Gas prices and staying at home

[ryan]

I'm wondering if these crazy gas prices are going to give more fathers a reason to be stay at home dads. Working from home makes a lot more sense than spending a fortune on long commutes. It must be costing some people half of their paycheck just to pay for gas and car payments.

 

[LeonR]

I know what you mean. We take several ski trips each winter and another half dozen trips to the beach each summer. We're already rethinking how much time and how many cars we'll end up driving on vacation this year.

 

[Michael]

I just took my annual drive to Georgia, about 8 hours away. I'm going to Florida in April and to Greenville, South Carolina in May. My salary has not gone up, but the gas prices certainly have. These are trips I take most years, but I don't know how much longer I'll be able to do it.

 

[Babar]

No, I don't think gas is so high that one parent needs to stay home because of it. That parent could instead get a job within walking distance or within a few miles drive. The only bill that it might be justified to stay home because of is daycare.

 

[tom_j]

My baby is on the way, so I can't speak as a father yet. But, I have the solution. Motorcycle! Buy one, commute every day, save money because you can't hit the fast food drive through on the way home. It's worked for years so far, I will continue.

 

[Salazar]

I'm sure there are a lot of guys who would love to telecommute and save the gas money, but the problem is convincing the employer to get on board. As feasible as working from home is these days with all our technological capabilities, lots of companies still don't like the idea.

 

[Bear]

My baby is on the way, so I can't speak as a father yet. But, I have the solution. Motorcycle! Buy one, commute every day, save money because you can't hit the fast food drive through on the way home. It's worked for years so far, I will continue.

I know someone who did that. He was killed on his way to work one morning and left behind a widow and two small children. People around here don't respect motorcycle driver's at all so I wouldn't consider that an option.

 

[Victor]

I'm sure there are a lot of guys who would love to telecommute and save the gas money, but the problem is convincing the employer to get on board. As feasible as working from home is these days with all our technological capabilities, lots of companies still don't like the idea.

This was my thought as well. If you can convince your boss, it is a great solution, but they aren't always willing to do it, especially if they have to invest in technology to do so.

 

[Andersson]

I would love to have been given that option when my kids were smaller, even now I know its hard for many working families. We tend to help out in the neighborhood when we can if someone needs a babysitter. We never mind helping out and its much cheaper than daycare prices for some couples too.

 

[Bear]

That is really nice of you and your family Andersson, and I am sure that it really helps them out. My company is considering going to a 4 day work week, and that would at least help out a little.

 

[Niceness8000]

My reasons for staying home have less to do with gas or anything that relates to budgeting or saving money. I stay home to work on my own business. I want control over my finances, so I can come and go as I please without concern for a boss, or for bills.

 

[ghanashyam]

That is the reason that major offices in India are either making 5 days a week to save on fuel and employee bus facilities and some offices are offering employees to work from home because internet had made it easier to finish the work at home and submit it later on.
When my children were young the petrol was 20 cents per liter here in India, now it is 200 cents per liter.
Even the public transportation is costlier and we have many cases of ticket less travellers being caught.

 

[Miller]

We didn't go as far away from home this summer as we sometimes do. We did make a number of shorter road trips, so I'm not sure the gas savings was any less. We did save on the costs of hotels since many of our trips were within four to five hours of home.

 

[Victor]

Gas prices aren't enough to keep me home, but daycare sure is! I do some work from home to help out, but it's nowhere near a full income. Still, it's nice for extras.

 

[BigDaddy]

Gas prices really arent that bad right now. They have come up a bit but nothing like they were a few years ago. I refuse to just sit home and do nothing.

 

[youngone]

Working from home is ideal for some people. You have independence, no boss to answer to and usually a lot less stress. However, you can become isolated when working from home and it's not easy making enough money.

What work do you do at home?

 

[Hank]

My wife and I had jobs that we could commute to together. I had to get up a bit earlier but it sure did save money. Now that we're separated, we are both driving and believe me, it's made a difference in my salary.

 

[footballtim]

I live in Key West, Florida where gas is a little more expensive than in Miami. I live about 1 1/2 miles away from work, but Key West is a small crowded island with a lot of stop and go traffic, so I still use a lot of gas per mile. I get about 30 miles per gallon in my Kia Soul on the highway, but here in Key West I wonder if I am even getting more than 16 or 17.

 

[BigDaddy]

I live in Key West, Florida where gas is a little more expensive than in Miami. I live about 1 1/2 miles away from work, but Key West is a small crowded island with a lot of stop and go traffic, so I still use a lot of gas per mile. I get about 30 miles per gallon in my Kia Soul on the highway, but here in Key West I wonder if I am even getting more than 16 or 17.

Check out something a Ford escape hybrid. They get 30+ mpg and switch to electric when driving under 30mph and at stoplights. Its saved me a bundle!

 

[Victor Leigh]

I think working from home should eventually become the norm rather than the exception. In most offices, the work can be done from the home without any difference in the performance or productivity. The biggest obstacle would be the mindset of the employers who want to be able to see their workers.

If I am not mistaken, London has allowed a lot of office workers to work from home during the Olympics. Maybe they might continue doing this after the Paralympics.