HOUSTON – When you come up to the pump, it may seem like the low price of gas is a great thing. It is for your pocketbook. But experts say Houston's economy could feel the impact soon.

You've seen the prices: $1.99 in some places and lower at other gas stations.

Shawn Shirley filled his tank up, but he knows there is a cost for the lower gas prices.

"Houston specifically, it's a big deal," he said. "The higher the prices, the better for the economy here per se. There has to be a fine medium in there somewhere and I don't know where that is."

The experts do not expect the price of a barrel of oil to go up anytime soon. That means some oil companies in our area are cutting back workforces and their budgets.

It's a cycle that Houston has been through before and will see again. For the consumer, lower gas prices help the family budget. If the average family uses 1,000 gallons of gas a year, then that's a savings of $1,000.