Gasoline prices are rolling over teens’ summer fun

Students say they’re feeling the pressure of having to work just to keep the tank filled. And families are cutting back on outings.

This may be one summer when students can’t wait to get back to school, just to be reminded that they aren’t adults yet.

Across the U.S., the gasoline price crunch has forced more students to look for work and put in serious hours, griping about how little they earn. More teens have been carrying credit cards, but without much joy because the plastic has been devoted to covering their fuelishness. Some college students have shifted into a new worry gear: how to pay for the gas on top of the books.


And if all that weren’t bad enough, some of the most important rites of the season — family outings, trips to the beach and just hanging out with friends — have been sacrificed to the budget gods.

Gasoline has become the No. 1 credit card purchase for teens, according to a small sampling of young people conducted by Junior Achievement. In fact, gas knocked apparel out of the top spot for the first time in the nine years that Junior Achievement has been asking about teen spending habits.

“Gasoline is really taking a bite out of what these kids are making,” said Stephanie Bell, director of marketing and media relations for Junior Achievement, based in Colorado Springs, Colo. “They are going to have to go on a budget just like the rest of us, and that’s a painful lesson to learn.”

LA Times