CJ: Pinched at the pump 

Heading downtown
With a job within the downtown area of a major city I found myself not only spending a lot of time in the car on the way to work and home but stuck in traffic along the way.  Since this spring I decided that one major lifestyle change could solve many of my problems.  I moved from my home in the suburbs into a place that is within a mile or two from my job.  So far it has been great.  I started walking to work, and I found my stress levels (not dealing with traffic in the morning) were way down.  I only need my car to run to the store or go on a day-long trip somewhere.  I have found that my full tank can last over a month if I keep my car local.  Now that the weather is turning warmer I went a bought a bicycle cutting my commute time to under 10 minutes.  It makes me smile to pass by cars stuck in traffic now knowing that the next trip to the pump is a lot further than I ever could imagine. 
--David Mandelkern, New Haven Conn.

Gas and the sales cycle
My Ford Explorer is getting more garage time than ever before. When it takes $45 to fill my tank and I am a commissioned sales person on a $1500 a month draw, I do not go anywhere I do not have to. The company doesn't pay any car allowances, but they do pay for Fed-Ex, DHL, long distance calls from the office and a courier service.  These guys use gas too, but it doesn't seem to concern the company that their salespeople are spending a lot more time in the office than in front of clients. The expenses for the services they do pay for must be higher than giving the commissioned reps a gas allowance per month. That's penny-wise, pound-foolish.  I feel certain it is affecting sales, but again, no one talks about it. Meanwhile I leave the office less than I should.  But no one pays me anything but commissions I have earned, so I feel like I can earn them from my desk!
--S.L. Greer. Bellaire, Texas

Easing off the accelerator
Slow down!  I was a habitual 70-80 mph driver.  It is very easy to do here in Texas, everyone drives that fast.  I drive a 1988 Honda Accord back and forth to work, approximately 40 miles round trip every day.  I now stay in the right lane, let every one pass me like I am standing still, and I am very mindful of my speed.  I stay between 55 and 60 mph, and you would be amazed at what a difference that makes.  I have cut my consumption nearly in half!  Instead of using a full tank of gas per week, I now use only just slightly more than half. I leave about 10 minutes earlier than I used to, but that is a small price to pay to take a relaxed, leisurely drive to and from work.  I have also found that I am much less stressed by the time I get to work, because you can be more relaxed at lower speeds, and have more time to react to unexpected surprises on the road. Not only is it better for the environment, but just think, if every one slowed down, demand would drop, and so would prices.  The rise in fuel prices hasn't affected me at all.  I spend just as much now on gas, as I did last summer, and still go to all of the same places I did before. SLOW DOWN!  You'll be glad you did.
--Mitch Monson, Dallas, Texas

Tougher to volunteer
I'm retired now and have the time to do volunteer work in our community. I've been taking patients who need a ride to medical appointments, (mostly VFW and American Legion members) but gas prices have just about ruled out the longer trips to the Martinsburg, W. Va. Veterans Hospital and if prices go much higher, I will not be able to continue driving to Walter Reed, an hour away.
--Dennis Polasky, Springfield, Va.

Fewer and fewer town trips
My family and I live about 15 miles outside of town and that is our only source of gas, food, and other such necessities. We bought a different car about three months ago because our van had not gotten very good gas mileage. So about three thousand to four thousand dollars later the gas prices are about twenty cents higher. Our lives are ever dominated by gas prices and low wages. Trips to town about twice a week are a usual occurrence but that is still hitting the pocket pretty heavily. So we have needed to cut down on the extra expenses, such as new clothes, treats and going to movies. We no longer just go to town to have fun. Trips to town for family time at the park are cut drastically. Families can only have so much fun at home until they are feeling a little isolated. We have cut many family trips also, which has dampened our foreign exchange student's experience here. I'm sorry to say but it is very sad that a thing like gas could change our lives so drastically.
--Chris Maskovich, Waverly, S.D.

Careful planning
Since the price of fuel has gone up I find myself planning my trips and errands more carefully. I start with the errand furthest out and then run other errands that are on the way home. I might go to a grocery store that I do not ordinarily go to if I know there is a Kroger on the way back from another place. Also, I am more of a budget shopper since the prices have gone up in the grocery store due to trucking costs, so I am more careful what I spend money on and walk to places close in my neighborhood.  Who knows maybe I'll shed some pounds. 
--Jennifer Van Akin, Houston, Texas

Not just gas prices
What you don't hear on the news is about how the high cost of gas affects us in areas other than at the gas pump. Naturally other costs are going to rise as well due to increased cost of distribution and you can bet distributors and/or businesses are not going to absorb those costs themselves.
--Judith Engle, Ottumwa, Iowa

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