Here’s How Idaho Gas Prices Compare Historically

Four dollars a gallon is a psychological barrier.  It’s where trauma begins to set in.  I’d gone three weeks without needing to buy gas, but filled up earlier this week.  I paid 4.05 a gallon.  My last purchase, with a discount from a shopper’s card, was just under 2.70.  I don’t do a lot of driving, and even less in winter and early spring.  I do my shopping on the way to or from work.  Other than church, I rarely make any other trips.  I feel for those who must travel.  A friend is retired and earns extra income by working for DoorDash.  In California!  It’s not easy.

Gas has Often Been Higher

But how do current prices for gas compare historically?  I did a search this morning, and adjusted for inflation, things have been worse.  You can get a few details by clicking here.

Every couple of weeks, I see a Facebook post asking for the lowest price you remember (I think some of these are set-ups to gather details about you when you respond).  I guess when I really started to become aware, it was probably 35 cents a gallon.  If that sounds like a bargain, that was in an era when mom often stayed at home, and if the neighbor’s dad made 8,000 dollars a year, you thought it was high cotton.

Base the Cost Versus Other Expenses

My dad once told me that gas was eight gallons for a buck during the Great Depression, then added that nobody had any money.  For all our complaints about the cost of living, clothes, and electronics are far cheaper in real dollar terms than I was a kid, and we didn’t have cellphones, streaming, and Internet bills.