Comparisons to yesteryear and today aren't totally right either. 30 years ago my mother and most of the friends mothers didn't work.......no daily work commute. My father and my friends fathers generally worked within a ten mile radius of home. Much shorter commutes. Today I drive 50 miles round trip in a four cylinder and my wife works as well. Health insurance is the largest deduction from my paycheck leaving less for other expenses. My parents 30 years ago didn't pay for health care. If you take the expenses the average American has today vs. what their parents had, you'll find that people on the whole in relative terms actually have less...thus the almost necessity of 2 income households(don't forget those huge child care expenses). In short, we feel the crunch more today because rises in energy expenses are not as easily absorbed as they were 30 years ago. Unfortunately it will only get worse. Food for thought.

........Dave
___________________________________________________
Looking for old, rare, auto light bulb tins