Today's workers have had to modify personal budgets, spending choices and commuting habits to manage the adverse effects today's gas prices have had on their pocketbooks.
Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources, CareerBuilder.com

A new Harris poll found that of the 89 percent of Americans workers who drive to work, nearly half (47 percent) reported they had to give up something in order to afford the gas needed for their commute.

When asked to identify what they had to forego in order to accommodate higher fuel prices, workers reported they:

- 35 percent ate out less
- 31 percent spent less money on entertainment
- 27 percent bought less expensive groceries
- 24 percent went shopping for clothes less
- 21 percent did not go on vacation
- 11 percent eliminated cable, magazine subscriptions, etc.
- 9 percent did not attend a function where they would be expected to bring a gift
- 4 percent cut back on their child's extracurricular activities

Given the cost of gas today, 60 percent of workers said they would be willing to drive up to 20 miles to the office. Twenty-nine percent would only drive up to 10 miles while 10 percent would only drive up to five miles.

"Today's workers have had to modify personal budgets, spending choices and commuting habits to manage the adverse effects today's gas prices have had on their pocketbooks," said Rosemary Haefner, Vice President of Human Resources at CareerBuilder.com, who sponsored the Harris poll. "One-in-ten workers said they would take a pay cut for a job with a shorter commute."