Fuel Costs

[LouB76]

I recently read an article that said fuel costs could double in the next 12 months. That's in addition to the 50% they have already gone up.

Obviously this is going to have a knock on effect on the price of foods and goods but will it change your habits?

My fuel spend would go from about £60 a month last summer to £180 a month, if fuel costs double. I've been thinking about where I would cut back driving and it would have to be discretionary journeys, such as days out with DD.

We’ve already had to cut back. We basically drive to work to earn the money to pay for all the rising costs and that’s it 😭.

@LadyCatStark

We’ve already had to cut back. We basically drive to work to earn the money to pay for all the rising costs and that’s it 😭.

2 more years of this shit to endure, according to R4 yesterday 😬

We barely drive our car but chose a house / lifestyle on purpose to facilitate walking or cycling to school, work, shops etc. obviously it will still impact us with the knock on for goods and services but won’t affect our daily lives at all.

Huge impact on me visiting vulnerable relative 80 miles away twice a week (320 miles).

What is the size of your car? Could you do without one (probably not as difficult as you think)?

We used to have 2 cars, reduced that down to 1 now.

I can cycle, walk or take public transportation to get to work. Errands are grouped together and we avoid single trips out for items, we make do without or put it off until we can make the trip worth it.

We are holding onto the 2nd car as long as possible, but admit we may have to get rid at some point. Unfortunately it's on PCP so we need to pay that down a bit more before being able to sell anyway.

No car but bracing myself for increases in tfl fares. At least I live in zone 3.

When we had little money, we used to take the tube to Camden (zone 2) and walk to wherever we wanted to go in central London... I suppose we could do that again during the weekends. Not for work, I refuse to do that but at least we are only commuting to work 3 X a week.

I want to maintain our savings and to continue overpaying £1k into our mortgage every month so I would rather cut back if I can.

@balalake

What is the size of your car? Could you do without one (probably not as difficult as you think)?

There's only one bus a day into and out of my village. I also own a toddler and I'm a single parent, so carting her and her stuff around requires transport. The bus doesn't coincide with nursery times, for example.

I'm not skint, I can afford it but the extra cash is going to have to come out of disposable income.

In all honesty I'd likely leave work to allow us to reduce the number of cars. Neither of us can reach work by public transport and we work in opposite directions to one another (live pretty much in the middle). To get to school on busses would be difficult but possible, though it's too far to walk. Our fuel spend is already about £160 a week between us. I'll be on maternity leave from July 22 - September 23 and once there's childcare to pay, if fuel increases the cost of working by too much, financially it might work out better to focus on growing my business at home and retraining for something that can be done working from home longer term instead of commuting.

I have plans to reduce fuel consumption, and sorn a car if it comes to it.

For me, if things go bad, it is a matter of priorities.
For me, heat comes high up on my personal list of priorities. Fuel consumption and transport comes about half way down that list?

But perhaps I should say, I do have more choices than some people.

It worries me greatly too. I am a single foster carer to 2 babies and do 100 miles a week taking them to see their birth families and back again, I also need the car to get to the shops etc as there are no bus routes here and the nearest train station is a 20 minute drive away. I have no idea how I am going to survive with all the rising costs.