We all know that gas prices are crazy expensive. Personally, I need to buy gas in the evening, not in the morning because spending $77 before 8:00 in the morning simply puts me in a bad mood. Here are some quick and easy suggestions that might help you in saving money on gas. I won’t mention carpooling or moving closer to work because those are life changes. They are great ways to save money on gas, but you can’t implement them tomorrow. Here are 8 strategies that you can use to help save you money on gas tomorrow!
Bunch up your errands
This is a great way to save gas money and time. For example, if you need to go to the bank, the post office, the dry cleaners, and the spatula repair shop, try to do all of these tasks on one trip. Consider changing dry cleaners or grocers to a stores that might be closer to your house or work. Less driving means less gas money spent.
Jog
Many people have gym memberships. That is great. I think exercise is really important. I especially like the way that members might drive to the gym parking lot and drive around for 10 minutes to find a parking space closer to the entrance. If you like driving to the gym, great, but realize that there is exercise that you can do that doesn’t require you to drive to a gym. This could save you money on gas and a gym membership.
Team grocery shopping
This is especially valuable for large families. Instead of driving to the huge-o-mungo-buy-everything-here-mart, you could coordinate with a couple of other families. Go in one car. This could be more fun too. Have one person drive every month. You’ll only need to drive once every 3 months. Just make sure these people are reliable and there is enough storage space for all of the pop-tarts you’ll buy.
Use grocery store gas stations
Several stores provide discounts on each gallon of gas when you use their loyalty card at the pump. I’ve seen some discount promotions as high as 10 cents a gallon.
Empty out your car
The heavier your car is the more gas it requires to move it. Empty out the back seat and the truck. If you have tons of sport equipment, baby stuff, clothes, gold bars, or just random junk, realize that this is added weight in the car. Without the added weight you’ll get better gas mileage.
Inflate your tires
This is a strategy to keep you safe and save gas. Your tires should be properly inflated. The recommend tire pressure is generally on the side of your tire. A tire gauge is used to determine the pressure and some mechanics will check this for you for free. You can also check this yourself. A tire gauge might cost $1.99 at a basic auto parts store, and determining your tire pressure takes just a few seconds. Under inflated tires will cause you to waste up 10% of your gas, while over inflated tires will provide less traction, a danger for proper braking.
Get an oil change
A well maintained engine will use gas more efficiently. If you are driving a clunker, you might not be able to afford an engine overhaul, but an oil change might cost you $40 every three months. It will help preserve your engine AND help save you gas.
Don’t drive
Just don’t drive. Create a commitment to yourself that you will simply drive less. Now, this might not be immediately feasible for all aspects of your life. For example, you might need to drive to work. But, do you need to drive every place? If the park is four blocks away do you need to drive your dog there for a walk? Can’t you walk to the park?
Enjoy these quick and easy tips to help you save money at the gas pump.