Ways to Save Money on Gasoline
With the cost of a gallon of gas hovering around $4 these days, everyone wants to find out how to save money operating their vehicles. Below are some tips:
(1) Compare prices. You can save up to .80 per gallon by checking for gas prices in your area online at websites such as GasBuddy.com or GasPriceWatch.com or CostToDrive.com. At GasBuddy.com, you can plug in your starting and ending point and get an estimate of what the trip will cost you.
(2) Save even more by paying for gas with cash rather than a debit or credit card since many gas stations will give you a discount for cash, usually about 5 cents per gallon. Do not pay for premium gas unless the manufacturer recommends it.
(3) Get a loyalty card with a supermarket that allows customers to earn the right to buy cheaper gas as a reward for buying groceries at their supermarket
(4) Buy gas at big warehouse stores such as Costco or Sam’s Club, both of whom usually offer lower prices on gas
(5) Gas stations located near freeways or in upscale neighborhoods charge higher prices
(6) Get a credit card from a particular fuel company like Shell or BP that offers rewards for using the card to purchase gas or let you earn discounts on gas by shopping at certain retailers. For example, Shell (FuelRewards.com) gives you a five cent discount per gallon of gas for every $50 you spend at 700 online stores and a 10 cent discount when you eat at any one of 10,000 restaurants. BP rebates you five cents per gallon for every $100 you spend at BP stations (ChooseBP.com).
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(7) Use smart apps that can help you keep track of your fuel economy – the GasHog for iPhone and Mileage for Android users
(8) If you remove the heavy junk from the trunk of your car and get rid of the luggage rack and leave your windows closed, you can lower fuel costs about $300 per year
(9) Avoid rush hours as much as possible since constant starts and stops eats up fuel. Idling for 15 minutes burns, on average, a half-gallon of fuel.
(10) Use your cruise control on the highway to maintain a constant speed. This will save you about 60 gallons of gas per year, which is more than $200.
(11) Consider carpooling and asking the riders to help pay the costs. Those who do this cut transportation costs by as much as 30 percent.
(12) Make sure tires are properly inflated since underinflated tires waste fuel and wear out faster and make sure your gas cap fits tightly and is properly secured since a loose or improperly fitted cap can reduce your car’s mileage by about 10 percent
(13) Buy a car with a manual transmission since they get two to five more miles per gallon than a car with an automatic transmission and they typically cost about $1000 less at purchase and cost less to repair.
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Get better gas mileage by doing the following:
(a) the slower you drive, the more you save. For every 10 miles per hour you drive over 55 mph, you reduce your fuel efficiency by 5 miles per gallon;
(b) stop weaving in and out of traffic as it uses 33 percent more fuel;
(c) don’t gun the engine when you take off from stop signs and traffic lights because it eats up lots of fuel;
(d) turn off your car if it will be idling for more than one minute;
(e) laying off the gas pedal and brake more and doing more coasting you can save more than $1 per gallon;
(f) properly inflating your tires will improve your gas mileage by about 4% and save about $110 in fuel costs per year, but some estimates say that you can improve gas mileage by 25% and save as much as $500 per year;
(g) using the recommended grade of motor coil can improve gas mileage by 2%; and
(h) keep your engine tuned and changed your air filter as required to save about $200 per year in fuel costs.
