America's Money: Gas crunch hits home

Medical assistant, 35, Clarksville, Tenn.

I'm a single father to a 7-year-old boy. I lived approximately 20 miles from where I work. After taking my son to daycare where he is bused to school, it came out to 25 miles one way. I don't get the best gas mileage out of my van either.

I lived in Kentucky where folks pay state income tax, another burden on my finances. I had to work a second part-time job to help pay for daycare. However, that job was delivering pizzas so it really didn't help out with gas prices being criminally high as they are.
I know a 50-mile round trip isn't nearly as painful as a lot of other stories I've heard but this is how gas prices are affecting me.

I found a way to save about $270-$290 a month to help out a bit. I moved across the state line to Tennessee, where you don't pay a state income tax. My son can go to a daycare which is going to save me between $80-$100 a month, and I'm saving $90 in rent. But the best part is that I'm only 8 miles from work and my son's new daycare is on the way to my job.

I'm hoping that 2009 will be a little friendlier to all hard-working Americans, especially to those of us who make under $60,000 and are single parents without any help. Now that my son and I have moved and will be saving, I can spend a little less money at the pump and more time taking him to see a new movie or to do some of the fun things he enjoys!

NEXT: Janet Olawsky: Loving the bus ride