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Indiana families rethink budgets as gas prices continue climb

Eva Ellis drives 90 miles roundtrip for work each day, which is impacting her family's budget as gas prices skyrocket.

GREENWOOD, Ind. — Hoosiers are among the millions of people feeling a serious pinch at the gas pump.

With gas going for $4.25 a gallon in some neighborhoods, families worry it will hit their budgets hard.

That's especially true for Eva Ellis. Her ride to work is quite a haul.

"Every morning, I start off by getting my son on the bus and then I drive from Greenwood to Columbus," she said.

She drives 90 miles roundtrip for a daily commute that was already pretty costly.

Now, it just got a lot more expensive.

"My gas budget was $60 a week," she said. "It's going to be almost $150 to $200?"

The pain at the pump from suddenly skyrocketing gas prices is hurting a lot of drivers. But for long-commuters like Ellis, it's forcing some tough choices about what to pay for and how.

RELATED: Check for the lowest gas prices in Indianapolis

"Depression. Anxiety. Budgeting. Trying to figure out what I need to cut back on, what I'm going to need to increase my workload with to make more money to be able to come to work," Ellis said. "You shouldn't have to work overtime to pay to drive to work."

Ellis fills up every 2 1/2 days.

But prices Monday were rising in less than 2 1/2 hours. One gas station in Whiteland near Interstate 65 went from $4.04 a gallon at noon to $4.19 just after 1 p.m. Other gas stations were selling regular gas for $4.25 — even $4.50 near the airport.

Credit: WTHR
Gas was selling for $4.49 a gallon at a station near Indianapolis International Airport on Monday, March 7, 2022.

They're more than just numbers for Ellis. They're serious hits to her family, which is now rethinking vacation plans, visits with friends and travel sports for her son.

"Do you allow them to play baseball and take them back and forth? Do they get in tournaments?" she asked. "Or friends, 'Oh, that's a 45-mile drive to go see somebody?' No can't do that this week."

Credit: WTHR
Eva Ellis and her family are already thinking about future plans as gas prices keep climbing.

She's now doing a lot more calculating for her commute, trying to save.

"Anything I can do," Ellis said. "GasBuddy, you know, checking that continuously, Costco's — checking it if I need to go that direction or not. I won't go out of my way for just a few cents savings. We're saving up on our Kroger bucks, using them as much as possible."

But she's also worried the crisis in Ukraine and Russia and sanctions from the U.S., which experts say is fueling much of the spike, will push gas prices even higher and push people here to the budget brink.  

"I'm all about helping the Ukraine people, I'm all about supporting it. But we can't help somebody else until we can take care of ourselves," Ellis said. "It's going to continue to increase and we'll all suffer."

    

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