Gas prices have been on the rise for as long as anyone can remember, fluctuating between a 7-10% difference in prices in the past week from all four corners of Kansas. As college students, sometimes it can be hard to afford gas prices especially if they keep rising, but there are a couple of different options that you can take in order to ensure that you are getting the best price around or making it the cheapest through different rewards programs.
As of right now, the average cost for gas is roughly $4.02 [87 unleaded being $3.69 and 93 premium being $4.20] as this includes Baldwin City and surrounding towns or cities like Wellsville and Eudora. One reason that could lead to the rise in gas price could partially be based on the summer blend fuel that tends to be more expensive because people travel more during the summer therefore gas will be a higher demand.
Luckily, different gas providers have created rewards systems that help save money on gas depending on how often you use their company. Casey’s is one of the more relevant programs around here considering they are one of the two gas stations in Baldwin City.
Casey’s rewards are as simple as downloading an app to start your account and typing your phone number anytime you get gas or anything inside of the gas station. Over time you accumulate Casey’s Rewards points which you can redeem 500 points for ten cents off each gallon filling up to 20 gallons in your tank.
Sophomore, Olivia Morgan from Topeka, Kan. says that she tends to be worried about gas every time she gets low on fuel, wondering how much it may cost this time even though she doesn’t have the biggest car on the market. However, she does use the Casey’s app in Baldwin City which helps save a little and uses the Dillons rewards program when she goes back home to Topeka.
Baker has people from all around the world, and yes, people from out of the country who don’t always have to worry about gas but for people like Sophomore, Jacob Rowe who lives in Jacksonville, Fla. That tends to take a toll on the wallet.
Rowe only drives back for summer and winter break and tends to fly during shorter breaks like spring break and Thanksgiving break because, at the end of the day, it is cheaper to fly round trip than to drive back and forth with such high prices.
Junior Nguyen Nicholson says that she doesn’t travel back often but does budget to see what the cost might look like before she decides to go home. Nicholson is also very “cautious about [gas] because of the price does change so often. A tank of gas can be the difference of me being on time for a tuition payment or not.”
One method that many don’t realize is getting together with a couple of friends who need to go to the same place as you and carpool. “Carpool as much as you can, create schedules if you are on a sports team. I’m on the golf team and we have to drive to Lawrence every day so being able to carpool helps” Morgan said.
Most people think that the first gas station is the one you have to go to fill up. In reality, there could be a station that is ten minutes in the other direction which could be the difference of 8 cents depending on the population of the town you are in.
Both Nicholson and Morgan speak on the fact that it’s okay to “drop the pump”, which means it’s okay to see a price and think that you may be able to get it cheaper down the road. “Try to get out of Baldwin/small towns because the gas prices there are typically higher compared to a city or town with multiple different gas stations,” Nicholson said.
