The amount Art Delfin spends each week on gasoline – $350 – sounds more like a monthly car payment or the price of a new 32-inch television.

“It’s just outrageous,” said the 32-year-old Kansas City, Mo., resident. “I remember when I was a teenager and it was less than $1 for gas.”

It now costs roughly $3 a gallon in Lawrence to keep a car on the road. Last week, the national average reached $2.97 per gallon. The Midwest stands at $2.92. National averages have increased steadily since February, according to the Energy Information Administration.

Delfin, a field service engineer for Fujinon, burns his gasoline on frequent trips throughout Kansas, and to Iowa, Nebraska and Missouri.

“I drive out to Iowa and I see the corn ethanol plants,” he said. “Why can’t we do that here (in Kansas) with all of the open fields we have?”

As the owner of Owens Flower Shop – and three vans – Sharon Reynolds knows the effects of fuel price increases. The shop’s gasoline expenses went up 30 percent in 2005 from the previous year, and an additional 40 percent in 2006.

“It’s hard to absorb those kinds of increases and keep your prices the same,” she said. “It’s just added stress, and we now have to change how business is conducted.”

While Lawrence resident Ailene Bocquin said she and her husband, George, can afford the $125 they’re spending each week to fill up her 2005 Chevrolet Malibu, she worries about whether younger people can handle the costs.

The Bocquins spend their winters in New Mexico and Arizona. George Bocquin, who recently retired, said he thinks there is little that can be done to change the high gas prices.

“Of course, we don’t like it (prices),” he said. “We just pay it and don’t give it much thought.

“What can you do?”

How much does the rest of the world pay for a gallon of unleaded gas?

Kansas average price per gallon – $2.96

U.S. average price per gallon – $2.99

Austria average price per gallon – $5.43

Netherlands average price per gallon – $7.56

France average price per gallon – $6.54

Great Britain average price per gallon – $7.11