NEW SMYRNA BEACH -- A gallon of regular unleaded gasoline is now under $2 a gallon at most stations in Southeast Volusia, cheaper than a gallon of milk or a pack of cigarettes.
Still, motor vehicles aren't lining up at the pumps.
April Brown had the pumps all to herself this afternoon when she filled her Mercury Grand Marquis for $40. Back in July, that same tank fill-up would have cost her $80 when a gallon of unleaded gasoline was more than $5.
"These prices are reasonable now," the 39-year-old New Smyrna Beach resident said. "They are very beneficial. I can now go more places like Deltona and work another job."
Though gas prices are down, other necessary commodities such as bread and milk are not.
And that means sacrifices.
"You've got to really just budget," Brown said. "It's about the budgeting."
With gas prices coming down, Brown and others say that means they have extra money to drive that extra mile or two or buy a loaf of bread. And while gasoline is the main staple at convenience stores, people do need other items.
Marathon Manager Harry Lodia laundry-listed several staples that can quicly make that 10 oo 20 bucks hard to stretch: $4.39 a gallon of milk, $3.29 pack of Marlboro cigarettes, $1.99 loaf of bread, $1.29 for hot dog on a bun, .89 cents for a Snickers bar, $3.49 for package condoms and $1.99 for double pack of AA batteries.
"Gas is still our biggest seller," Lodia said.
Steady decreases at the pump nationally means more people are on the move, especially with Thanksgiving three days away.
Kathy Fiumano of Syracuse, N.Y., is pleased gas prices have come down considerably, which allowed her to visit friends here in New Smyrna Beach for the extended holiday weekend.
She topped off her Jeep Grand Cherokee at $25.83, noting a $1,500-mile commute from upstate New York just a couple of months ago would have been prohibitive.
For 24-year-old Jessica Layton of New Smyrna Beach, cheap gas means more money in her pocket when she drives to Tallahassee in time for Thanksgiving with her family.
She pumped $12 into her flashy Pontiac G6 at Marathon.
"I had half a tank and I filled it to the top," Layton said with a smile.
NSBNEWS.net photo by Sera King. Cutline: Here is an example of cheap gas prices at the Marathon Station on North Dixie Freeway in New Smyrna Beach. Unleaded gas at Marathon dropped to $1.959 today, a 2-cent drop from yesterday when this picture was taken.