With gasoline prices slowly on the rise again and the summer roadtrip season approaching, we all like to know how to save money on gasoline.
- Drive Less Often
This is a no-brainer, just drive less often.
Whether it’s planning ahead so there’s less trips to the grocery store, or taking public transit, walking or biking to nearby places.
How about a carpool to work instead? The less often you drive your car, the less gasoline you’ll need to buy.
- Buy Gasoline at Certain Times
Buying gas on certain days and at certain times will help catch that good price before it goes up.
Usually the best time to buy gasoline is early mornings, before the manager checks the competitor’s prices and adjusts theirs. 8 to 10am is a good time to do it.
Also the best day of the week is Wednesday – right before the weekend hikes.
- Drive Smarter
Learn to drive smarter.
Drive slower and more consistent, brake less, and downshift on steep hills.
This avoids using more gasoline as driving at 55mph can give you up to 21% better mileage than at 70mph.
Also plan your routes better to find shorter ways to your destination.
- Avoid Certain Gas Stations
Avoiding some type of gas stations will save you money.
Those right next to interstates tend to be priced higher than those in town.
The “branded” gas stations tend to charge higher than the independently owned ones.
- Use Apps
Using Apps such as GasBuddy and iGasUp will help find the cheapest gas closest to you.
Using Apps such as Waze, Route4Me, and MapQuest to help find the shortest routes will help with gas mileage as well.
Even if you don’t have a smartphone, you can access similar programs for free on the internet.
- Maintain Your Car
Keeping your car in good running condition will go a long way in using less gasoline.
Dirty air filters and old oil makes the engine work harder thus needing more gas to keep up.
By the same token, having good tires and maintaining good air pressure helps with gas mileage as well.
- Stop Idling
Whether you’re waiting for someone or are stuck in a drive-thru lineup, turn the car off. Idling just burns up fuel, especially if you’re running the air conditioning as well.
An hour of idling your engine uses up about 0.2 to 0.3 gallons of gasoline. Which is about .45 to .65 cents (using the National average of $2.22). You may think that you won’t idle for an hour, but think about the times you do: idling at the ATM; the drive-thru; warming your car up; waiting for your kids after school; and so on.
- Use Reward Cards
Using a Fuel Reward Card will add free gallons with your everyday shopping, dining, shopping and travelling.
Earn 10 cents a gallon from dining out, 15 cents a gallon by shopping online and another 20 cents a gallon for booking an airline flight. That means you’ll pay 45 cents a gallon LESS for fuel the next time you fill up.
It may not seem like much but that’s about $8.33 less to fill up a 18.5 gallon tank.
- Check your Gas Cap
Making sure your gas cap fits snuggly helps ensure that gasoline won’t evaporate more rapidly than usual, especially on hot days. This also prevents dirt and other contaminants from getting in and damaging the fuel system.
- Get a Different Car
Lastly, think about getting a different car. Not just to a better fuel efficient model, but one that better fits your lifestyle. Have the kids outgrown the baby carriers and booster seats to trade in that large mini-van for a sedan?
Following these ten easy tips will go a long way to saving gas and keeping more money in your wallet. For other ideas to prepare for your roadtrip, feel free to contact us.