Fueling changes

Locals find ways to deal with gas hikes

By: Jessica Beym and Stephanie Brown
   A walk into town to run a few errands, pick her daughter up from the Cranbury Presbyterian Nursery School and grab a bite to eat at Teddy’s is something Jill Gabriella said she normally does on warm spring days like Tuesday.
   But since regular unleaded gas prices have escalated to nearly $3 a gallon, Ms. Gabriella, a Cranbury resident, said she finds herself walking more in order to save gas, and hopefully money.
   "I like to think of it as an excuse to exercise," Ms. Gabriella said in front of Teddy’s on Main Street on Tuesday. "But I’m definitely walking more now that gas has gone up."
   Ms. Gabriella isn’t the only one trying to make a few lifestyle changes since gas prices have gone up.
   According to AAA Web site on Wednesday, the current average gas price in New Jersey is $2.87 per gallon for regular unleaded gas. A month ago, the state average was $2.40, and year ago the state average was $2.11
   From buying vehicles that get better mileage and planning routes to eliminate extra trips, to eating out less and carpooling more, many residents said they are trying to do what they can to stretch the buck at the pump.
   Betty Toto of Cranbury said that while her current vehicle, a minivan, isn’t a gas-guzzler, she and her husband has been looking into purchasing a hybrid vehicle that runs on electricity and gas.
   Jamesburg resident Astrid Hand is a clerk at the Jamesburg Public library, and while she doesn’t have far to commute to work, her husband, Frank, who drives to Bayonne every day, is not so lucky.
   Between her husband and her son, who commutes to Mercer County College, Ms. Hand said her family spends at least $400 a month on gas.
   As a way to save money and because she’s concerned about the environment, Ms. Hand recently purchased a new fuel-efficient car.
   "I’ve always been a conservationist," she said while standing behind the checkout desk at the library. "I feel bad about people who choose those gigantic trucks. They have to change their mentality about gas consumption, otherwise the price increase will force them to."
   The lack of alternatives to gas has been a well-known and widespread concern to many environmentalists and even a few area residents who think that people are too dependent on gas.
   Shirley Dwork and Kay Trotter of Princeton, who were having lunch at Teddy’s on Main Street Tuesday, said they have no sympathy for the drivers who opt for the bigger sport utility vehicles that are now taking more than $50 of gas for a fill up at the pump.
   "I think we need a larger gas tax," Ms. Trotter said, adding that higher prices may eventually force drivers to look at other alternatives. Nowadays, Ms. Trotter said she turns her Mercedes off when she would normally idle in the driveway, scouts out lower gas prices in her neighborhood, and keeps track of her mileage to see if she’s getting her money’s worth.
   When Russel Ruggiero of West Windsor calculated how much more money he was spending on gas this year, he said he realized it would have been enough to send him and his family on vacation. Angered at his losses, he said he decided to trade in his SUV, which got 13 miles per gallon, for a smaller car that gets 26 miles per gallon.
   "At this point it’s ridiculous," Mr. Ruggiero said on Tuesday while on Main Street. "Given the gas prices, and the fact that I traveled to Washington 50 times in the last three years, the price has doubled. What used to cost me $60 a trip is now $120 round trip."
   Regardless of how costly gas has become, some residents said they have no choice but to keep their larger vehicles. Instead, they are reworking their budgets to make up for the extra dollars spent at the pumps.
   Phil Sudowsky of Jamesburg spends $50 a week to fill up his Ford pickup he uses for work.
   "The increase in gas prices have killed my spending habits," he said, sitting on a bench outside of Fantinos on West Railroad Avenue. "I have no money for anything else."
   While Mr. Sudowsky said he would like to downsize, as a private contract carpenter he needs his truck to carry equipment like ladders and scaffolding. Left with no other alternative, Mr. Sudowsky has cut back spending in other areas, such as on groceries.
   "I’ve got to look in the papers every Sunday to see what’s on sale," he said. "I used to do that before, but now it’s more intense. It’s really messing me up and I don’t like it."
   But even as summer nears with the looming threat of gas prices climbing to record highs, some residents, such as Lee Markoff of Monroe, said the change in gas prices hasn’t really affected their spending or day-to-day living.
   While she doesn’t drive much, Ms. Markoff, who is on a fixed income, said when she does fill up her four-cylinder car, it costs her over $40.
   "I’m annoyed that it’s going up so quickly," she said on Tuesday in front of the Cranbury Post Office. "But what can I do? I still go to the movies. I still buy groceries. Overall, it’s just a couple dollars. I’m not a wealthy woman, but it affects me as it does everyone else."
   At Stop & Shop on Perrineville Road Monday, Janet Donnelly of Monroe said she tries to be more efficient when planning out her errands — she had just come from the Monroe Township Public Library — but her family’s budget hasn’t yet been effected by the increase in gas prices.
   "Everything goes up, but so are incomes," said Ms. Donnelly who is a nursery school teacher and whose husband works in the computer field. "I mean everybody complains about stamps going up, or milk going up, but incomes are going up, too."
   Margaret Macintosh of Cranbury said while walking on Main Street Tuesday that she hasn’t changed her driving habits since gas prices have gone up, and she doesn’t plan to either. While Ms. Macintosh said she could handle the price increases financially, she is concerned with the seniors, single moms or less fortunate who may not be able to afford higher gas costs.
   Outside of the CVS on Forsgate Drive and Perrineville Road, Eleanor Groudan of Monroe said she has not been affected by the rise in gas prices because she hardly uses her car. The Concordia resident said that if she does go out, she usually stays around town.
   "I only fill up once a month, so for me personally it’s not bad," said Ms. Groudan.
   Yadi Spring of Cranbury said, driving her SUV, while it is more expensive now, isn’t something she’s willing to give up. "It’s about the quality of life," Ms. Yadi said. "You just learn to adjust (to the price) and hope it will come down."