Even with gas prices inching up slightly, the remain lower than they have been, GasBuddy.com reported this week. This prompted the organization to analyze just what day of the week is the best to fill the tank.
Average retail gasoline prices in Kansas have risen 0.5 cents per gallon in the past week, averaging $3.10 per gallon Sunday, according to GasBuddy’s daily survey of 1,329 gas outlets in Kansas. This compares with the national average that has not moved  in the last week to $3.27.
However, including the change in gas prices in Kansas during the past week, prices Sunday were 8.8 cents per gallon lower than the same day one year ago and are 2.8 cents per gallon higher than a month ago. The national average has decreased 1.6 cents per gallon during the last month and stands 4.4 cents per gallon lower than this day one year ago.
The lowest prices in the state were $2.93 at Pittsburg and Garden City, and $2.95 at Junction City. The highest prices were $3.39 at McPherson, off I-70,  $3.37 at Kansas City, Kan., and $3.34 at Colby.
Great Bend came in well below the state average at $2.99. Around the area, Larned reported $3.05, and Lyons reported $3.09 and $3.19.
Looking at the gas pricing trends, the GasBuddy analysis released Tuesday tracked prices over the last four years showing what day of the week saw the cheapest gasoline price. The report also provided a conclusion for what day of the week offers the lowest price, showing a wide variation of the cheapest day to get gas, but not every day was well-represented.
“Surprisingly, many states see the lowest gasoline prices for the week during the weekend, which may come as a surprise to many motorists,” said Patrick DeHaan, senior petroleum analyst with GasBuddy.com.
According to the analysis, 65 percent of states saw lower prices during the weekend than the week, which included Friday, Saturday, or Sunday. GasBuddy’s data also found that very few states saw Tuesday or Wednesday as the best day to fuel up.
Kansas was one of the states when lower prices didn’t fall on the weekend.
In 2010, it was on Monday, in 2011, it was on Wednesday, and in 2012 and 2013, it was on Thursday, making midweek the optimal time to fill up the tank.   
GasBuddy’s analysis concludes that generally late-week or weekend fueling can result in the best savings for a majority of motorists. It should be noted that few states saw consistency year to year in the day that featured the best prices, with just Delaware, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, and South Dakota seeing the lowest prices on the same day for three out of the four years the study examined.