Elderly on fixed incomes stretching dollars

DeKALB - Vernon Wilson is cutting down on driving. The 74-year-old Malta resident carpools with other people in his area to buy groceries since it now costs more than $4 for a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline. Since he and his wife are retired and live on fixed incomes, escalating costs for food and fuel have led them to change their spending habits, Wilson said. “We put a group together and head out when we need things from the stores,” Wilson said Tuesday while at the Family Service Agency's Senior Services Center in DeKalb. “Even the prices of oil changes have gone up a little.” Escalating prices for food, fuel, utilities and health care are changing people's behaviors in numerous demographics, but especially among retirees. A study