Working harder for less.

Welp, it's finally effected me. I sat and watched the gas hike for awhile now and it's always been just behind me. Just recently however, I'm finding myself having to work overtime just to field my work travel fees. Hows that for irony.

Anyone else really starting to feel this hike? I mean, it's always bothered me, but now it's cutting into my finances.. and more work is needed just to pay to go to work.

Sigh.. I can't even imagine what it's going to be like once it REALLY goes up.

I think that we in our country will have to finally do what we have known we should do for a long time.

I in one of the most sprawled out parts of the country, and I think that the many of the zoning assumptions of the late twentieth century are about to go out the window.

For instance, the nearest grocery store is two miles from my house. To get there and back with any speed, I drive. (I am lucky to be so close. I could bicycle.) I lived in a neighborhood when I was in school where there were small stores every three to five blocks, one right across the street from me. There were also butchers, liquor stores, and others within walking distance. That can not happen in my town because most of it is not zoned to allow it.

Now that it costs me as much to fill up my mid-sized car as it once did to fill up a Ford Excretion, I can not see people hopping into any sized car to whip over to the store for Coke and bananas much longer.

We get fuel for free.

[edit on 25-9-2006 by PisTonZOR]

The bit about the Bananas reminded me of a joke (bad one at that), you probably have to be Australian to get it:

Customer - "I would like $10 worth of Bananas please"

Grocer - "Don't you want a whole one?"

For those that arn't Aussie, Bananas are currently $14 per kilo over here.

As for fuel we pay about half again as much for our fuel as US.

And jobs, the new "Work Choices" laws dont give employees any choices, if the boss wants to sack you at any time for no reason at all, he can. Some other "work choices" incedents include:

1) Sacking all the workers, and then telling them they can come back for less, no extra for overtime and no benifits.

2) Going on strike for and hour and being docked one weeks pay.

3) Pizza delivery boys being docked an hours pay for every minute they are late.

The list goes on.

Australia used to be the "lucky country" now its looking like you'd be lucky if you can escape to elswhere.

I live with minimal oil dependence.

I don't own a car.
I walk to work.
I use mass-transit.
I shop on foot.

Still, I've noticed the indirect impacts of oil hikes.
Oil inflation has caused prices on almost everything to increase. In the last 4 months I've watched the price of Power Bars rise $.40 each. I remember when it was normal for apples to be less than $1 a pound... and now you're luck to find them at under $2/lbs.

My point is, you can't NOT be effected by rising oil prices. It will hit you indirectly even if you activly avoid reliance on oil consumption.