Saving on Gasoline

Oil is rocketing towards $100 a barrel, which means the break we have had at the pump will end soon. Currently the rise in price is being absorbed on the refining side which made a ton of money back when oil dropped last winter. The rise in the price of a barrel of oil is almost exclusively an American problem due to the declining dollar. The price of a barrel of oil is stated in us dollars on the world markets so right now oil is going up as the dollar declines. I will use the Euro as an example, the price of oil goes up and the dollar is going down, this makes it to where the European buyer is still paying a stable price.

Since gasoline will be rising again people the search for cheap gas will be on again. With this the unbranded gas station will be the best bet to save some money on fuel costs. Some people still have brand loyalty, but that loyalty will cost you. For years the myth was that the unbranded stations had an inferior product and you took a chance buying it. The reason unbranded is cheaper is that they shop the market for the best rack price when they order fuel. One week they may buy Motiva (Shell) and the next week it may be Exxon. The unbranded stations buy from the same refineries as the branded stations do, so how could the quality be different?

Oil, gas and water come out of the hole in the ground and are separated in the same process no matter who it is. And since all the oil companies are tied together in projects and partnerships there is no telling where it came from anyway. No matter who you buy from you are supporting all of them. So why not keep a little money in your pocket, rather than give the oil companies a bonus every time you fill up.