I’m not happy about being right this time.<\/p>\n
Just this past Monday, I was talking about how $4 a gallon seemed to be a real “pain point” for drivers around here. It looked like gas stations were doing everything they could to avoid putting that four in front of the price.<\/p>\n
As you may have noticed, I’m writing that in the past tense.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, I saw gas prices in Lubbock climb above $4 a gallon for the first time. I have to say, that hurts. Unfortunately, I also don’t think we’re finished.<\/p>\n
Lubbock Has Broken Through The $4 Gas Ceiling<\/p>\n
The point I was making earlier this week was that once we finally broke through that $4 ceiling, prices could start moving quickly toward the next psychological pain point.<\/p>\n
So what is that next number?<\/p>\n
Is it $4.50? Or is it $5?<\/p>\n
My guess is the latter.<\/p>\n
I live near a large convenience store that normally has pretty competitive gas prices. For a while yesterday afternoon, its sign was showing $4.29 a gallon.<\/p>\n
The day before, it had been $3.79.<\/p>\n
That’s a 50-cent jump in roughly a day. That’s not an increase. That’s a launch.<\/p>\n
To its credit, the station came back down a little. This morning, the posted price was $4.09. That’s certainly better than $4.29, but we’re still talking about a 30-cent increase compared with where things were just a short time ago.<\/p>\n
And those numbers add up quickly.<\/p>\n
At $4.09 a gallon, filling a 15-gallon tank from empty costs more than $60. A 20-gallon truck tank puts you north of $80.<\/p>\n
That’s when gas prices stop being something you complain about while you’re standing at the pump and start having a real effect on the family budget.<\/p>\n