Gas prices have been dropping lately, but nevertheless, the dollar amount at the pump is still...what's the word I'm looking for... oh, yes, insane. Evil is another good word.

So when the spokesperson for Pump and Save contacted me, vowing that its average user saves over $175 per year at the pump, I knew I'd be writing some sort of post for WalletPop. So here it is: Check out PumpandSave.com, a web site that offers numerous tips and tools on how to save gas -- like price-saving maps and gas usage calculators. But by far, its reason for being is that you can compare the best of the best of the cash-back and rewards-based gas cards.

If you're in the market for a gas card, this is a really sharp site. They have a lot of gas cards listed here, on the home page, so that you can compare one from the other, since not all rewards are created equally.

As I often note when mentioning one of these saving money sites, I'm not endorsing it. Beyond just looking around, I haven't used PumpandSave.com, and in fact, I don't even have a gas card and am not currently planning on getting one. But as an objective bystander, it looks interesting, and like it's worth spending some time on, especially if you've been considering getting a gas card, or if you are just really frazzled by the price at the pump and want some gas-saving ideas.

Geoff Williams is a freelance journalist, author and--not that anyone asked--the owner of a 1994 Saturn that fortunately has pretty decent gas mileage.

While surfing the internet today I came across a blog post: High Gas Prices Continue to Cause Employee Pain; Employers are not Offering Help. I thought surely the writer is not going to suggest that it's the employer's responsibility to do something about gas prices. But yes, that's what she was suggesting.

The blogger referenced a survey by the Workforce Institute that basically states the obvious: Higher gas prices mean it's costing workers more to get to work. Consumers have cut spending in other areas of their life to make up the difference.

But where this gets silly, in my opinion, is in reporting that 80% of employees say their employer doesn't provide them any help with higher gas prices. When did the gas prices become the responsibility of the employer? When did it become the company's responsibility to help manage an employee's budget?

I sense yet another rising trend thanks to the rising price of gas: pedicabs.

You probably know what I'm talking about, even if you don't know the word -- if you've seen someone pedaling on a bicycle-like vehicle, pulling a few people behind him -- you've likely seen a pedicab.

Half bicycle, half taxicab, these things have been popular around the world for decades (and its man-powered predecessor, the rickshaw, for centuries before that) but I'm seeing more articles in the newspaper about them, and a friend of mine recently sent me the link of a friend of his, who just started a pedicab business in Chicago.

You might think that by now, every angle of the gas price hike has been explored, but there are a couple of new nuggets out today. One, from Paul Kedrosky's "Infectious Greed," is a hard look at just how much driving has changed. He has numbers from the Union-Tribune on driving patterns in the San Diego area. It's just one small snapshot of the country, but it is probably being repeated in the same proportions everywhere.

Highway travel on major roads in that area is down across the board, with some down as far as 15 and 17%. The only region named that didn't have any major decrease was Los Angeles County during weekdays, which was unchanged.

The other group being hit by the gas price crisis? The Amish. Go figure. The headline, of course, is meant to stop people short, because we all know that the Amish don't drive in cars. But USA Today says that Amish craftsmen and farmers who use diesel fuel are feeling pinched. There's actually no restriction on using engines -- just not electricity -- explains an Amish expert.

I grew up in Amish country -- the heart of it in Lancaster, PA -- so this comes as no surprise to me. But what I'm waiting to see is how the Amish, who are masters of ingenuity, get around the fuel crisis. With all the corn that they grow, shouldn't we be seeing some innovations in ethanol?

Over the past four years, the price of gas has almost tripled and, even if hybrids and fuel cells and ethanol all accelerate their production and begin bearing fruit, worldwide demand will probably keep the cost of gas at somewhere near its current price. At least, that's the concept behind MyGallons.com and GasBankUSA, two companies that allow members to lock in today's gas prices for future fill ups.

Basically, it works like this: MyGallons and GasBank both charge customers a yearly membership fee. At MyGallons, it ranges between $29.95 and $39.95, while GasBank charges $19.95. Members can then purchase gas at the current rate. Their gallons are recorded on a debit card, and they can withdraw gas from their accounts at a later date. Of the two, GasBank is a better bet right now, as MyGallons has yet to set up a national network for its card.

