Some Easy Ways to Save Gas Money
Not driving is the best way to save gas. That answer might sound too simple or sarcastic, but that's the reality. If you can walk, bicycle, take mass transportation, or even roller skate to your destination, you've saved money on gas. Besides not starting the car at all, here are some other ways to save money on fuel.
Fill up on Tuesday. The reason? Gas stations tend to raise prices as the week progresses. They don't just change the price of gas at random, there is usually a reason for it, and when they do, it's most likely towards the end of the week. So try to hit the pumps on Tuesday, and you just might save a few bucks before the price changes again, and these days the price seems to be heading nowhere but up.
Make sure your car is mechanically sound! When a car is not performing the way it was designed, in other words, running rough and stalling out, then it needs to be taken to a mechanic. Cars are sometimes like people, when feeling good they perform at their best, and that means they can squeeze out more miles to the gallon.
Make darn sure your tires are at the correct air pressure. According to the American Automobile Association, more money is wasted by incorrect air pressure in driver's tires than by any other reason. It's not difficult to get yourself an air pressure gauge and check your tires once or twice per month. There are plenty of reasons why tires might lose air (hitting potholes, slow leaks, etc.), so it's very "fuelish" to burn money by having incorrect air pressure in your tires. Also, the tires will last longer as well, and the price of tires these days isn't cheap.
Try to plan doing all of your errands at once. For instance, let's say you need to go to the supermarket, the post office and the library to pick your kids up. If possible, do these errands in the same trip. Not only that, make sure there are no road issues to contend with, such as detours, road construction and so forth. If there are, then plan your trip accordingly, but use roads without too many stop lights (if you can help it), and by taking right turns as much as possible. The gargantuan delivery company UPS saves thousands of dollars in fuel each year by having their drivers use routes where they can take right turns as much as possible! But for us non-professional drivers, starting and stopping the car can waste a lot of fuel.
Check out websites such as GasPriceWatch.com to get the lowdown on the cheapest gas prices no matter what state you live in. Of course, use common sense when searching out the best gas prices, as you wouldn't want to waste gas by buying gas if the price is lower way on the other side of town.
These are just some simple ways to save on gas money, and there are many, many more. With the way gas prices are heading (up, up, up), it pays to be diligent when filling the gas tank.
