The vehicles
"I recently switched vehicles with my 16-year-old son. I am now driving his 1992 Honda Accord for the 40-mile round-trip trek to work. He is very happy to be driving my 2002 GMC Sonoma truck. His school and job are within a 5-mile radius of our home. It was either switch vehicles or sell the truck. I recently paid my Exxon Mobil gas card bill: $457."
-- Jeff
"Last December, my husband and I purchased a used SUV for our family of five. We were ecstatic at first -- this was the lowest car payment we've ever had for a vehicle and all of the room for our kids was wonderful. Now gas is costing more than the car payment."
-- Stacy
Reigning in the spending
"We have stopped spending on things that aren't necessities, and we've been forced to halve our grocery bill. The kids no longer get fresh fruit or vegetables and no longer get turkey sandwiches. Now we buy only canned goods and the cheapest lunch meat possible. With the price of gas up, everything else is up... except for our wages."
-- Christine
At work
"The school district I work for can't afford the normal field trips and all of our budgets had to be cut because of the cost of gas and predicted cost of heating the building. I also know parents who can't drive their children the 20 miles to get to doctor appointments, so their children are not getting the care they need."
-- Cynthia, Montana
"The primary way in which I have cut back on driving is telecommuting. I used to drive 50 miles each way to work, so that I had to fill up the gas tank six times every month. With my new work arrangement, I only fill up about once a month. I have also become a more rigorous adherent to the speed limit."
-- Toby, Minnesota
"It prompted me to shift from a standard five-day week to longer hours and a four-day schedule -- one less round trip each week."
-- Tom