This system has a few dangers: if gas prices drop, as they're likely to do when the summer gas spike is over, then customers will be stuck with a card full of $4.20 per gallon gas. On the other hand, filling up a prepaid card in February might be a pretty good idea, as it could help consumers lock in their summer vacation gas at cheaper winter prices. Similarly, loading up before the Thanksgiving/Christmas rush might be wise.

Of course, in the long run, gas prices are likely to continue rising, so saving money by prepaying may just be a matter of taking a very long view. It's not too hard to imagine some kid finding Grandpa's old gas card twenty years in the future and using it to buy AT&T. In the meantime, it might be a good way to save some money on your weekly fill-ups!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He's starting to seriously think about that gas card/AT&T takeover idea...

It's becoming even more expensive to own a car in London. A new survey shows that the city is the most expensive for parking in the entire world, with an average of $68.07 per day, or $1,166.87 a month. Actually, two London spots were top on the list -- the top rate for the financial district and a slightly lower rate of $1,135.76 monthly for the West End. When you add the rising cost of gas, which in London is around $9 a gallon, and all sorts of commuting taxes and surcharges that the city keeps trying to add, it may become hard for Londoners to maintain their vehicles.

A kind of distant third on the list was Sydney, Australia at $774.76 monthly, followed by Hong Kong and Perth. Elsewhere in the survey by Colliers International of 64 downtown areas in North America and 74 cities in Europe, parking was high in Stockholm, which was second in Europe and Santiago, Chile was tops in South America. Tel Aviv and Dubai were the highest in the Middle East and Africa. And the lowest rates were in Jakarta, where monthly parking is just $26.07, and Delhi, where the daily rate is just $1.75 for the day.

The next time you rent a car from Hertz, you might notice something strange: in addition to the spare tire, first aid kit and jumper cables that you'd expect to find in your car's trunk, there will probably also be a printed trunk liner, covered in garish advertisements.

In case you miss the point, the fine folks at your favorite rental company will reinforce it with advertisements printed all over your ticket folder and further product placements dangling from your rear-view mirror. You might be inclined to wonder if you mistakenly picked up the NASCAR special or, perhaps, hit a billboard on your way out of the parking lot. In point of fact, however, you are merely enjoying the effects of Hertz's latest revenue stream.

The gas crisis has hit rental companies particularly hard. With oil prices regularly setting new records, many people have elected to forgo vacations; even those who have decided to leave town are maximizing their use of public transportation. Added to this, the increasing cost of gasoline has pushed the high price of rental-company fill-ups into the stratosphere. Eager to preserve its customer base, Hertz has already done away with its high-priced fill-ups; nowadays, people returning Hertz rental cars with empty tanks can expect to pay market rate for their gas. Even this customer-loyalty move, however, hasn't been enough to help the rental company weather the gas spike. Consequently, the company has followed the lead of many airlines and is using every available opportunity to sell advertisements.

As far as I'm concerned, if it helps Hertz keep the prices down, I am happy to have my suitcases co-habitate with ads for Reese's cups and Geico insurance!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He's wondering how much the rental on an Oscar Meyer Weinermobile would be.

If you drive, then chances are that you, like almost everybody else, have been looking for little techniques to reduce your gas consumption. In their quest to save money, airlines have begun doing the same. While tricks like charging for the first checked bag and hiring extra carry-on inspectors have captured the public's interest, a less-obvious technique is also paying major dividends: Planes are flying slower.

Recently, two European airlines, EasyJet Plc (Europe's second-largest discount airline) and BMI, have asked their pilots to fly slower to reduce gas intake. In the case of easyJet, this has come in the form of a missive asking for a 2% reduction in flying speeds, while BMI has asked for a 3 mph drop.

It's worth noting that both of these airlines are discount carriers. EasyJet, in fact, seems to be following the pay-as-you-go, charge a fee for everything model that American Airlines has been flirting with. In this context, it's easy to understand how the company might be searching for ways to eke out every single penny.

On this side of the Atlantic, several airlines, including Southwest, United, JetBlue, and Northwest have been experimenting with the technique, and have found that it can save hundreds of dollars per flight. Southwest, in fact, expects to save $42 million this year by flying just a little bit slower. While this extends the length of each flight, the difference is negligible, generally lasting only a few minutes.

