Gas prices are on the rise. According to AAA's Daily Fuel Gauge Report, the national average for a gallon of regular unleaded gas is $3.57, six cents higher than a week ago and almost 20 cents higher than one month ago. Could we hit a nationwide average gas price of more than $4 for the first time since 2008?
Several analysts are saying that chances are at least decent that will happen. For California residents, it could be particularly painful; an analyst from the Automobile Club of Southern California
told the L.A. Times that gas could be $5 per gallon by April or May in isolated incidents.
Whether or not we reach those lofty gas price levels, consumers are searching for cheaper gas prices amid the recent spike. Here are several tools to help you find cheap gas (or at least cheaper gas).
-- GasBuddy.com. With both a Web site and apps available for smartphones (iPhone, Android, Windows Phone 7), GasBuddy uses crowdsourcing -- people reporting their local gas prices to the site -- to figure out the lowest-priced fuel in many coverage areas.
-- GasPrice Watch is a similar service that employs people who sign up as "spotters" to provide gas price info nationwide, as well as some electronic data sources.
-- AAA's Fuel Gauge Report surveys "up to 100,000 stations" every day and provides a national and historical overview of gas prices.
