MACON, Ga. — Everyone likes to save money at the pump, and with gas prices on the rise, knowing when to fill up could save you more than just a few cents in the long run.
Carl Lumley, a teen who cuts grass after school, said gas prices in Macon hit him hard a regular basis. "On a regular basis it takes me about $60 to $65 to fill up my tank," Lumley said. "I'll fill up on like a Monday afternoon after school. On the way to cut grass, I'll fill up, and then I'll probably have to fill up by Thursday."
13WMAZ set out to verify if those were the best days to put gas in the tank. Colin Nelson, a cement contractor who travels all over the state, said even if he knew which days to fill up, guaranteeing his tank lasts that long is a different story.
"Some days, I'll drive all the way out to Oxford and Alpharetta, and some days, I go between those two places. It all depends on where I run out of gas," Nelson said.
GasBuddy, an app that tracks gas station prices, has the answer. Patrick DeHaan, head of petroleum analysis at GasBuddy, said based on the average gas prices from 292 gas stations in Macon, you're better off hitting the pump early in the week.
"Generally, if motorists in Georgia fill up earlier in the week, on Tuesday prices tend to be lower early in the week across most of the country," DeHaan said.
Monday and Tuesday are the two lowest gas price days, according to GasBuddy's data. Friday and Saturday are the most expensive. DeHaan said that's because government reports on energy release in the middle of the week.
"A key government report comes out on Wednesday and that may drive prices up late in the week and into the weekend," DeHaan said.
GasBuddy's data suggests that the shortest time to wait at the gas station is on Sundays, followed by Monday and Tuesday. However, Sunday is the third worst time to buy gas based on price.