This past summer, gas prices set record highs by breaking $4 per gallon. The outrageous prices not only raided wallets, but also shattered the dream of beach trips and cruising leisurely around town with friends. Luckily, since its peak over the summer, gas prices have gradually decreased, allowing for a little more breathing room. With gas floating around $3.60 a gallon, many students are taking advantage of the lower prices.
Kaitlyn Smith, a junior in biology, is taking a trip to New Jersey this weekend with her family. They are going to pick up furniture for her brother’s new house and visit some relatives. “I’m guessing it will probably take about three to five tanks of gas round trip and nearly $100 per tank since we are driving one suburban for six people,” said Smith. “The 12 to 13 hour drive will be pretty rough on gas, and had it not been for the benefit of getting to see family we haven’t seen in a while, my brother probably would have just paid the shipping price to send the furniture down.”
The slight dip in gas prices, however, doesn’t really help everyone. “I use 89 premium gas which is still outrageously expensive so the slight dip is nothing for me to get excited about,” says Lauren Voorhees, a freshman in science education. Voorhees says that having a hometown only two hours away also helps to ease the discomfort at the pump. “I filled my tank up [$55 down from $60] and used about half of it. Raleigh traffic was really bad on the way back though, which caused me to use much more gas than planned and made the trip cost more, which sucks for a poor college student.”
Freshman in management Laura Pearson feels the same way.
“I don’t go home as much because of gas prices,” said Pearson. Laura, who attended high school in Tavernier, Fl, and spent summers in Atlantic Beach, says visiting her friends and family will be hard on her budget. Although gas prices have dropped since the summer, they still aren’t low enough to encourage Laura to drive to Tavenier. “I plan on visiting my family in Florida but I won’t be driving. I’m going to fly.”
