Suddenly, $4.19 per gallon sounded like a bargain this week. That’s why Mr. Gas, at the convenience store near the Epsom Traffic Circle, was so popular.
Cheap gas. Relatively speaking, of course. The national average has hovered around $4.30 per gallon. It’s cheaper here.
“I’m using the cheapest gas I can find,” Richard Paro of Epsom, 60, said at the Epsom Circle. “We stay home more now and you don’t drive too far. Basically, we just drive to work and back.”
Paro and a dozen others – first at the Cumberland Farms station in Boscawen, next at Mr. Gas. near the Epsom Circle Market on Dover Road – weighed in on the crisis – gas prices – saying their lives had been altered, but their heads remained above water.
Young, old, middle-aged, it didn’t matter. They represented a cross-section of the public that will tinker with expenses to make ends meet. No panic, though. Not yet.
All were aware that they were fortunate to be in this position. Others are not so lucky. With a similar spike in heating fuel, some must choose between warmth and food.
“My wife works up the road here, so it hasn’t been too, too bad,” Paro said. “But for some people, we know that this is killing them.”
Some played it cool. They shrugged their shoulders when asked about high gas prices and tossed out familiar lines that have morphed to cliches.
“It is what it is,” 45-year-old Chris Smith of Franklin said at the Boscawen pumps. “It’s a little more expensive, but there’s nothing you can really do about it.”
As he spoke, the digital readout on the $4.19 gas climbed on the pump’s screen like a slot machine, coming to an abrupt stop at about $81.00.
Matt Sanborn of Salisbury contrasted the old days to today’s skyward increases.
“My truck used to cost like $2.70 per gallon when I first got my license,” said Sanborn, 17. “I put 200 bucks a month in this thing now. It cuts social life and everyone is worried and has kids in school and sports and stuff. It’s difficult to get it all done, at 17 years old, 20 years old, everyone.”
In Epsom, 25-year-old Anna Marsh plays a mind game each time she fills up. She said it makes her feel better, a classic example of perception being reality. Call it a shock absorber.
“If you’re filling up from empty, you’re definitely hit harder,” Marsh said. “I try to not let our gas go below half, so it’s only like a 30-dollar tab. It doesn’t seem to affect me as bad.”
Others lamented their changing lifestyles. Fewer visits to a boyfriend or girlfriend. Hassles getting to work. Hassles getting home from work. Shorter rides, even with the sun out. Cut back here. Cut back there.
“There’s no riding around like we used to,” said Leon Sargent of Epsom. “I’m thinking about selling my Harley and buying a damned mountain bike.”
Leon then shifted his eyes to the left, to his wife, Deb Sargent. He adjusted, fast, like so many have done recently. “Okay,” Leon corrected himself, “we’ll get a double-seater bike.”
Leon is a retired truck driver. Deb worked as a recreational therapist at the Department of Corrections, and she’s retired as well.
“Being retired certainly makes a difference in what we spend our money on,” Deb said. “With fuel going up the way it’s been, we have to really be careful.”
She continued: “We thought about campers. How are they going to drive them now?”
Lots of issues have surfaced. For example, landscapers need to drive to reach designated working areas. Huber’s life depends on driving. Pizzas need to be delivered. Parents need to pick up their kids. School buses still need to roll and those bills increase, people will pay for gas a second time through their property taxes.
Beyond the rich and upper-middle class, no one can escape the impact of gas prices on everyday life. Some try. They look for a bargain. If you could call it that.
“I’m happy that (gas prices) aren’t up any more than they already are,” said Paul Saccocca of Barrington. “Places like this make it a little better. This was the best gas price I could find.”