. >> reporter: mike babinski is filling up his car, again. he commutes every day from his home in nazareth, pennsylvania, to a home depot in union, new jersey >> roundtrip, it's about 150 miles. >> reporter: and the rising cost of fuel is taking a big bite out of his wallet. >> it's between, on average about $500 to $550 a month. >> reporter: on a typical day, babinski spends three hours in his car. but he says it's worth it-- he and his wife stephanie and their two kids live in this five- bedroom home on an acre and a half in a good school district. >> we wanted to get a bigger property for the kids to be able to play with their friends and run around outside. they can run outside and jump on the trampoline and run around and practice their sports in the backyard. >> reporter: the home's $270,000 price tag and low property taxes were an even bigger incentive. they say they couldn't come close to what they have in nazareth, nearer to mike's job, which he loves. >> everybody wants to have a short commute, but it's a trade of whether you are ha

meet mike babinski. he says his four-bedroom home on 1.5 acres wor the 150-mile day commute. >> tom: in the "money file" tonight, the pain of the public upgrade. manisha thakor explains. she's author of "on my own two feet: a girl's guide to personal finance." >> my husband and i recently rented a car at the airport. as we handed over our identification, the woman behind the counter said very loudly, "you know, you've reserved a compact car." we smiled and nodded, but she kept going. "you'll have to roll down your own windows. th're not electric." and then, in a voice that turned heads, "there are no power locks in your compact car." as we stepped away with the keys to our compact car, i couldn't help but notice several people in line giving us that head-to- toe once-over. i could feel their inquiring minds at work: "are they cheap and stingy? are they out of work? why on earth would they want to roll down their own windows?" what i was feeling was the pain of the public upgrade. in today's wor, we are s