Cheaper gas doesn’t mean anyone’s spending freely

HOUSTON (AP)

“Let’s try six months. Let’s try a year. Then we can talk about how much it’s saving me,” said Jacob Curtis of Columbus, Ohio, who paid $2.48 a gallon this week. “Right now, I’m just trying to make ends meet.”

One in three Americans fears losing a job, half are worried about keeping up with mortgage and credit card payments and seven in 10 are anxious about shrinking stock and retirement portfolios, according to a recent Associated Press-Yahoo News poll of likely voters.

With worries like that, saving $20 or $30 on a tank of gas doesn’t amount to much of a silver lining.

Associated Press