I was watching the news last night, can't remember which network (Probably CNN) and the reporter was doing a piece on how over 50% of families are now finding it hard to put food on the table and gas in the tank. The discussion went on to reveal that most are having to decide between the two: Gas or Food? Work to pay bills, or eat to survive.

That was a pretty scarry thought.

How dire can our current situation be that families are put in a position where they can't afford to eat, but can't afford to not go to work either.

What are some ways we can getr people to work without feeling the pinch at the table too?

Here are a few common suggestions:
Carpooling with neighbors
Public transportation in the city
Riding bikes or mopeds to work

__________________
*************************************
Watch my siggy for CONTEST details! Click on the links to see how you can win with Mommysavers!

Find a Deal/Post a Deal and Win! SANTA's HELPERS

Post, Post, Post!November/December Post the Most

My problem with most people is that they are incredibly wasteful with money, certainly no where near all but I bet most of these families have the following: cell phones, cable, internet services, bought new retail clothes, high tech gadgets, etc. People have come to expect these as needs they can't imagine doing without so they aren't cutting back. Take away all these things and then let's see how many are TRUELY struggling b/c food and gas. It will be a good number but not 50%. I guess I'm off on a tangent, sorry! It's just out of this 50% they quote I find it hard to believe they can't cut down on their other expenses.

__________________

A woman is like a teabag. You never know how strong she is until she gets into hot water.-Eleanor Roosevelt

My dh and I live very frugally. We do not waste our money and try to save as much as possible. We used to live on a budget of $80 a month for food and have had to increase that to $100. I found myself going to the store and getting less than half what I normally bought for the same amount of money. The extra $20 has allowed us to get a little more, but we are still eating less. Because we are choosing food over gas, we carpool when possible. Because our summer work schedules are different I end up riding my bike to and from work about 5 days a week to save on gas.

I am going further for Groceries, I can get more for my dollor at Winco then I do at the Albertson's near myself. What is the challenge is that I need to schedule an activity near Winco so I can feel like the gas is worth it.
I think people will also be changing what they buy when they shop.

__________________
Kimberly Proud Mommy to Bethany Rose April 2006

I agree somewhat with Stacia. People are going to have to look long and hard at everything that they spend money on. People are going to have to re-prioritize their spending. People also need to look at their grocery shopping habits and realize that they don't have to buy that expensive frozen dinner or the organic milk. I think that the entire country will be doing what most of us already do.

__________________
~Happiness is a large family~

I'll agree with Stacia to a point. There is a lot of waste, true.

BUT! I was reading this on CNN.com this morning. For most Americans the price hike in fuel is costing about a 4% monthly inrease in our budget (regarding transportation). But in some places, and in this article they were referring to Rural America, the price for gas was 20% of this one woman's monthly budget! Ouch! That is going to hurt anyone - no matter what they cut back on. Maybe she could come up with some options -- start working a 4 day work week or look into carpooling. I'm not sure if public transportation is an option but if she is in an area like mine, it isn't possible. But how hard is a cannery (the place she worked at) going to work to adjust her schedule? They're not.

I know people in my area that work at WalMart which is 34 miles away. Starting wage at my local WalMart, as per the price I saw advertised on their door last time, was like $8.50. Even with a car that gets pretty decent gas mileage an hour of their work day is going towards fuel. There is no public transportation and I've yet to hear of this WalMart adjusting schedules so people can carpool together.

I think its more than just the rising price of gas -- I was watching NBC news last night and Kimberly Clark (Makers of diapers and paper products) said they needed a 20% across the board increase in all products sold to cover their increased fuel charges. I also read that General Mills had to raise their cereal prices by almost an equal amount (as did other cereal makers) because of the increase price in corn, wheat, rice, and fuel. If you think about it gas is on average a dollar more per gallon this year than last, but food prices ALSO went up.

So if you figure that gas went up on average 33% (the differance between the $3 it used to cost and the $4 it costs now) -- or say $15-20 per fill up. And food went up 20% (on average) what used to cost someone $100 now costs $120. -- those two figures can be substantial for someone already living on a tight budget.

That said I totally agree that there are plenty of people walking around with lots of "extras" in their budget that could be eliminated if necessary -- ie cable, internet, cell phones, entertainment, etc.... (Now not everyone could eliminate each one of those options mind you -- I need the interent and my cell phone for work.)

I think things are going to get worse unfortunately.

__________________
Grace

Wife to Stoney

Mommy of Sarah (8.5), Hannah (7), and John(5)

But some of us don't have a lot of "extras" in our budgets that can be cut out to save money for food and gas. We've been lucky so far to have some wiggle room in our budget but that won't last much longer with the way prices are going up. Oil prices are up so that leads to the prices of everything going up - except salaries. Many people are even being laid off because their bosses can't afford their expenses anymore. Something has to give somewhere and I hope it's soon. But I agree that things are going to get worse - a lot worse before they get better.

I think a lot of people are learning really quickly right now about what things are extras that they need to cut out.

Unfortunately for us, we started that process last year, trying to figure out how to make it on one income so that I could stay home with DS. We cut everything out back then. Now we don't have any wiggle room in our budget, and it is really, really scary. I have to keep reminding myself, a hundred times a day even, that God is going to provide for us. But I fight this anxiety all the time, and have nightmares about the gas prices and our house in disrepair.

__________________

Trust God. Whatever risk there is in doing so, the risk of not trusting in him is far greater. - Spurgeon

At my former workplace, some co-workers suggested working 4 days a week for 10 hours a day, but it would not have been an option for me. My daycare hours would not have worked for that type of a schedule plus transportation time. I don't have access to public transportation, and when I worked, because of having to transport children to daycare (now it would only be 1 child), car pooling was not a good option either.

__________________
Michele
Member of the Welcome Wagon
http://mommysavers.com/boards/how-navigate-mommysavers/