Gas prices have caused drivers to fork out some serious cash to fill their tanks!

Even though prices are slightly down from past weeks, consumers are still emptying their pockets, and it's not just the drivers feeling the pain.

"We have no control over it, the oil companies basically control," says Robert Mills, Marketing Director for the new BP store on Nashville Road, "and there is a very slim margin of profit for us on the gas prices. So it's a commodity we all need and unfortunately the oil companies and government know we can't live without it."

Wednesday the BP station was celebrating their grand opening.

But for them, they're not making money from their gas, they rely on their convenient shop and liquor store to make a profit.

Gas in Bowling Green has been significantly higher than surrounding areas.

"We can't even get a clear answer from oil companies," says Mills," for example gas in Russellville is 20-30 cents cheaper than in Bowling Green, some say it's supply and demand."

So what are people to do about these outrageous gas prices?

Well many smart-phones now have applications, like Gas Buddy, that will take you to the cheapest place in town.

If you don't have a smart-phone, most area gas stations have some type of loyalty card that will save you a few bucks here or there when filling up your tank.

But consumers, like Rick Homman says even with these discounts, he's still paying too much at the pump.

"Well, it helped when gas was at 2 dollars a gallon," says Homman, "but when you're looking at less than a 5 percent discount on a gallon of gas it's really not much."

Experts say to save a little gas, take any excess weight out of your car.

Driving 60 miles-per-hour or below increases your gas-per-mileage.

Try not to leave your car in idle, turning your car off and on uses significantly less gas than you would think

While it may not be the most convenient option, carpooling is a guarantee way to cut your gasoline budget in half.

But for now, drivers will have to dig a little deeper into their wallets to get around town.