I know that the increasing cost of gas is affecting just about everyone but....
I commute to work... takes me a little over an hour to get there (due to traffic). I commute due to the fact that I work for the state (it's MUCH better pay and benefits than the private sector). But long term I will have to figure out something else. They do have some state jobs close to home but they are few. And right now we have a state-wide hiring freeze so no new jobs are being posted. But, especially because of the cost of gas, once the hiring freeze is lifted and jobs are being posted again, I will be applying for each and every state job that is close to home. Honestly, even if I have to take a small pay cut, it would be worth it for less aggravation and the money I would save on gas would be worth it.
IF I stayed at home, I know that I could respond to the increased prices by making less trips to the store, car pooling, etc. But with work it's just too hard. I think that if more employers offered more flexible working hours that people (including myself) would consider car pooling to work. But they aren't willing to budge.
It'll be interesting (and scary) to see how high it goes before it busts.
God bless!
Julie