How to Save Money on Gas Prices
21 July 2006With gas prices extremely high right now, many consumers are feeling the pinch. For those with tight budgets, it’s a shock to have one portion of your budget suddenly double or triple - and it can force you to cut back in other areas. This article by Laura Rowley goes through a number of excellent tips for cutting back on the cost of gas itself, rather than trimming other parts of your budget.
Some of the better tips:
When it comes to comparison shopping for gas, the Internet is your best friend. Sites such as GasBuddy.com, GasPriceWatch.com, and MSN Autos allow you to enter your ZIP code to see what local stations are charging. I recently did a price check on my area before filling up; one station was offering $2.92 a gallon, another $3.05. That’s a savings of $3 to $4 for a full tank.
This is a good one - and I would add that you shouldn’t wait until you’re at empty to go fill up. That makes it likely that you’ll have to fill up wherever you happen to be, instead of at the cheapest station. Use those sites to find two or three different stations nearby that give low prices, and use them whenever you’re nearby. That has the added benefit that you don’t have to waste gas driving to a gas station.
She also suggests that you change the way you drive:
Most important: Take it easy. Don’t gun the engine the second the light turns green, or rush up to a red light and then slam on the brakes. Accelerate smoothly and decelerate and brake gently. According to the U.S. Department of Energy, driving aggressively can lower gas mileage by 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town.
Also drive within the speed limit, especially on the highway, and use cruise control whenever possible. The Energy Department suggests that each 5 miles per hour you drive over 60 mph is equivalent to paying an additional 20 cents per gallon for gas.
Cutting your gas costs by one third is nothing to sneeze at, and these are really minor changes you can make to the way you drive. She also recommends that you don’t idle unless you have to, and that you clean out your car to get rid of any excess weight you’re lugging around - which forces you to burn more gas to do it.
Finally, in an urban area you’ve got the option of not using your car. Get a bike, or take public transportation. It’s cheaper, and if you’re going the bike route it will give you some extra exercise.
I would add to these tips that you should really think about gas prices when you’re buying a car. If you bought an SUV that guzzles gallons and gallons of gas, the next time you buy a new car you should think about going with something more efficient. Even if gas prices are low when you’re buying your car, they fluctuate around - if you have a car for five years or more, it’s likely that you’re going to go through at least one period of high gas prices.
Another tip I’ve seen here on a site with 62 gas price savings tips, but can’t verify myself, is that you should buy gas when it’s colder, generally in the morning and evening. Supposedly the gas is more dense in lower temperatures, so you’re essentially buying more gas for your buck.
You can discuss these tips here in the Free The Drones Forums.
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