ATS Members: Has Gas/Food Prices effected you, or is it all hype?

Hi everybody:

Just curious if gas prices and food prices have had an immediate effect on your lives? Share your story.

Here is an example. An ATS member sells cars for a living, and earns commision. Because gas and food prices have gone up; people have less disposable income; meaning they are less likely to "trade up" (the vast majority of people who trade cars typically trade into a higher priced/better equipped car). Lenders are making it more difficult to finance cars in lieu of the current credit crunch, and few people have the cash on hand to but a big ticket item outright. Moreover, people equate car payments as a high-ticket purchase and will sacrifice it to pay inflated mortgages, on top of which "fear-mongering" in the media have made people afraid to spend anything they do have.

So, this person's income is less than half what it was two years ago. So, not only does this person have less income, add to that $4.00 a gallon to commute the 20 miles to work, plus the cost of evrything going up! Less income and higher prices all at once!

Anyone else feeeling it? I guess "I WANT TO BELIEVE" in UFO's etc, but believing in PEAK OIL seems a lot less of a conspriacy and an outright truth.