Computing the commute

With gas prices up, commuters who sought more house for their money in the outer suburbs are concerned about increasing costs.

Angie Rimbo and her husband were delighted to find a home of their own for $146,000 in Monticello, which is halfway between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. It meant a long drive to work for both. But it was brand new and cost at least $50,000 less than some older ones they’d seen.

“It seemed like a good deal,” she said.

But the cost of gas “has me more worried every day. We have averaged $500 a month just for gas since we moved here last January.” Now she’s asking, “Can we afford to stay here?”

The Rimbos are hardly the only folks in the Twin Cities region who have driven and driven until they’ve found the home they wanted for the price they wanted. But now, rising gas prices are driving families such as theirs to ask some searching questions.

Star-Tribune (Minneapolis-St. Paul)