Many share the desire to not pay more than necessary for items used every day.
Prices at the gas station are a common complaint through the past few weeks, and the cost per gallon has been up for a while.
According to AAA, the average gallon of regular unleaded as of Monday in the state of Texas will run around $3.82, while diesel is at $5.21.
Gas is about 20 cents higher than it was last week. We were still averaging below $3 in Texas a month ago.
That average spikes in some metro areas, like the west end of the state, where folks in El Paso typically shell out $4.07 for regular and $5.43 for diesel.
The national average is $4.12 and $5.62 for diesel, so Texans could consider themselves fortunate.
California, Hawaii and Washington consistently pay more at the pump. A gallon in California is around $5.93. That would almost buy two gallons in Oklahoma, where the cheapest of all 50 states is around $3.27.
So, how can we save a bit from the rising costs?
There are helpful tools out there that can assist in saving a few dollars. One of them is through an app like Gas Buddy. With a few clicks, it can give information categorized by either type of fuel, price or location.
Gas Buddy lists area prices in Polk County between $3.56-$4.01.
Murphy USA at 1616 West Church St. in Livingston was Monday’s cheapest fuel, while the Mobil station across the street was a penny more. They stand out as the bright spots, as you inch forward in Livingston traffic.
For diesel, the Valero at 1155 East Church St. listed at $4.89. The closest competitor was again Murphy USA and Mobil at $4.95, as well as H-E-B at 1509 West Church St.
A warning to those new to the gas apps: they are not going to be 100% right each time. There are some locations where the price is not reported. Even when they are, the prices that are reported can fluctuate without notice.
An example of that is while writing this article, a cheaper gas station appeared atop of the list. It requires a drive into San Jacinto County, but Shell at 13501 State Highway 150 in Coldspring flashed a price of $3.45. Check often, and maybe refresh one last time before putting that nozzle in the tank.
