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Still thinking about gas prices

Posted by: Meg Thilmony

Monday, June 9, 2008 1:47 PM

I got to thinking today on my way to work: remember when the price of oil (whether slightly down or up) wasn't particularly newsworthy? Ahh, those were the days.

And they're over. I get my morning oil prices on public radio's Marketplace Morning Report and sometimes fill my tank accordingly. Everyone's talking about it. I get the feeling the topic is here to stay.

This article from The New York Times puts things in perspective, though. People around the country have cut out meat and are leaving their cars on the side of the road until they can afford to put more gas in. I'm sure people around here are facing similar troubles - one focus of The News-Gazette's Feeling the Pinch series.

The Web offers some resources for soaring gas prices. Gas Buddy shows you what prices are around the country. The News-Gazette's Web site includes a more local feature.

And if you Twitter (which I'm just starting to try), Fuel Frog works with the microblogging service so you can track your gas milage trends. This feed also includes plenty of info about gas prices.

How about you? Do you use any Web sites to monitor prices or usage?

Unfortunately, none can actually make gas prices go down. Or make you use less gas. I guess that one's up to you.