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As gas costs go up, area residents change their routines
Thursday, May 8, 2008 8:38 PM EDT
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| Kurt Wellmitz |
Those changes include canceling vacations or trips to visit friends or family.
"We only go when we have to," said Flora May Poe.
Poe and her husband, Lawrence Poe Jr., both of Maysville, are retired. The couple said they have noticed how "it's all adding up."
"The grocery store is about as bad as anything," said Flora Poe.
"And you couldn't live on Social Security," added Lawrence Poe.
Kalani Dozier of Maysville, said her family is curtailing travel this summer, combining vacations with family obligations. Other summer activities will be planned closer to home.
"We have a trip planned for family reasons to New Jersey. We're gonna try and make it a vacation," said Dozier. "We're finding things to do in town so we can go out and not have to travel."
Dozier said if gas prices weren't so high she would've planned to visit other family members who live out of town.
Dozier works for Mason County Schools and said she's already had a parent call and ask if the bus could pick up her daughter, because the family didn't have any gas.
"It is ridiculous," said Janis Rose of Pleasant Ridge. "It's gone out of control."
Rose said something has to be done to change the high gas prices.
"But people gotta get to work," said Rose. "People gotta eat."
Rose and her daughter in-law, Amy tried to drive as little as possible.
"We probably won't travel as much as we usually do," said Rose. "We'll be calling people on the phone a lot more."
Kurt Wellmitz is originally from Michigan but came to Maysville to work a construction job. Wellmitz hasn't seen his wife since Easter weekend due to the high gas prices.
"It's tough. My wife says gas in Michigan is 10 cents higher (than Maysville)," said Wellmitz.
Wellmitz said his wife had planned on coming to visit him this weekend but they will probably wait due to the cost of gas.
Saundra Felice said gas prices are preventing her from going to see her parents in western Kentucky.
"I'm not sure if I will see my sister in Georgia this summer," said Felice.
Felice had recently been grocery shopping and said she noticed that canned foods have also gone up in price.
Retail food prices at Kentucky's supermarkets increased in the first quarter of 2008, according to the latest Kentucky Farm Bureau Marketbasket Survey.
Farm Bureau's survey shows the total cost of 40 basic grocery items in the first quarter of 2008 was $106.59, up about 7.5 percent, or $7.44, from six months ago. Of the items surveyed, 29 increased and 11 decreased in average price compared to the 2007 third-quarter survey.
Contact Barbara Goldman at barbara.goldman@lee.net or by calling 606-564-9091, ext. 274.
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