Could gas prices climb to $5 a gallon? Yahoo! Contributors asked everyday Americans how painful pump prices would affect them. Below are some responses.
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With the AAA Fuel Gauge Report pegging California as the most expensive place in the contiguous United States to buy gas, with a $4.22 per gallon average cost as of April 27, consumers are already feeling financial pain at the pump. Here's a look at how some San Francisco Bay area residents plan to cope if the price inches up to $5 a gallon in the months to come.
"Once my husband transfers to company headquarters in Oakland, he plans to commute via BART. I already keep my errands within Pleasanton and Livermore and I plan on sending my children to local summer camps. No more driving 15 miles for swimming lessons. We try to limit our fuel purchases to Safeway for the 10 cent discount and while my husband's car requires 91 octane gas, we'll instead buy 89 octane. So much for saving his recent salary increase." -- Amy Montgomery, homemaker, Livermore
"Our grandkids play sports so we've got to go see them, so we'll pay the $5. Oil speculators should go to jail, but that's not part of the deal, right?" -- Daniel George, retiree, Danville
"I'm from Scotland and [my family there] would laugh and think it was ridiculous that we're freaking about about $5 gas because gas prices there have always been higher. It can take 100 pounds to fill up a car. I would say just walk or use a bicycle and deal with it." -- Jacqui Galley, housewife, Pleasanton
"$5 a gallon for gas is crazy. Even at $4 it's crazy. I'll just cut back, drive economically, make sure my car is tuned up, make sure my tires are inflated properly. I drive for work, so there's nothing else I can do. I can't just stop driving." -- Joe Edwards, propane tank delivery, Hayward
"It would take a half an hour to ride a bike to work but it's a dual benefit with saving on gas money and getting exercise. I might think about doing that." -- Tina Advincula, box store team member, San Ramon
"I'll be smarter about where I drive. I used to just drive a couple of blocks away to Safeway in my truck but now I hop on my bike, get the groceries and come back. I can afford to pay $5 a gallon, but I don't want to." Ernesto Roque, registered nurse, Berkeley
"Cry." -- Lisa Camerino, chiropractor, Brentwood
"I'll throw a party. These prices are already such a joke that we may as well have some fun while we're paying through the nose and supporting big oil's seven-figure salaries, right? May as well celebrate a new high price milestone." -- Christina Gray, photographer, Pleasanton
"At this point, I'll be forced to pay. I already don't put no more than $10 in when I pull in to fill up. It's been a while since I've been on full because it's about $60 to fill up. I put in enough gas to do what I need to do and go home." -- Demarcus Taylor, professional baseball scout, Oakland
"I'll back off, and maybe like last time when people backed off, it might start going down because the oil execs won't make the money they hoped to make." -- Julie Smith, receptionist, Livermore
"I'll tell you what we won't be doing: If gas reaches $5 a gallon, my darling [almost 16-year old] daughter will not be getting her permit or license. We can't afford gas and insurance for her." -- Heidi Maher, children's ministry director, Pleasanton
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