News 12 at 6 o'clock; November 19, 2008

AIKEN, S.C. --- Gas prices in Aiken are as low as $1.45 a gallon for regular gas. With the lower prices, we're On Your Side with what you can do with the extra money.

There's a smile on Sandra Zender's face and it's thanks to those lower gas prices. She's topping off her gas tank on Wednesday at the $1.45 price. "I didn't expect that and I was surprised when I saw that gas price, so I had to get it," says Sandra.

Big savings for her these days, to the tune of $30 bucks every time she fills up and she says, up to $300 a month. That's because she does a lot of driving back and forth to Atlanta for work.

"I've pretty much taken that money to buy things for my granddaughter and my grandson," says Sandra. She showed us the clothes that she bought for 2-week-old Laila. "I was able to get my mom Thanksgiving dinner from Reids," she adds. "As for Christmas, I'll be able to buy additional gifts."

Now, she's also planning for the future. "I've also taken some of that money and put it back into stocks," she says. "The stocks are low now. You buy them while they're low and once they go back up, then you made a great investment." She knows a little something about the business world too. She's a manager at the Lowe's in Peachtree City.

Those smart investments is what Sandra is looking for. "Spend it on the basic necessities and not going out, buying stuff that you don't need," says Sandra. "So, you had that extra reserve fund."

From stocking her mother's refrigerator, to stocking up for the future, Sandra's just glad dropping gas prices are building her reserve funds, That I wouldn't of really had if the gas prices stayed up."

We found a few other places that were as low as $1.45 also in Aiken County. Check our gas gauge for the latest prices in your neck of the woods.