Gas Prices Going Up

The Lundberg Survey reports that the national average price for a gallon of unleaded gas went up 5 cents in the last two weeks.

But that nickel increase will pale in comparison to the increase that's coming. The price of crude oil went up 18 cents in the same two-week period, but that increase hasn't been felt at the pump because it hasn't been passed along yet by refiners, marketers and retailers.

So fill up at the best price you can get right now, because it isn't going to last.

The national average was $2.80, which is 60 cents higher than it was a year ago at this time. The best price to be found was in Newark, N.J., where a gallon was selling for $2.56. San Francisco had the highest price, at $3.17.

Here in my east Dallas neighborhood, the price ranges from $2.61 to $2.65.

Gas Prices

You may have noticed a slight dip in gas prices at the pump lately.

Don't get too excited. In the last couple of weeks, prices dropped an average of 4 cents a gallon. And, while that's good news, it loses its luster when you realize that gas prices were about 47 cents lower per gallon at the same time last year. And the Lundberg Survey's publisher, Trilby Lundberg, warns that this does not represent a "trend for the future."

Nationally, the average price of a gallon of regular unleaded gasoline was $2.75. The best price to be found was in Newark, N.J., where that same gallon cost $2.52. The highest price was in Honolulu, where drivers could expect to pay $3.09.