Summertime, and the living is easy. The weather’s nice and the kids are out of school, so there’s plenty of opportunities to go to the beach or to the park and visit friends and family.

One not-so-teeny problem: Gas is so expensive you almost have to get a second mortgage on your house to pay for it. And given the current mortgage crisis … well, you get the idea. Times are hard. It feels a little like being grounded.

So with gas prices hovering around $4 a gallon in most parts of the country and approaching $5 in others, getting out of the house and into nature could take some creativity.

Carpooling, for example. That trip to the pool across town doesn’t seem so expensive if you take a bunch of kids from the neighborhood and split the cost.

Or taking the train to your grandma’s house up north. If you’re traveling solo, one ticket is probably going to cost you a lot less than the gas would to drive.

And just think, using less gas is better for the environment–so not only are you saving money, you are saving the planet! In fact, maybe we’ll all learn that saving gas isn’t that hard and we’ll keep doing it long after this crisis is over.

I’d love to hear your ideas, so please use the comments field below to share tips and sound off about how gas prices have affected your summer activities.

We can’t stop living, so tell us how you plan to see some countryside, reconnect with people and enjoy the longest days of the year–all while avoiding the pain at the pump.