Struggling with gas prices???

[DivaJen]

I paid attention this morning - prices ranged from $2.58 - $2.64 at the stations I noted. Of course, the higher grades were 10-20 cents higher yet!

[mom-from-missouri]

Our gas prices are falling. Is anyone elses?? Last week I paid $2.38 a gallon. Today it is $2.16 a gallon, at the same station. The one across the street from it was at $2.19 today--it has also gone down.

[singinjeannie]

Ours are still rising. Up .02 cents per gallon over the past 2 days.

[Tree0164]

http://www.suntimes.com/output/elect...-energy17.html

President Bush prodded Congress on Saturday to pass a long-stalled national energy strategy, saying American families and small businesses are feeling the pinch from rising gasoline prices.

''If you're trying to meet a family budget or a payroll, even a small change at the pump can have a big impact,'' Bush said in his weekly radio address.

[PrincessPerky]

Ok now I havn't done a lot of research here, but a bill to use tax money to subsidize (in a sense) the gas companies, doesn't sound like a useful way to reduce gas prices. might help in the short term, but since our tax money is going there we are still going to be paying.

[mom-from-missouri]

Our gas went down more-today it is $2.05 a gallon. Guy at the station said he thinks it will drop again on Tuesday. Hope he is right!

[debtfree]

I don't know what we'll do if gas hits $3.00 (which seems likely come summer time) I drive an suv, but we pay it off this fall. Until then, the gas hikes are going to make a big dent in our pocketbook.

However, we are fortunate to live in a small town. I could ride my bike to the grocery store and post office if I had too- I would just need a child carrier for my two year old

[Susapalooza]

Just for "fun" (!), I figured out how much my weekly four-mile round trip to the recycling center costs...about 95 cents. We live in a large metro area where stores are spread out, and I'm having to rethink my shopping strategies, bundling trips and plotting out prices...plus factoring in gas costs!

[kashi]

Tell me, how is it possible for gasoline to be $1.93 a gallon on Tuesday and $2.15 on Wednesday? I'm starting to think everything is in the hands of the gas station owners.

[mom-from-missouri]

It isn't the station owners. I can tell you that from having owned one in the past. Station owners are regulated by the state government on the pricing. The can not raise the price a set percent above the suppliers cost. If the owner goes above the set percent, the fines are very very heavy. If it is done by the same owner repeatedly, they can be shut down by the state.

[rjn]

I want to know why gas prices go up much quicker than they come down. Are gas station owners allowed to increase the price of gas that they already have on site?. It seems like they must be able to. But of course they don't lower the price for gas that they have already paid for.

[mom-from-missouri]

You can increase it to the price that the stock is currrently selling for. If a station is very busy though, they may refill their tanks 2 or 3 times a week.

[crosses]

There is no reason for gas stations to lower their prices unless other gas stations around them do.