Now if they could only find a way to transfer that savings back into free checked baggage!

Bruce Watson is a freelance writer, blogger, and all-around cheapskate. He recently opened his own airline. Although they have yet to fly a single plane, they've already cut costs by firing ten pilots and eliminating most of their flights!

When I went to book a rental car for a family vacation up to the Adirondacks yesterday, I was surprised to find SUVs renting for less than small cars.

Last week ABC News had a story about how rental agencies were pressuring customers to take the SUVs off their lots. At an Avis in Manhattan, the midsize SUV is the cheapest vehicle available ($421 a week), followed by the standard SUV ($451), then the compact ($501). Oddly the biggest gas-guzzler, the full-sized SUV, is still the most expensive at $854 a week.

In other words, rental car prices have become even more irrational. That means if you're smart you may be able to get yourself a deal. I don't know the exact model they're offering (how many cylinders, etc.), but I could still take a guess at what the cost would be. A midsize SUV at Avis is the Pontiac Vibe, which according to carseek gets 26 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. That's pretty good mileage. The Vibe actually resembles your common station wagon. In fact, I bet Pontiac gets around to rebranding it that sometime soon.

The mid-sized SUV is a Chevy Trailblazer. We're moving into real SUV territory here. It only gets 16 mpg city / 22 mpg highway. The full-sized SUV is a GMC Acadia, which gets 17 mpg/city -- 26 mpg/highway.

Back to that compact car -- how does that do on gas? Avis uses a Chevy Cobalt. It only gets about 22/33. So, the Vibe SUV gets better mileage than the compact.

A couple big stories out today in BusinessWeek and the Los Angeles Times talk about how state and local governments are getting pinched by both high gas prices and falling home values, which cut property tax revenues. They're just as broke as the rest of us. Governments are coming up money-saving schemes that range from creative to despicable. With expenses up and revenues down, governments are hoping to boost other revenues, like traffic tickets and lottery sales. So unless you plan to make up the budget shortfall, watch out.

Twenty-four states are in the red this year, the Times says, quoting stats from the National Conference of State Legislatures. They're cutting the favorite targets of school budgets and public health benefit. Local governments are cutting back on services like buses or parking the bookmobile. Some places are cutting back on all the unnecessary grass-mowing. BusinessWeek says Stillwater, Oklahoma cut its mowing in half, letting parkland turn into prairie. Somewhere Lady Bird Johnson must be smiling.

As much as no one wants to cut back on public safety, for some districts it's inevitable. Cops around the country have to watch their gas spending. Some are switching to alternate vehicles, like golf carts, or just doing foot patrols. Cops in El Paso County, Colo., saw their gas bill climb from $160,000 in 2003 to a projected $700,000 next year, the Times reported, so they stopped car patrols, a move they say will mean they won't be able to catch as many drunk drivers. BusinessWeek says Arizona is going to boost traffic tickets from cameras -- how many speeding tickets can a cop in a golf cart issue -- and stepped up lottery sales. Earlier this year California hatched a new lottery plan and Colorado decided to increase ticket fees. Expect to see these schemes around the country.

High gas prices were predicted to go even higher due to a typical increased summer demand. But this year, it looks like drivers are being a little more frugal. A 1% drop in demand for gas compared to last year at this time has helped keep prices in check even though crude oil prices keep rising.

I knew that Americans had it in them to cut back a little to save some money. And little did they know that their decreased driving would create decreased demand for gas, which results in a lower price at the gas pump. See how nicely this whole supply and demand and free market stuff works when the government leaves us alone?

The bad news is that prices aren't likely to stay in the $4 per gallon range for too long. The biggest driver of prices at the gas pump is the price of crude oil. And if crude oil keeps rising as many experts predict it will, prices at the pump will keep going up too.

This drop in demand proves what I've said all along: American drivers could drive less if they choose to. Sure, driving back and forth to work isn't often negotiable. But any other driving is optional, and consumers are wise to cut down on their miles and find ways to conserve gas.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.

An unemployed 30-year old German man lit his 1995 BMW on fire to protest high gas prices.

