[tripods68]

I think with all the negative news about the "economy" with high fuel cost and food prices going up and up, and not to mention the "credit crunch" makes it more bad. We live in one of the highest foreclosure area in the country and so all my coworkers, friends, and neighbors talks about who's next meaning who will foreclose on their house next. For example, my next door neighbor bought their house a year half ago for $480K. They couldn't get out their existing contract, so they put the house for $380K. Now they realized they couldn't sell it and decided to remain. Instead their grown children moved in with them to help absorb their mortgage payment. The other house across from our backyard was on the market for a year. It sold few months ago for less than $260K. The original owner paid somewhere low $400K. We definitely feel the squeezed around here. Our neighborhood has changed especially in the beginning of the year when there are more people and cars around; where it used to be very quite and less cars parked on the street. Now its full of cars everywhere.

The only thing I would say, my family loves driving around especially at night. Believe or not, my kids are difficult to put to bed. So we drive 3 or 4 nights a week anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depends on how quickly they fall asleep. We're hoping this would be a short trend habit. But something more developed through this, we find its the only time my DW and I could really talk or chit chat about everything else what's going on her work, my work, friends and relatives or whatever the latest news. Its kind of therapeutic approach for us to communicate better. I admit, I sometimes lose track what my DW want or need sometimes. So having the quality time together really helps me understand her a lot more or vice versa. So it's all good. Sorry I digressed.

With that habit comes with a price. So this month alone, we spent on gas about $415. A record for us. That's really high when we usually spend under $300 before. But we really haven't changed anything elsewhere. We still spend the same amount on food every month.