I hope this does not sound rude, but do you make any money babysitting when you have to drive 50 miles one way to do so?

$4.00 a gallon means no vacation for us this year...

For us, it means another hybrid. We already have a Mariner hybrid that I will drive with the babies. We've ordered a Prius that will be delivered next week. Once, school is out and especially if I go on bed rest, my driving will be greatly reduced. DH works about 40 miles away though. He takes the train as much as possible, but with an unpredictable schedule, he prefers to have a car with him. In some cases, taking the train later may put him at home after I go to bed and then I'd never see him. We can't deal with that.

So, we will be a two hybrid family due to gas prices.

__________________
Wife to the best husband ever.
Mommy to the cutest dog in the world!

we don't own a car yet, but i'm getting one so i can drive home from school during the weeknights (i don't always feel safe waiting at a dark bus stop by myself). so there's that, and i was planning all- day shopping events at this place down the road that has an Albertson's, Kroger, CVS and other places. it's really not far, just far to walk. so this is going to be the first time i'll have to deal with gas prices, but i live in a wonderful area, where aside from the above car trips, we can walk. there are 2 grocery stores right around the corner from me, and a Target just down the road. heck, we've lived without Kroger for so long, i might not go... some of there deals are great, though. anyways, my dh takes a train and a company shuttle bus to work, and if we need to go downtown or somewhere far, we can both take the train and save money on gas. everything else is ridiculously close to where we live, even my job is just a 15 minute walk. i think it was by the grace of God that we found this house.... perfect location for everything!

i didn't even think of the summer heat. it's usually really awful here in July and August, with the hot thick air hanging around all day. if it was a matter of dying from walking or spending a little money on gas so you and your kids don't get cabin fever, i would definitely drive them to an activity.

i think most people are just going to stop wasting gas on things they don't need to do. like driving to Starbucks for a single cup of coffee, or driving to the mall everyday just to kill time. but there are times when we need to drive (work, school, whatever). people cite that back before cars were invented they walked almost everywhere, but they didn't really leave the house, the kids stayed at home to work, they only saw other families on Sunday if they were lucky, etc. times are different.
also, i understand wanting to drive to minimize the time you are away from home. with the way the bus route is set up, i spend and hour of downtime at the school after class, when i could be at home putting my dd to bed or spending time with my dh. family time means a lot to me, and if it means we have less "fun money" that's okay.