7 Ways to Save Despite High Gasoline Prices

7 Ways to Save Despite High Gasoline Prices

With the rising cost of gas prices and no end in sight, everyone wants to save as much money at the gas pump as they possibly can. You may not be able to control the price of gas but you can change certain habits and follow some basic guidelines to help you save as much money as possible.

Every time that the price of gas goes up at the fuel pump by 10 cents the cost of the average drivers gas consumption will rise by about $75 over a year.

This article will give you some tips, guidelines, and basic advice for helping you keep reduce the amount of money that you spend each week filling up your vehicle.

Finally, please return to this site from time to time, as we are planning another article with 7 more tips for savings at the gas pumps.

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Tip # 1

You can try to shop around in your local area for the cheapest gas that you can find but you shouldn’t go too far out of your way to try and get that best price unless you’re already traveling in that direction anyway.

Once you start driving around looking for the gas pump that can beat the one in your neighborhood you start to increase the amount of money that you spend on your driving expenses.

Since your goal is to save money you would be defeating the purpose by driving around for too long. Studies done by the AAA indicate that it will cost you approximately 51.7 cents per mile to drive your car this year.

While you are driving to a location that you would normally be going anyway you can of course keep your eyes open for the cheapest gas.

Using the Internet to find the lowest gas prices is a great way to have all the information that you need before getting into your car to fuel up.

There are several sites on the Internet that will help you find the cheapest gas in your area. One of these sites is GasBuddy. GasBuddy has all the information for both the United States and Canada to help you find the lowest gas price on the day that you are filling up your gas tank.

GasBuddy has over 170 websites that it uses to get you the recent best prices. The price of gas is always changing so having the latest information is going to save you money over a period of time.

There are times that the price of gas will vary by up to 20 percent within a short radius so it’s important to you to stay current with the lowest price of gas.

The information provided by GasBuddy is quite comprehensive. For example, after indicating that you live in the Washington state area you are directed to sites for Seattle, Tacoma, and Spokane.

Choosing Seattle gives you the following information: (1) lowest price in the last 48 hours, (2) gas station name and address, and (3) time the last price was posted.

When you use GasBuddy you’ll be able to save that much more each time you buy gas for your vehicle. www.GasBuddy.com

Tip # 2

If you know of a certain gas station that consistently sells lower priced gas and it’s out of your way you might want to consider making a weekly or bi-weekly journey to this destination.

This way you can take a day to get gas, buy your groceries, and take a walk in the park within a different area of the city where you live. In effect, what you are doing is multitasking and saving money on your fuel costs at the same time.

Tip # 3

One of the ways that you can save money at the gas pump is by using a gasoline credit card. When you have a gas card you’ll be able to get 5 or 10 percent rebate back on the purchase of your gas.

This can amount to as much as $75 to $300 each year. If you have multiple drivers in your family you’ll want to make sure that every car driving person carries a gasoline credit card with them so that you can take advantage of multiple gas sales.

Many gasoline companies are joining up with other retailers to give you numerous savings at the gas pump.

You’ll be able to not only save on your gas purchase, but you’ll be able to earn points towards your next purchase with participating retailers.

I go an extra step on this tip. I also use a credit card that offers points. This way, I get the bonuses from the credit card company, as well as the bonuses from the gas company. HOWEVER, this method does not work well if you are not good at paying the entire balance of the credit card each month.

Tip # 4

Invest in a small notebook and pen for your car and write down all your gas purchases and mileage that you travel. Start to develop the habit of knowing exactly how much that you are spending in fuel costs.

You can also use your fuel log to keep track of the best places to buy your gasoline. You want to see a pattern develop so that you can track your gas spending habits and then make changes if needed.

If you are buying a used vehicle privately, or from a dealer, find out if there is an owner’s manual so that you can find out how to take care of your vehicle.

If you’re lucky, there may be fuel log of some kind from the previous car owner.

Tip # 5

Try to buy your gas from a gas station that is consistently busy and therefore has its underground tanks filled on a regular basis. Gas stations that are slow will have gas that has been sitting in underground tanks for longer periods of time, leading to gas contamination.

This contamination can mean that the gas you are purchasing is less powerful than fresh gas and will decrease your fuel economy.

Try to time your visits to busier gas stations at those busy times but make sure that you’re not in a rush to get anywhere.

If you’re late for an appointment you may find yourself giving up in frustration if you have to wait to purchase your gas and then find yourself moving over to a gas station that has a higher gas cost for the day.

Tip # 6

For most cars these days, buying higher octane gas is a waste of your money. Regular unleaded has approximately 87 octane already and is fine for your vehicle.

By avoiding buying high octane gas you’ll be saving a large amount of money over a period of time.

High octane gas is always more expensive at the gas pumps so the next time that you feel guilty for filling up your SUV with regular gas you can be assured that no harm will come to your vehicle.

Octane is simply a measurement of how difficult it is to ignite the gas in your car and has nothing to do with the quality of the gas. If you are experiencing engine pings, rattles, or knocks you can switch to high octane gas.

However, you shouldn’t be experiencing any of those knocks and rattles if you are keeping your vehicle maintained and making sure that you don’t miss those scheduled maintenance checkups. If you are driving a new model car you definitely shouldn’t be hearing any pings or rattles and if you are you should take your vehicle to a mechanic.

Tip # 7

Not only should you be maintaining the engine of your car, you should also be paying attention to the tires that you are driving on.

• Purchase a tire gauge and check your car’s tire pressure every month. When you are driving around on tires that are under-inflated you can reduce the fuel efficiency of your car by up to 2 percent for each pound that the tires are under-inflated.
• Under-inflated tires wear out faster, which again contributes to higher gas consumption.
• Not only will you save on gas consumption when you maintain your tires, studies show that you will also save money on the maintenance of your vehicle by up to $250 each year.
• The best time to check your tire pressure is when it’s cool outside or in the morning after your car has been sitting for several hours without driving.
• Use appropriate tires for each season. When you put away your winter tires in the warm weather you’ll be able to use them for at least two years.