$3.59

Gas prices have gone up twenty cents in less than two weeks.

Let me rewind a bit. As of Thursday, April 17th the cheapest gas I could find to fill up my mom's tank was $3.39 a gallon.

That Monday, the 21st, I needed gas for my own car, and at the same location the gas was now $3.45 a gallon. OK, six cents in four days. That's a lot, but...

Usually I follow a set pattern in gas buying. Fill up the tank, run it out to nearly empty, fill it up again. Three times every two weeks. In the past that made sense for me as a good balance of cost vs. time spent going for gas. But with the price of gas rocketing up every day, now it makes more sense to fill up as often as I can. If I wait, I'll be maximizing both the amount of gas I need to buy and the price I'll pay for it. By topping off more frequently, I'm paying incrementally higher prices each day, but I'm buying less gas all at once.

When I went to top off on Wednesday the 23rd the price had jumped to $3.55 a gallon. Ten cents in two days. EDITED AFTER CHECKING RECORDS TO ADD: And when I got gas again on Friday the 25th it was up another two cents to $3.57.

As of yesterday, the 28th, the price was $3.59 a gallon.

I haven't topped off since last week. I'll probably go tomorrow for something closer to a fill-up. I wonder what the price will be then?

UPDATE, 4/30/08: Filled up today, and prices had plummetted to $3.58 a gallon. WOO-HOO! At this rate, they'll be giving it away for free within a year!