As we delve deeper into summer, not only are temperatures rising but so are crude oil prices.

It is typical for oil prices to increase during the summertime since more people are driving and traveling. But this summer is like no other—crude oil prices have not just increased, they have spiked! And, unlike previous years, there isn't much hope that the cost of crude will decline as we enter autumn.

Instead, most experts think that high oil prices are going to be the norm for quite some time (See also: "Get Rich From High Oil Prices" and "Are Oil Prices a Bubble Set to Pop?").

When I am at the pump watching the numbers rack up, I'm not sure what hurts worse—that anxious knot in my stomach or my wallet.

And I know that most of you are feeling the same way, as record-high gas prices (they surged 10.1% in June) are just another expense to add to the increasing costs of almost everything else.

In fact, June experienced the biggest 12-month jump in consumer prices since 1991. Back then, the Consumer Price Index (CPI) was negatively affected by high crude oil prices related to the first Gulf War.

From May to June of this year, the CPI increased 1.1%, after experts forecast only a 0.7% rise. And it doesn't seem like consumer prices are going to head south any time soon, as crude oil prices and financial difficulties are dragging down the entire economy.

Don't believe me? Just listen to Fed Chairman Bernanke, who testified last week about his gloomy outlook for the U.S. economy. (Get five quick tips for surviving this bear market here. And be sure to check out: "Users Guide for a Bear Market.")

I don't mean to be a Debbie Downer, but I think it is important to be realistic in rough times like these.