If you're a fan of Kellogg's cereal, don't toss those boxes before you clip the UPC codes. There's free money involved.

Kellogg's has reissued an extremely generous offer that can earn you up to $50 in FREE gas money.

Stung by high gasoline prices and high unemployment in many of its markets, The Pantry reported third quarter earnings Tuesday that missed Wall Street estimates.

The Cary-based convenience store chain, which has more than 1,600 stores throughout the Southeast, reported net income, excluding one-time charges, of $21 million, or 93 cents per share, compared to 89 cents per share during the same period a year ago.

That was below the consensus among analysts who follow the company of $1.22 per share.

Merchandise sales at Pantry stores decrease 1.5 percent, compared to a 7.7 percent increase during the same period a year ago.

Rising oil prices have been driving up the cost of gas, and consumers have responded by spending less on other things.

Beginning Monday, Kroger shoppers will be able to redeem their fuel rewards at 42 area Shell stations as well as at Kroger stores with gas pumps. The deal between Shell and Kroger substantially expands the loyalty program's reach.

Kroger shoppers who swipe their loyalty card when they shop receive a point for every dollar they spend in stores, and they can earn additional points for actions like filling prescriptions at the stores' pharmacies. When shoppers accumulate 100 points, they are rewarded with a 10-cent discount on a fill-up of up to 35 gallons. However, until now, shoppers have only been able to claim that discount at the five Triangle Kroger locations with gas pumps.

At the 42 participating Triangle-area Shell stations, Kroger rewards members will be able to enter their card number to initiate the redemption process. A company spokesman said the website www.shell.us/kroger is being updated and will reflect the new locations by Monday when the program launches.

You've heard the stories about gas shortages in the mountains? About North Carolina having the highest gas prices in the country? That was yesterday's news — literally. Just last week, storm-shuttered refineries in the Gulf Coast were still having trouble getting gas to western North Carolina, prompting caravans of tankers to be ordered into the state. And Friday, the latest national gas survey found that we had the highest gas prices in the lower 48. (Hey, what happened to California?)

Friday, driving to the mountains we scored gas for $3.27 a gallon in Burlington. Today, coming back we filled up as much as we could with $3.19 gas in Black Mountain. And there was plenty of it — regular, premium, hi-test, Columbian. Lots of it, and cheap! Well, in the recent scheme of things.

Thus, get yourself to the hills people, while the getting is cheap. And if you'd like a recommendation on a spot that should be on fire by this weekend, go here.

It's been over three weeks since Hurricane Ike hit Houston. North Carolina is still reeling.

Did anyone think the gasoline shortage here, widely traced to storm-related shutdowns of Houston-area oil refineries, would last this long? If so, more power to them. State officials certainly didn't seem to think so, since they've offered little but reassurances for days. It's about over, they say; the pipeline is full again.

Except that plastic grocery bags still cover two thirds of the pumps at many gas stations, particularly west of Raleigh. Although fewer stations are out of gas than was the case a week or two ago, most have only regular to sell. And prices, while not extreme, are above the national average.

Not to discount the seriousness of the storm-related disruptions, but could this be a quiet protest by suppliers against North Carolina's anti-price gouging law? Put another way, is that law part of the problem?

One thing drivers have learned is that today's engines, even if designed to run on premium, do pretty well on lower-priced regular. One thing state officials should learn is that they've been too optimistic about when things will return to normal. Ike has sent us a message we need to consider.

With growth booming despite the slump in the economy, Zebulon citizens will soon have short-range access to most fast food restaurants that can be found on Capital Boulevard in Raleigh.

For some time it was a challenge when deciding what pharmacy to go to, or deciding what to eat based on what side of town you were on and what traffic you didn't want to sit through, depending on the time of day.

But slowly over the years there's been a shift in the big picture. A new Walgreens is about to take over the corner of Arendell and Gannon Avenues, a Sheetz (gas station plus fast food) is set to open on the corner of Arendell and Pearces Road, and a Wendy's/Hess station will soon fill the lot across from the recently opened Sonic.

At the Walmart, which opened in the last year, there is a gas station being built near the road on highway 97, that will serve those stopping in on the various shops in the strip as one enters the shopping center.

The McDonald's, which has served highway travelers and citizens, alike, for many years now just received a face lift as well. All these things are indicative of growth, as commercial business settles in areas where the population has a demand.

Six years ago I used the back roads from Wendell through Zebulon as a shortcut to highway 264, and once I drove past Hardee's there were little to no options. A home-cookin' place here and there was closed by 5 p.m.

Now food can be found in more than one location until 12 a.m. or later. Particularly in an area etched by highways, it would not surprise me one bit to see every side of every exit in town offering burgers and a tank of gas in the not to distant future.

Some Duke professors are challenging the conventional "miles per gallon" terminology employed by the automobile industry.

Researchers with Duke's Fuqua School of Business are positing that posting a vehicle's fuel efficiency in "gallons per mile" rather than "miles per gallon" would help motorists make better decisions when buying a new car.

The study will appear in the June 20 issue of Science magazine. It was inspired by a debate professors Richard Larrick and Jack Soll had while carpooling in a hybrid car, according to a Duke press release. The two management professors ran experiments that showed that the current "miles per gallon" terminology led consumers to think fuel consumption goes down at an even rate even as efficiency improves.