Amazingly, the display did not immediately cause OPEC to increase production and lower prices, so I guess we have to call this effort a failure. I'll sympathize somewhat because gas costs over $9 a gallon in Germany right now, but this is still one of the dumbest things I've ever heard of -- although it did secure the man, whose name has not been made public, his 15 minutes of fame.

Making matters even worse, the Associated Press reports that he doused the car in gasoline first. So apparently the untold story of high gas prices is that not only is driving getting more expensive, but lighting your car on fire because you can't afford gasoline is a considerable hardship for many people.

A better solution: don't light your car on fire, sell it -- trade down to a used sub-compact, or take public transportation and walk - if you're like most people, you could use the exercise.

Another sign of the times. If you were listening to NPR over the weekend, you may have heard this. If not, then let me enlighten you.

Bobak Bakhtiari, 28, is the manager of the Tanforan Shell station in San Bruno, California, and I believe if he ever wants to go into marketing, he has a bright future ahead of him. His gas station is offering a dunking booth -- you know, like the kind you see at carnivals -- and so if you're ticked off by the high price of gas, you get three free throws, and the chance to take out your ire on whomever is sitting at the dunking booth, which is generally someone who works at Shell. This has been going on for about two weeks now, and every Saturday, the gas station has live music with the dunking booth -- truly a festival atmosphere.

And as Bakhtiari told NPR, if dunking a Shell employee doesn't satisfy your anger, "We also offer an express rant, where if they can creatively rant about gas prices, they can receive a free express car wash. Cashiers are trained to really encourage all forms of expression during the rant. Well, except for throwing a chair through the window."

And for those of us who aren't lucky enough to live around San Bruno, the Fourth of July and its many festivals are coming up. There are bound to be some dunking booths somewhere.

When I first moved to the Bronx, I was amazed at the food prices. While I could often find exotic foods like plantains or cassavas for a fraction of the prices that I had grown to expect in Virginia, relatively mundane foods cost a fortune. Peanut butter was easily twice as expensive as it had been, and string cheese cost me about $6 a bag. Part of this was the fact that many of my mainstream foods were not very popular in my Dominican neighborhood. Of course, the other half is the so-called "ghetto markup," by which many stores raise prices because there isn't a lot of competition.

At any rate, I quickly learned to think like a 19th century homemaker. I stopped buying food that wasn't in season, and started to adjust my diet to the circumstances of my community. I began to eat the cuisine that was locally popular, forgot about most of the foods that I was used to, and found sources for the ones that were irreplaceable.

Nowadays, except for my weekly jaunt to Trader Joe's in Union Square and my occasional cheese-and-produce run to Bronx's Little Italy, I buy most of my family's food in my neighborhood grocery stores. While I'm still paying a lot more than last year, when Wal-Mart was my local grocery store, I've found ways to feed my family on a budget.

It only takes basic common sense to realize that as the prices of necessities rise, the money consumers have for "extras" decreases. Increased grocery bills and gas station fill-ups are the most common culprits these days, forcing consumers to change their spending habits.

Kelley Blue Book (the car people) surveyed people shopping for new cars, and found that 28% have stopped going to Starbucks or coffee houses, and 21% have reduced their visits. Survey participants also reported decreased purchases of music, tickets to sporting events, eating out and recreational shopping.

Is that so bad? Sure, stopping at Starbucks each morning or afternoon for your high-calorie coffee fix is fun. But how much will it really impact your life if you cut it out of your budget or did something like stopping at Starbucks only once a week? Coffee of any kind is not really that good for us, and spending $3 to $5 a day on it is a complete waste of money. Especially when you can make your own coffee for a fraction of the cost.

Cutting down on wasteful spending on things that aren't necessities doesn't really bother me. In fact, I've been on my own little quest to reduce my spending, just to see how low I can go. So I won't be crying any rivers for those who find they can't visit Starbucks as often. Do what you need to do in order to live within your means. Life is about more than a cup of coffee.

Tracy L. Coenen, CPA, MBA, CFE performs fraud examinations and financial investigations for her company Sequence Inc. Forensic Accounting, and is the author of Essentials of Corporate Fraud.