L.A. gasoline prices dropped for the eleventh week in a row, stretching the budgets of Southern Californians entering the final stretch of the holiday shopping season, said the Automobile Club of Southern California.

The average price for regular self-serve unleaded gasoline in the Los Angeles-Long Beach area fell 6.5 cents to $2.283 on Friday from $2.348 one week ago. The price was $2.592 per gallon one month ago and $2.143 one year prior. Prices haven’t hit a new record high since Sept. 6.

“This is the 11th straight week that prices have fallen across Southern California and the trend should continue through the end of the month,” Auto Club spokesperson Carol Thorp said. “Motorists are benefiting from lower prices as we approach the holidays, but they can expect prices to begin rising again after the first of the year.”

The Orange County area had the lowest average price in Southern California, falling 7.8 cents to $2.245. The Santa Barbara-Santa Maria-Lompoc area had the highest gas price, slipping 5.1 cents to $2.438.

The Weekend Gas Watch monitors the average price of gasoline each Friday.