Rising Gas Prices! How are You Compensating?

First of all gasoline has now hit a pain threshold.  I'm yelling uncle at over $3.50 a gallon of regular gas in Atlanta.  Atlanta first of all is a driving town.  We have mass transit, but it really is a novelty as opposed to a full functioning system.  It is very limited, and does not have a great bus system to pull up the slack.  It is a painful event added to a town that already has one of the worse commutes in the nation.  For real estate agents, this could be a "Good News / Bad News" Blog about rapidly rising gas prices.  The good news is that we aren't wasting gas running buyers all over the place in a slow market.  The bad news is that the rising gas prices are quickly depleting our cash reserves.  Since transportation is part of all of our budget both in our business and personal lives how are you compensating for the exponential increases in gasoline and the inflationary effect it is having on out economy.  You can include changes in your diet due to the Ethanol factor (turning foodstuffs into fuels.  It is almost a Biblical event. "a bushel of wheat  for a barrel of oil."  The reasons for rising fuel prices and food prices are many, the falling dollar, supply / demand, and a commodity bubble built on speculation.  Since we all have fixed dollars to play the game of life...what are you doing to conserve money and curb other expenses?  Here are a few ideas to start you off.

• Change your routines and consumer spending patterns
• Drive slower, change driving patterns
• Trade gas guzzler auto for hybrid auto
• Review real estate and personal budget for expense patterns
• Review marketing effectiveness of recurring charges - Pay Per Click, lead generation, ads etc...
• Cancel Cable TV or HBO
• Cut back on cell phone use
• Cancel hard phone lines and go to cable package or cell phone only
• Cancel Fax lines
• Cancel ineffective marketing
• Stop going to Starbucks daily
• Cancel gym membership / personal body trainer
• Drive a more economic fuel efficient vehicles
• Drive a diesel with bio fuels
• Spend more time at home
• Work from home - go out of office
• Less impulse shopping
• Postpone major purchases
• Cut back on marketing budgets
• Eating home more often - less dining out
• Combine trips - Carpooling
• Mass transit: Train, bus
• Eat fast foods instead of fine dining
• Give up smoking