Whats the highest you have paid for gasoline?

[yourbeginnings]

Seems really odd that the media and politicians are not speaking out against the cost of gasoline as they did last year when prices were this high. Last year the governor of Georgia issued a halt to the state tax on gas, however it is hardly even mentioned in the local news now. I guess the Spitzer scandal, presidential primaries and other events are more news worthy.

On a side note I have been investigating buying a SmartCar since the car gets better gas mileage and is better for the environment. However my car gets about 30 mpg, its reliable and is paid off.

[rolltimer]

Originally Posted by gt0163c

I was in Atlanta last weekend and gas was around $3.15-$3.20 most of the places I saw.

I moved from Atlanta 12 years ago but visited frequently in the state of Alabama. There was always a 10 to 12 cent difference between Atlanta's and Alabama's gas prices. Atlanta was always lower. Not anymore, I guess. I bought gas here in Alabama 3 days ago for $3.05. I saw it for $3.14 yesterday when I passed that station.

For work, I get mileage reimbursed at .485 per mile but the reimbursement amount did not scale up at the beginning of this year as it has in the past 3 years. I am easily paying 25 to 50 cents more per gallon now as I was this time last year.

[yourbeginnings]

I was looking for ways on the Internet to increase my MPG and came across the standard ones methods: proper tire pressure and clean oil, etc.

However the one I never thought of was limiting non-essential items in the car. My trunk is loaded with, well pretty much junk that probably weights 100lbs or more. Time to clean out my car.

[khorrell]

I think I saw 3.35 today. I guess I'll find out the next time I go out, as my low fuel light dinged as I entered my neighborhood this afternoon.

[rstlne]

I filled up at $3.099, but I didn't shop around much this time.

[kav122]

I saw on the news tonight that they used to think the "line in the sand" for most Americans was 3.25. Now they think it is much lower because of the rising costs of groceries and everything else.

[ajeh]

According to the gas tracker that I use, the cheapest gas in my area this morning is $3.31

[rstlne]

Originally Posted by kav122

I saw on the news tonight that they used to think the "line in the sand" for most Americans was 3.25. Now they think it is much lower because of the rising costs of groceries and everything else.

I think people will still buy gas even if it goes over $4. What they'll do instead is cut down on almost everything else. For example, as I've noted on my blog, earnings (and stock prices) of mid-priced sit-down restaurant chains, e.g. Cheesecake Factory, Ruby Tuesday, have already fallen significantly.

[kav122]

Originally Posted by rstlne

I think people will still buy gas even if it goes over $4. What they'll do instead is cut down on almost everything else. For example, as I've noted on my blog, earnings (and stock prices) of mid-priced sit-down restaurant chains, e.g. Cheesecake Factory, Ruby Tuesday, have already fallen significantly.

Totally see where you're coming from. My husband is a manager of a mid-priced sit-down restaurant so we have been building our saving as we, too, think that people will cut back other places (like eating out) as gas continues to rise.

My sentence didn't totally encompass everything that was mentioned in the news story. I should elaborate: People's "line in the sand" isn't where they say, "well that's it! I'm not driving anymore!" Rather, people who usually aren't frugal or money conscious begin to do some of the things that the more conscious already do (i.e. walk somewhere instead of driving UNNECESSARY, consolidate trips, buy more gas-efficient vehicles, etc).

The story also brought up another point that has been touched on in some other threads: With gas being so expensive, it makes sense to buy local, because the shipping costs are added to the final total to the consumer. Something that was cheaper to purchase in a different part of the country (for example, buying furniture in North Carolina) no longer makes sense, because by the time you ship it to where you are, you have spent more than going to a local manufacturer.

Here is a consolidated version of what they showed on the 10 o'clock news:
http://wcco.com/consumer/gasoline.ti....2.681302.html

[Ronni]

I think $3.55 or so.