadays. The people who buy these houses aren't locals (they've been driven to even poorer areas and now have to commute hours to get here), they're mechanics, welders, veterinarians, janitors, police officers, school teachers, and grocery clerks from our far more affluent urban neighbors. These people make excellent money by local standards, but are far too poor to live where they work so they take their urban incomes and buy here (90 mile commute...one way).

These people can't afford to live where they work, and there's no way in hell they could afford those houses on local wages, so they're stuck commuting...and telecommuting simply isn't an option when your job is to weld steel all day.

High gas prices will kill the long commute, which will devastate the housing markets in commuter-heavy regions like this one. Since a home is the only major investment that most people have, that kind of crash will have major economic consequences for the whole country.