CJ: Pinched at the pump 

Slow down and keep your car in top shape
I'm a single mom with two teenage boys living with me and if their eating habits don't send you to the poor farm, the gas prices will! I'm somewhat like your reader "Easing off the accelerator". I own a 2003 Ford F150 Pickup w/4.6 V8. Gas was killing me until I realized going 70 miles an hour everywhere we went was eating up the gas. So I've starting easing off the gas to 65, then 60. Although, other cars fly past me, slowing down not only lessens the chance of speeding tickets it helps with avoiding accidents and in turn road rage.  Also, not sure if this really helps but I open my tailgate to lessen the wind resistance and only use the a/c when it gets really hot (in Texas that's about 9 months out of the year). In the meantime, I try to keep my car clean and make sure the right tire pressure is in all four tires (having a son who's a mechanic helps too)!  I'm definitely considering a Hybrid car my next investment if and when the prices come down.  So stop speeding, EASE UP and you'll notice a difference too!
--J. Owen. Ft. Worth, Texas

Cheaper 4x4s
The only way it changed my life is that it lowered the price on 4x4's. My 8-year-old sports car was due to retire and my wife's 4x4 had 40,000 miles on it since we bought it 1.5 years ago. So off to the dealership we went and home we came, with two brand new gas guzzlers. Did I mention that I drive 74 miles each way to work.  That's 150 a day. Can you think of a more comfortable way to spend those hours than in a big, comfortable vehicle? Me neither.
--Rob Campbell, Marietta, Ga.

It's worth it
Fuel costs are more than offset by:
A) Lower tax rates
B) Lower crime rates
C) Lower house prices
D) Better schools
E) Larger yards
and
F) Greater freedom all provided by suburban living. 
I have an SUV that gets approximately 12 miles-per-gallon. The impact of gas prices is not going out to eat as much.  Keep in mind, the prime driver of gas prices is TAXES, not the fuel cost.  Lower my taxes and $3 gas will seem inexpensive.  Gas is still cheaper than milk.
--Michael Fuller, Frederick, Md.

Lesson at a young age
I had no idea that gas prices would put this much financial strain on me! I am only 21 and I just bought my first good car -- a SUV of course. I love it, but between the gas it consumes and my insurance and car payment I am broke midway through the pay period. I usually end up borrowing money for gas from my boyfriend. He and I used to eat out all of the time, now we can't because we both have cars that are not great on gas. We used to take trips out of town (since we live in a small town where there's not a lot to do), and we can no longer do that either. I never dreamed gas prices would change all of these things in my life.
--Brandi, Mount Vernon, Ill.

Losing the 4x4 not a quick solution
Gas prices haven't affected me much. I don't drive too far for the most part. Most of my cars have been big old American gas guzzlers, which is fine with me. I figure by the time one pays full coverage insurance for a new econo-car per month I could easily pay for all my gas. Not to mention the car payments, plus you still have to pay for gas anyway. It would take a very long time for the gas savings pay off the difference between a $1000 4x4 Dodge Ramcharger V-8 powered behemoth and a brand new $12,000 Saturn.
--Jesse Rauk, Niellsville Wis.

Attacking things on foot
Well, gas prices have certainly changed my life and oddly I can say it sometimes is for the better. I used to drive a mile or two to get groceries or lottery tickets, but with gas so expensive I just take a backpack and walk.  I even walk to work now because my job is only about fifteen minutes away on foot and I save my car from the wear and tear of stop and go driving in the city. It's also less pollution on the environment and I get good exercise doing it. I don't think I would have done so if gas wasn't so expensive, I imagine I would have continued the use of my car for destinations I could have easily arrived at on foot. I do wish gas was not so pricey, as do we all, but it has made me realize that I can still accomplish all of my daily activities with out the need to use an automobile.
--Steven Martin, St. Petersburg, Fla.

Scooting around
Well, yes the gas prices affected me!  Last year on trip to Europe with my daughter, I noticed how many people left the car in the driveway and went to work on scooters.  I realized I work three miles away from home and downtown shopping is another mile or two the other way.  So I followed the Italian example and bought a scooter.  It gets great mileage, I can ride it almost year-round in this climate and best of all, get to work with a smile!!  It's the best thing I have bought in a long time.  Now the main problem I have is making sure someone else in the family isn't out running scooter errands when I need my ride!
--P. Odom, Santa Barbara, Calif.

Tightening his belt
I am a working college student attending UC Riverside. I drive a hand-me-down minivan that gets atrocious gas mileage, about 18 mpg. if the stars are aligned. Unfortunately, I have to make a 20 mile round trip to work each day for minimum wage and the minivan costs over $40 to fill up about every week and a half. Now, I try to carpool, ride my bike when I can, or offer use of the minivan's practicality for gas money. I'm also tightening my belt when it comes to groceries and trips to the store. Literally.
--Wayne Tsai, Riverside, Calif.

Feeling smug
High gasoline prices have made me feel a bit smug, I guess. We live in a small city of about 50,000, and several years ago we bought an older home, near downtown.  We were tempted to buy or build an acreage outside of town, which seemed to be the popular thing to do, and perhaps to buy a truck or SUV to fit that lifestyle.  Instead, we can walk to the grocery store, restaurants, church and my daughter's pre-school.  I bicycle about five miles roundtrip commuting to the college where I teach, and my wife drives three miles roundtrip commuting to her workplace.  We own two vehicles, and if we needed to we could afford to gas them up frequently, but I am glad we don't have to. 
--Ken Usher, Klamath Falls, Ore.

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