VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — No matter which exact words you might choose to describe the current gas price surge across the country, they all lead to the same conclusion.
"It makes me unhappy, miserable. What else can you say about it?" laughed Patricia Jackson, a longtime Virginia Beach resident.
"Absolutely terrible. It makes me feel like I'm broke," Amanda DeForest, another resident, joked.
As of Tuesday, AAA Tidewater reported the Hampton Roads average price per gallon is $4.25, which is one cent higher than the statewide average. The highest recorded average numerical amount for the Commonwealth is $4.25. Compared to one year ago, regional rates for the area came in at $2.73.
National gas rates hit record highs at $4.37 per gallon as well.
Higher prices at the gas pumps are leading to changes in other places for some Virginians.
"That extra $20 doesn’t seem like much, but it’s a lot when you have other things to prioritize too," Virginia Beach resident Tina Lane said Tuesday, explaining how the gas surges have forced her to change her grocery shopping habits. “I've now turned to the food pantries, to go there for food."
For commuters like DeForest, who travels to and from Virginia Beach and Chesapeake on a regular basis, the high prices mean more costly trips to her neighborhood gas station.
"...Now, I fill up $10 to $20 almost every day," she said.
Or maybe you’re more like Jackson, who now enjoys fewer luxuries than before.
“We have not been going out as much at night anymore to eat dinner. Used to enjoy it. But with prices for food, gas going up, I’m staying home more and cooking, and I hate it. I hate cooking!" she said.