Birthday beach trip. Weekend trips with children. Even a beer before bed.
As fuel prices continue to rise, people around the world are stretching their paychecks, giving up small comforts as everyday costs swell and trying to keep up with their larger bills.
“For now, we are still able to hold on,” said Luis Catalano, a taxi driver waiting to refuel at a gas station in Buenos Aires, Argentina. “But I don’t know for how long.”
Even as A glimmer of hope for a possible breakthrough In the war that broke out in Iran, the conflict continued for the 24th day on Monday The vital oil corridor in the Strait of Hormuz It remained virtually at a dead end.
Across continents, the costs were hitting home.
“You can’t make it to the end of the month,” said German Toledo, a 38-year-old road safety worker who was fueling up at the YPF station where Catalano stopped. Like others, Toledo said rising gas prices have driven up other costs and stagnant wages, making the pain more acute. His salary hasn’t budged in five years
Toledo said one job was no longer enough to make ends meet.
US President Donald Trump expressed some optimism on Monday that relief might reach the pump, saying talks are continuing with Iranian leaders and they are eager to reach an agreement to end the war. those allegations It led to a decline in global oil pricesWith the price of a barrel of Brent crude falling by 9.7% to $101.26 Nearly $120 last week.
Iran denied holding any talks, and the speaker of its parliament described Trump’s claims as a ploy to manipulate markets. In both cases, the news had no immediate impact on consumer prices.
Oil follows winding journeys that can take weeks to get from drilling sites to gas pumps. It must pass through refineries, where it is converted into fuel, before being shipped via pipelines and tankers to terminals, and then to gas stations. Likewise, pump prices lag global markets, sometimes taking weeks to respond.
Therefore, motorists continue to bear the cost.
“I can barely get by,” Catalano said.
As with any economic disruption, the people with the least money are the hardest hit, leaving them scrambling already tight budgets for new places to cut back.
Kevin Blocken, a 35-year-old sanitation worker in Cologne, Germany, can only pump 20 euros of gas into his car at a time. In his quest to reduce his “onerous” costs, he had to change the way he spent his weekends. Instead of taking his two children to do an activity somewhere, he looks for things to do near home.
“It’s very expensive,” he said.
At sites around the world, many seemed to agree that the spike in gas prices was just the latest blow to ordinary people accustomed to persistently high costs.
“Everything is on the rise,” said Felicia Iwasa, from Lagos, Nigeria. “The economy is not easy for us.”
In the Philippine capital, Manila, drivers of the colorful street icons known as jeepneys are suffering similarly, with the cost of the diesel fuel they rely on rising higher than the price of gasoline. The vehicles were converted from jeeps left behind by American forces during World War II. They were modified, reproduced, and garishly decorated, becoming a major means of transportation for working-class Filipinos.
Johnny Bagnado, a 55-year-old driver, said he cuts costs as much as he can, right down to the bottle of beer he drinks before bed at night. But he’s worried about the long-term impacts, like how he’ll be able to send four kids to college.
Another driver, 34-year-old Sandy Ronio, said a beach trip to celebrate his birthday next month would likely be a long way off. He couldn’t even pay his rent last month and couldn’t make a payment on his Jeep.
If prices remain too high, Ronio said, he will have to look for new work.
“I’m going to stop driving and look for another job,” he said.
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Associated Press writers Jim Gomez and Joel Calupitan in Manila, Philippines, contributed to this report; Daniel Niemann in Cologne, Germany; Victor Quivano in Buenos Aires, Argentina; and Dan Ikpoi in Lagos, Nigeria.