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Consumer Confidential: Gas prices rising, cutting salt, renting texts

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Here’s your make-my-Monday roundup of consumer news from around the Web:

--There’s perhaps no surer sign that the economy’s recovering than news that gas prices are climbing, and quickly. As oil prices rise amid bullish sentiment among energy traders, the average pump price nationwide is now $2.749 per gallon, up nearly a buck from a year ago. The experts say a return to an average $3 gallon isn’t just likely, it’s a certainty -- and the only question is how much higher both oil and gas prices can go. According to AAA, the California average is now $3.058. The Los Angeles average is $3.065.

--Is there too much salt in your diet? New York thinks so. The city has embarked on an effort to cut the amount of salt in packaged and restaurant food by 25% over the next five years. Public health mavens say this would reduce high blood pressure and prevent heart attacks and strokes. The experts say that about 80% of salt in Americans’ diet come from packaged and restaurant food. If New York succeeds in lowering that amount, expect other cities and states to follow suit.

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--School textbooks are expensive. So book retailer Barnes & Nobel says it will rent texts to students. The books will be available through campus bookstores and online, and will rent for 42.5% of their original cost. In other words, a $100 textbook would be available for $42.50 for the entire term. Then you’d give it back. This is a pretty good idea. But if ever there was a market for downloadable books, this is it. Pass the e-readers.

-- David Lazarus

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