We’ve had a snowy winter here in Michigan. We just got dumped with 8 inches recently, and we are always expecting more. But I haven’t minded at all because my new car has four-wheel drive.

Yep, I am the proud owner of a Subaru, and I have found it to be the most wonderful, liberating experience of my winter. (Because in a Midwestern blizzard, liberty does equate to mobility.) My tiny Subaru hasn’t yet met a snowdrift it couldn’t power through, and I love that I never feel snowed-in or trapped at home - or worse, afraid to drive home from wherever I am.

But I know that there’s a tradeoff in the not-so-distant future - and it will be felt at the pump. My four-wheel drive guzzles quite a bit more gas than my previous car, and I have to fill up more frequently.

As I check the news and continue to read more about the unrest in the Middle East, it’s starting to sink in that oil prices are going up. So while I’m enjoying my four-wheel freedom now, I’m worried I may fall into a four-wheel funk this summer if gas gets up to $4 or $5 a gallon.

But I’m trying to prep myself to recognize and plan for how to deal with increased fuel costs. And I realize that I’m only worried about a fleet of one; business owners have much bigger fleets to worry about. What are you doing to prepare for increased gas prices? Will you make any changes to your fleet or set up more stringent operation rules to conserve gas?