Gas prices: The rising cost for shuttling kids to school, sports and other events

Shuttling kids back and forth from school, extracurricular actives, sports or even school events has become even more of a burden with gas prices hitting record levels.

On Friday, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline reached a record high of $4.43, according to data from AAA. 

It's hitting every family differently. Some families are so inundated with their schedule that they told FOX Business they rely on any pump they can. Other families are strategically planning out their schedules in order to find the cheapest pump and using some apps like GasBuddy to do it. 

GAS PRICES: HOW YOUR DRIVING BEHAVIOR IMPACTS COSTS AT THE PUMP

Kristin Faulder and her husband, Joe, are working parents with two children living in Nashville. They have one car and a plethora of places to get to every week.  

During the week, the Faulders have to drive their kids to the school because the school bus doesn't come to their rental home. 

"We're doing two round trips, one in the morning to drop them off and then in the afternoon to pick them up," she said.

Then, on Saturdays, the Faulders have one soccer game for their five-year-old and two games for their 11-year-old. Just the other day, one of their games was 30 miles away, Faulder told FOX Business. 

Faulder says it costs roughly $4.09 per gallon to fill up in Nashville. 

"We literally just filled up my tank, and we have a van it was $70," Faulder said. It used to be around $40 to fill up. 

With a busy schedule running a company and raising two kids, Faulder says she just has to fill up where she needs to.

"I often go, ‘I just have to do it,’" she said. 

US GAS PRICES COULD SURGE TO $4.50 A GALLON, EXPERT SAYS

Colleen, teacher in Nashville who is also raising two kids, finds herself in a similar boat. 

The mom of two, who preferred not to share her last name, said her children's school, where she also works, is about 16 miles from their home. That's 32 miles just to and from school alone, she said.  

When school is finished, Colleen said her husband will usually meet her at school to take one of their kids to golf while she takes the other to soccer, which can sometimes be as far as over an hour away. 

That's "two cars doing round trips to the same place in the course of like 12 hours," she said. 

Colleen says transitioning into spring time and juggling everyone's extracurricular activities has been a challenge. 

Within the past six weeks, all the sports started back up. 

"There was no pause. It was green light, everything's back, eoccer's back, golf is back," she said. 

When planning her schedule, Colleen tries to be strategic with what gas stations she uses. She tries to avoid using the gas station at her school, which costs around $4.48 per gallon, in order to fuel up at her home, which varies between $4.09 to $4.29 per gallon. 

It cost roughly $80 to fill up every time, and she fills up at least once a week. 

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE ON FOX BUSINESS

In Florida, William "Big Will" Dunn, who takes children without father figures fishing every weekend, says his trips are costing significantly more. 

Dunn is located in Central Florida. In order get to the other side of Orlando to fish with the kids it's costing an extra $60. To get to Clearwater, Florida, it costs an extra $35 to $45 each way, according to Dunn. 

Across the country, Bernita Bradley, who runs a home school co-op called Engaged Detroit, says the families she works with are also struggling.  

Even though the children are homeschooled, the parents will take them to various places to do their learning throughout the week, according to Bradley. 

"Homeschooling is at the park, homeschooling is at a museum…wherever the children's imagination takes the parents," she said. 

And those trips add up. Prices in the Detroit area, she says, have been around $4.09 per gallon. 

To help, Bradley said they are giving families $20 each month to help pay for their gas, something they haven't done before.