The thermostat was kept at bone-chilling temperatures, we drove our green Ford Fairlaine until it (literally) burst into flames at a toll booth and I wore a never-ending supply of hand-me-downs from a cousin named Amy whom I had never met.

FORBES: Spending Lessons I Learned From My Childhood

Advanced satellite tracking technologies allow "open road" tolling, in which motorists would be charged per mile of road used -- just as consumers are charged per kilowatt hour for electricity, per gallon of water, or per minute of cell phone use -- without the backup at the toll booth.

CNN: Road tax alternative: Pay for each mile you drive