Gas prices down this week

We've been noticing gas prices falling in our neighborhood, and apparently that's part of the trend across the area: The AAA Texas weekly gas price survey shows the average price for a gallon of unleaded gas in Houston this week was $2.06, down 3.2 cents from last week and the lowest average price of any listed in Texas. We wouldn't call it cheap yet, but it's way better than paying nearly $3 a gallon, right?

Statewide, the average gas price this week was $2.13, down 3 cents from last week and a whopping 78 cents from mid-summer. We're doing pretty well compared with the national average of $2.25, too, despite indicators that things could change: "Retail gas and crude oil prices continued to move lower [this week] despite speculation that members of OPEC would cut back on oil production," AAA Texas spokeswoman Rose Rougeau told the AP.

According to HoustonGasPrices.com, the highest-priced gallon in Houston is at the Shell station at the Southwest Freeway and Chimney Rock, where you'll pay $2.39; the cheapest gas in the city is $1.89, at the Citgo at Beechnut and Wilcrest. If you're traveling, make plans to avoid El Paso, where the average price this week was $2.25.