Gas prices during a national emergency
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| Circle K gas station, Hwy 87 and Buffalo Creek Rd, Sanford, NC. Picture taken 4-20-2020. |
I was talking to Aunt R about conditions where she lived, and one of the things we compared was gas prices. I live in a suburban/rural area, she lives near a major metropolis. I'm on the East coast, she's in the Midwest. I drive to get groceries once a week (I used to wish for a day when I wouldn't have to drive anywhere...be careful what you wish for) and she is driving to work everyday. It's very different situations, but one thing's the same; gas prices have dropped dramatically.
At the beginning of March, the US average price was about $2.40 a gallon(https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/pet_pri_gnd_dcus_nus_m.htm Accessed 4-24-2020). That had already dipped due to concern about Russia and Saudi Arabia petroleum producers (http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-saudi-arabia-russia-oil-prices-20200309-cad3gofumrcqxfrnjtkdmwr6ci-story.html Accessed 4-24-2020). By March 30, the national average gas price had dropped to $2.00 (https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/hist/LeafHandler.ashx?n=PET&s=EMM_EPMR_PTE_NUS_DPG&f=W accessed 4-24-2020), and it's stayed at about that level ever since. I was going to make a joke about it being a really long time since gas prices were that cheap, but it's not really true. The last time prices were this low was in from Dec 2015 (after the November attacks on Paris by ISIS) to March 2016, and before that December 2008 (Auto industry crisis) to March 2009, and before that, March 2005 was when it became normal for gas to be above $2 a gallon. So it's only (only!) been about 15 years since it was normal for gas to be under $2.
And, as I'm intending to blog both about the covid-19 pandemic and more about knitting, I need to put the obligatory bit about the toilet paper. Before this started I had a normal, sufficient amount for our family, which is a pack of 36 rolls. I haven't bought any more since, but we're getting low, and I've been looking for a source. I checked several stores today (Automatic doors are really nice when you're trying not to touch anything) and finally found some at Dollar General. It's cheap, basic, and only in a four-pack, but I'm glad I could find any.
