The sign at the station on US-74 in Laurinburg said $3.29 on a Monday morning in late April, and I said "oh no" out loud at a red light. Wes wasn't even in the car. I was by myself on the way to work.
When I set our 2026 trip budget in February, regular gas around here was about $3.05. I planned for it to go up some. I did not plan for 24 cents in about six weeks. On a 14-gallon tank, that's $3.36 more every fill-up, and on a long trip it adds up fast.
So we changed our plans. Not by much, but enough to keep trip gas under $80 a month.
What we'd planned, and what we did
March was Raleigh: about 220 miles round trip, 7.5 gallons, $23 of gas at $3.09. That one was already done before prices really moved, and the whole trip cost $168.
April was Asheville, which was the trip I worried about. It's about 235 miles each way from our place near Maxton. I'd originally planned on also driving a long loop north on the Blue Ridge Parkway on Saturday, which would have added about 110 miles of curvy road at 25 or 26 miles per gallon. With gas at $3.27 when we left, that loop alone would have been about $15.
We cut it. We stayed in and around Asheville instead: walked downtown, ate at local places, bought a few things from shops that are still getting back on their feet after Helene, and did one short drive to an overlook close to town. Some Parkway sections were still closed or under repair anyway, so checking road status helped make the decision for us. The trip came in at 500 miles total, 16.7 gallons, about $55 in gas. The whole weekend was $318, which is over our $300 target, but it was the mountains and I don't regret a penny we spent in Asheville.
The Asheville loop was the first cut. The second is May.
For May I'd penciled in a three-night trip: Beaufort, South Carolina, and Hunting Island, then down to Savannah for one night before coming home. That's close to 700 miles. We're cutting Savannah and keeping it to two nights in the Beaufort area, about 560 miles round trip. That saves about 140 miles, roughly 4.5 gallons, around $15 in gas, plus a night's room. We've been to Savannah. Hunting Island's beach and lighthouse are what we really want to see.
Closer places for the summer
I also moved some things around. June is going to be a beach condo in Myrtle Beach, split with friends, which is only about 95 miles away. For July I want a short trip, maybe one night at Lake Waccamaw State Park, which is under an hour from home. Both of those are cheap on gas no matter what the price does.
The bigger drives aren't off the table. August is still the Outer Banks. But I'd rather do one long drive in a summer than three.
Keeping gas under $80 a month
Here's how the numbers look since prices went up:
- March (Raleigh): $23
- April (Asheville): $55
- May (Beaufort plan): about 560 miles at 31 miles per gallon is 18 gallons, about $60 at $3.35 rounded up
- June (Myrtle Beach): about 200 miles, around $22
Every month is under $80. Without the changes, April would have been about $70 and May close to $78, right at the edge, and that's if prices didn't go up again.
We also did small things. We fill up in Lumberton or in South Carolina when we can, because both are usually cheaper. Wes checks the tire pressure every Thursday night, which he'd do anyway, but properly inflated tires really do help mileage. And we stopped making unnecessary weekend trips to Lumberton for errands that could wait until I was already headed that way for work.
Wes's opinion on all this: "Gas goes up, gas comes down." He's probably right. But I'm not waiting for it to come down to plan the summer.
I'll update after the Beaufort trip with what it actually cost. If prices drop by July, I won't complain about having money left in the trip account.
