Even while the pandemic slowly winds down, the two of us have a whole host of complications we’re going to be dealt with for the long term.
The economy was headed south before COVID, & it’s still in a very slow recovery process.
The gas prices started rising steadily in the summer time of 2020 & now they’re over three dollars a gallon in our area. On top of that, the two of us have the natural forces of taxes and inflation that seems to be picking up in the last year to two years. I hope that I can keep up with all of our work, but the pay isn’t genuinely changing by the same rate as the cost of living in this area. I have noticed that energy is a lot more lavish, beyond simply gasoline & oil. Using electricity is so lavish & so is natural gas & propane, which means Winter time heating is one of the greatest knocks to a person’s budget if they live up north. I couldn’t fathom the increased energy rates over the last year & decided to find an house down south where the Winter time is mild. With shifting hot & cold temperatures in the 60s & 68s most Winter time days, I soon l received that I could go without using indoor heating & cooling for up to many months out of the year. Of the few weeks while I’m using our electric furnace, the total energy bills are a mere fraction of what I was paying when I lived up north. However, moving across the country might not be sufficient or even plausible for some people. I don’t have a family to take care of so it was much easier for me to do than it would be for numerous people I know, especially the ones with young children with them.