After some research and questions for a few friends who are car enthusiasts, I believe I have learned what my problem is... But just in case Im wrong, I am triple checking..

They problems I am having are as follows:

*Sometimes the car has difficulty starting, the engine wont turn over. When this happens, the battery light is usually on until it starts, which then it turns off. Also, the ABS light rarely comes on at times like this.

*Usually when the car is on (most notably when it just starts or after I shut it off,) there is a strong smell of "raw gasoline."

*Over the past few months, I have been getting gradually less and less miles per gallon. I remember in the past getting between 20 and 25 miles per gallon, but it has since dropped to 17 mpg. I cannot accurately say I know what the problem here is.

My thoughts on the problems:

I am led to believe that ALL of these problems is battery-related. Ive read and heard that having a low/near-dead battery causes the fuel pump to work inefficiently. Low battery power would make it more difficult for the car to start, and after it does, the little power it uses for the fuel pump isnt enough to burn fuel efficiently, which is the source of the "raw gasoline" smell, and because of the fuel not being burnt efficiently, I get less and less mpg.

Are my thoughts correct, or is there a different problem? I would take it to a specialist, but there arent any around in my area, I am going to have to repair this on my own.