Pain at the pump - Karina Ramírez, Denton Record

Six days a week, Plano resident Querisha Felix drives 70 miles, round trip, to attend classes at Texas Woman’s University. With gas prices inching toward $4 a gallon, she says she’s starting to see how paying for her commute is costing her in more ways than one. “It is awful for me,” said Felix, 20, a senior majoring in family studies. “Before prices went up, I was spending between $20 to $25 each time I refueled my car. Now it’s more like $35.” Felix said she refuels her car every two to three days. When she is not in class, she has a job as a nanny. Nearly all of her earnings go to fuel her 2009 Subaru Impreza, she said.