Triangle starts to feel skyrocketing gas prices

In some parts of the country, prices are around $4 per gallon. AAA said the average price for a gallon of regular is $2.76 a gallon.

But with an average of $2.71 per gallon a week ago, that’s a 5-cent spike in seven days.

Cheryl Martin of Fayetteville said she is already feeling the pain at the pump. Like most in the area, she depends on her car to take care of daily errands.

“I don’t do (anything) but stay home because of the gas prices,” Martin said.

As gas prices creep up, she's already starting to make some tough sacrifices.

“I have to sacrifice eating sometimes,” Fayetteville resident Cheryl Martin said. “Every time I go somewhere, I have to put gas in the car, you know?”

According to AAA, gas prices in Fayetteville, Raleigh and Durham are about 20 cents a gallon higher than they were a month ago.

“I just have to kind of limit my spending now, so I can’t really go buy stuff I want to buy sometimes if I have to spend money on gas to get to where I want to go,” Fayetteville resident Livia Korn said.

In some cases, gas prices are more than 40 cents a gallon higher than they were last year.

“From where I am right now, I probably spend about $37 or $38 to fill up,” Billy Tharpe of Cumberland County said. “It was a lot better last year.”