Saturday, March 17, 2012

How to Save Money On Gas

I am sure that you have all read similar tips for saving gas, but with the way gas prices keep marching upward, it bears repeating some of these tips.

Drive slower. Have you ever noticed that the large big rigs have signs on them that say that they drive 55 mph to save on gas? Reducing your freeway speed to 55 is estimated to burn up to 15% less gas. Wouldn't you like to have that extra liquid gold in your gas tank?

Drive more efficientlyAggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes gas. It can lower your gas mileage by 33 percent at highway speeds and by 5 percent around town. Sensible driving is also safer for you and others, so you may save more than gas money.

Pay Cash. There are many gas stations that will give you a cash discount per gallon for using cash. ARCO is one of them! Now you can save by just carrying around a little extra green.

Make sure your tires have the proper amount of air. Check the inside of your car door, or check your manual to see what the proper tire pressure for your tires is. Under-inflated tires require your engine to work harder and burn more gas.

Keep your car tuned up and in tip-top running shape.

Join a warehouse club such as Costco or Sam's and benefit from their bulk buying power.

Use your grocery rewards cards. Some stores such as Ralph's, Kroger and Golden Eagle allow you to collect points on your shopping and then use the discount at their pumps, or major stations.

Plan out your driving day. If you have a lot of errands to run, plan out the best route and organize to eliminate unnecessary driving.

Don't Idle. If you are going to be stopped for more than 1 minute, kill the engine. This includes waiting in lines for fast food or waiting in line to buy gas!  You lose a quart of gas for every 15 minutes of idling that you allow your car to do.

Empty your trunk. Take out all of the unnecessary stuff that we sometimes allow to accumulate in our trunks. Hauling around heavier weights just makes your car engine work harder and burn more gas.

Use Gasbuddy.com. You can use your computer or download the app which allows you to see all the gas prices that are around your location. You have the power to choose!

Carpooling & Ride-share. This one take a little bit more work, but guess what? there's a free app for that too! They can help you calculate what to charge your friends based on the price you paid for gas, how many MPG your car gets and how far each person is going. It can also help you locate people along your route that need a ride.

Use the Recommended Grade of Motor Oil
You can improve your gas mileage by 1–2 percent by using the manufacturer's recommended grade of motor oil. For example, using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed to use 5W-30 can lower your gas mileage by 1–2 percent. Using 5W-30 in an engine designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1–1.5 percent. Also, look for motor oil that says "Energy Conserving" on the API performance symbol to be sure it contains friction-reducing additives.
Use Public Transportation. Need I say more?
Here's hoping that you find some of these tips helpful and money saving.
Ta ta for now...save money!