32 of 65
BACKNEXT
Bethany Alexander: Pocketbook pinch
Bethany Alexander: Pocketbook pinch
Bethany with her husband, Andrew
• Issue #1: America's Money
• Share your story
Debt analyst, 24, Irving, Texas

I talk to people on a daily basis who tell me how hard they are struggling to make the minimum payments on their credit cards, personal loans, mortgage loans, car payments and any other debt they come to me with.

They are struggling mainly because of the amount of money they are starting to spend on gas to get back and forth to work and food to feed their family.

I am also feeling the impact because my grocery budget went from $150 every two weeks to $200-$250, depending on what other items we may need that week.

My husband and I have no children. We are not able to do any extra activities like going to the movies or driving out to see our family because we have to conserve on our gas usage as much as possible. It saddens me because I have two nieces and three nephews who I never get to see due to the increase in gas prices. I just can't afford the drive every weekend.

NEXT: Angela Navarette: Doing just fine
Last updated November 15 2009: 6:21 AM ET
Email | Print | Share  |  RSS
 
google my aol my msn my yahoo! netvibes
Paste this link into your favorite RSS desktop reader
See all CNNMoney.com RSS FEEDS (close)
More Galleries
Best deals on travel
Best deals on travel
Money magazine's Best Deals on Everything: Your guide to the latest vacation bargains in Mexico, Greece and Disney World. Plus, how to get cheap airfare. More
China: A nation on the move
China: A nation on the move
China is making big investments in roads, railways, and other infrastructure. More
11 top-paid bank CEOs
11 top-paid bank CEOs
J.P. Morgan Chase's Jamie Dimon made $18.7 million last year, putting him fourth on the list of highest-paid chiefs in banking. Which CEOs made even more? More

Special Offer
Market indexes are shown in real time, except for the DJIA, which is delayed by two minutes. All times are ET. Disclaimer LIBOR Warning: Neither BBA Enterprises Limited, nor the BBA LIBOR Contributor Banks, nor Reuters, can be held liable for any irregularity or inaccuracy of BBA LIBOR. Disclaimer. Morningstar: © 2013 Morningstar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Disclaimer The Dow Jones IndexesSM are proprietary to and distributed by Dow Jones & Company, Inc. and have been licensed for use. All content of the Dow Jones IndexesSM © 2013 is proprietary to Dow Jones & Company, Inc. Chicago Mercantile Association. The market data is the property of Chicago Mercantile Exchange Inc. and its licensors. All rights reserved. FactSet Research Systems Inc. 2013. All rights reserved. Most stock quote data provided by BATS.
© 2013 Cable News Network. A Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Privacy Policy. Ad choices .