We read an article recently headlined “GAS PRICES HIGHER THAN EVER IN USA”.  So we did a little research.  Turns out that the highest previous gas prices prior to now in the U.S. was in 2008.  Here’s the excerpt from the USA Today article

As of Tuesday morning, the average national price for a gallon of regular gasoline touched $4.17, according to AAA, the highest price ever, not accounting for inflation. That was up from $4.07 on Monday and $3.61 a week earlier.

The previous high was $4.11 on July 17, 2008, according to AAA. That would come to around $5.25 today when adjusted for inflation.

When you include the rate of inflation and average salary increases over the past 14 years today’s gas prices would have to reach $5.25 for Americans to feel the same “squeeze’ we did in 2008.  Predictors are saying that prices haven’t stopped rising and we may very well see the price go above $5 a gallon.  Of course, the ‘average’ gas prices computed by the AAA and others include locations that are already above $5 a gallon in the U.S.

Now, where to go for the cheapest gas.  We’re not sure how reliable GASBUDDY is but it certainly has gained national attention over the years for checking out area gas prices.  Today we logged on GASBUDDY and made a startling discovery. In the State of Tennessee the cheapest gas was shown to be in Dunlap Tennessee at just 2.76 a gallon – at least if you’re paying with cash. We were shocked – so, we called the gas station in Dunlap to find out if it was accurate.  The person answering the phone at Circle K said “We’re not allowed to give gas prices over the phone”. We asked why. “Store policy” was the reply.  So we were not able to verify the price of the gas at Circle K.