Simple line chart made in Excel, using data from https://www.eia.gov/dnav/pet/PET_PRI_GND_DCUS_NUS_M.htm and https://inflationdata.com/Inflation/Inflation_Rate/Monthly_Inflation.aspx

most of the spikes relate directly to times when I planned cross country vacations

sigh...

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If you don’t mind, will you please stop planning cross country vacations?

we're thinking about selling the camper

we already got rid of the diesel

I wonder what this would look like if you adjusted by average miles per gallon for the cars in that year. I would expect that might indirectly make the total cost of gas cheaper with more efficient cars. Though I have no idea if that type of data is available, or if car efficiency changed significantly since the 90s.

Ironic how the famous 2$ gasolin under trump is actually more then it was during the end of obamas term

Can you let me know when you’re planning your next trip. I wanna fill up the night before you head out.

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Sorry for the noob question. Can you import the data into excel or do you have to manually create a spreadsheet?

The price of gasoline in 1962 was $0.31 a gallon. In real dollar terms, that is probably more than the $2.55 I just paid today. People think of the 1960’s as a golden era of muscle cars and cheap gasoline, but gasoline has almost always been incredibly cheap in the US. And yet few people would ever believe that statement.

In this case, because it was just two measures (three if you include the dates), it was easy enough (and quicker) for me to copy-and-paste the data from the source into a spreadsheet. However, the best way to do it would have been to import the data using a query to pull it from the table on the web page, clean it up and load it to a sheet.

Our leadership needs to fix this. We already couldn’t afford a home. Now we can’t afford to travel.

Can you do one that's not adjusted for inflation?

That's the orange line.

I used my believing muscles to their fullest to believe your statement that you just paid $2.55 per gallon. I just paid $4.75, at the cheapest gas station in my area (and it was above $6 for a while this year). Of course, California is a very special part of the US, but still, it's quite a difference. I'm guessing you're not in California - perhaps in your area the golden era of muscle cars and cheap gasoline never went away.