Death, taxes, and ever-fluctuating gas prices--three obligations we can't avoid.
However, most of us can't pull ourselves away from the self-inflicted pain at the pump.
"We just do without a few things to be able to afford to go where we need to go", says Patricia Smith, of Abilene.
This masochistic spending becomes an even deeper wound, when prices begin to spike.
"Two weeks ago it was s$60, now it's $80 to fill up my truck", says one frustrated gas patron.
But it's the reasons behind that spike that can cause some serious frustration.
"I don't see any reason for it to have gone up", says Smith.
We went to an expert in economics to find out if this push-and-pull game of price is more than just simple economics.
"If we have an increase in demand that is not met by an increase in supply, then the price will rise", explains Abilene Christian University professor, Kyle Tippens.
If you think the calculations behind gas prices are difficult to understand--you're not alone.
I spoke with several gas station owners in Abilene, none of which could tell me what exactly determines the prices on their signs.
"You never know with gas, it's just a mystery", explains one gas patron.
Though West Texas is swimming in oil, Tippens says there is no direct connection the shale and Shell stations.
"Many refineries here may not source their oil from just local sources", says Tippens.
With such a volatile industry as gas, no one may know the exact reasoning behind the slippery prices, but that won't stop most of us from reaching further into our pockets.
However, most of us can't pull ourselves away from the self-inflicted pain at the pump.
"We just do without a few things to be able to afford to go where we need to go", says Patricia Smith, of Abilene.
This masochistic spending becomes an even deeper wound, when prices begin to spike.
"Two weeks ago it was s$60, now it's $80 to fill up my truck", says one frustrated gas patron.
But it's the reasons behind that spike that can cause some serious frustration.
"I don't see any reason for it to have gone up", says Smith.
We went to an expert in economics to find out if this push-and-pull game of price is more than just simple economics.
"If we have an increase in demand that is not met by an increase in supply, then the price will rise", explains Abilene Christian University professor, Kyle Tippens.
If you think the calculations behind gas prices are difficult to understand--you're not alone.
I spoke with several gas station owners in Abilene, none of which could tell me what exactly determines the prices on their signs.
"You never know with gas, it's just a mystery", explains one gas patron.
Though West Texas is swimming in oil, Tippens says there is no direct connection the shale and Shell stations.
"Many refineries here may not source their oil from just local sources", says Tippens.
With such a volatile industry as gas, no one may know the exact reasoning behind the slippery prices, but that won't stop most of us from reaching further into our pockets.
