As the housing market reels from the credit crunch and energy crisis, the idea of living closer to the city in a slightly smaller house looks increasingly appealing. (Associated Press — Scott Lindlaw)

Americans may be able to cut costs by keeping themselves off the road, but unfortunately, they’ve got plenty of other drivers to pay for — taxpayers spent $3.4 billion last year to operate and maintain the U.S. government’s 642,233 vehicles. (Associated Press — Jennifer Kerr)

In big cities across the country, downtown rents are climbing as more and more residents look to save gas money by living closer to work. (Associated Press — J.W. Elphinstone)

For people who speed up and down highways for their job, high gas prices hit especially hard — Montana’s state highway patrol is $340,000 over budget in gas bills alone. (Associated Press — Matt Gouras)

There’s the bad news — about 42,000 Americans die on our roads each year — and the good — with more and more people leaving their cars at home, 31 states have seen a drop of at least 10 percent in highway fatalities over the past year. (Associated Press — Mark Williams)

Authors of a new study say that for every 10 percent increase in gas prices, there has been a 2.3 percent drop in auto deaths due to fewer drivers on the road — a trend that could result in one third fewer deaths each year. (Associated Press — Joan Lowy)

Turned off by the cost of long drives to big box stores or shopping centers, residents in small towns are helping businesses in their local communities by staying closer to home. (Associated Press)

Gas, food prices pinch elderly meal programs Associated Press P.J. Dickerscheid Rising costs squeezing 20,000 senior nutrition programs across the country.