SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Another day of rising gas prices in San Diego County, as we head into the weekend.
Here is a look at the price jump for an average gallon of gas since Monday. The price went up 5 cents Monday, then at least 10 cents the next three days followed by a 2 cent increase today.
San Diegans are now paying about $5.73 at the pump. The question is, how can you find the cheapest gas going into this weekend?
"I try not to look at what I am paying," said Scott Nole.
"Just fill up and go. What else am I going to do, walk?"
Some San Diegans in La Mesa are trying to make light of a pretty pricey situation.
"I didn't even notice until people were saying it," said Sasha Villalpando.
"Until people were posting the memes about it about the gas prices going up, I didn't notice."
Nole says he typically just goes to whatever is closest.
"I've heard how crazy the lines at Costco [are], there was no one here so, what am I going to save, it's two only twenty cents more. My time is worth more than that."
Yet Doug Shoupe with Auto Club Southern California says that you would be surprised what a little looking could save you.
"We are often creatures of habit," said Shoupe.
"We got to this one gas station because it is easy to get to one this side of the road, we don't want to make that u-turn to go to the other side of the road. But if there's a gas station that is not out of the way, and it's selling for 20, 30, 40 cents less per gallon, we encourage you to go to those stations instead."
He explains the reason behind why some areas might be cheaper than others, "Some gas stations are in a location where there is not a lot of competition around, other gas stations are lowering their prices at the pump to get folks in to purchase other goods in the convenience store."
But what if you don't have time to find the cheapest option?
Before driving, Shoupe has a list of advice to help you save some cents:
- Make sure your tires are inflated
- Make sure your car's load is light
- Plan ahead and combine your errands to make fewer trips
- Avoid speeding
Shoupe says the last one is the most important.
"Most vehicles peak out at their fuel economy at about 50 miles per hour. And that starts to go down the more speed increases," he furthers. "So if you reduce your freeway speeds by 5 to 10 miles an hour, you can increase your fuel economy by up to 14%."
San Diegans saw the smallest climb in prices since March 1st when gas went up 2 cents from Thursday. But with 17 consecutive days of rising costs, Shoupe says it is not likely to decrease significantly anytime soon.
Which is why keeping a full tank and. keeping your eyes peeled might save you more in the long run.
Shoupe says that we saw this price drop in part because of the United Arab Emirates announcing it will increase oil production. The problem is that just because the price of oil has gone down, does not mean what you pay will too.
