This week I got an email urging me (and a few dozen other recipients) not to buy gasoline on May 15th. Though the idea of a gas boycott is tempting, these one-day boycotts -- which crop up every year -- don't seem to work (David Emery, About.com's Guide to Urban Legends, explains why here).

Whether or not you believe that price gouging is part of the problem -- and I'm a believer -- it's true that gasoline, like other commodities, is subject to the law of supply and demand. The best way to fight high prices is to reduce demand, and the most effective way to do that is to buy a) a smaller car (automakers are designing small cars with more and more interior space; three of my favorites are the Honda Fit, Nissan Versa and Nissan Sentra), b) a super-efficient hybrid like the Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid, or c) an alternative-fuel car such as the Honda Civic GX.

Unfortunately, a new car isn't a financial possibility for everyone, but there are still lots of steps you can take: Keep your tires properly inflated, consolidate your errands into fewer trips, and slow down a bit on the open road. (I have a full list of fuel-saving tips here.) If everyone in the country followed these steps and dropped their average fuel consumption by just 2-3 miles per gallon, we'd make a real dent in demand for gasoline -- and save a whole lot of money, to boot. -- Aaron Gold