How to Save Gas

When did gas become so expensive? It seems like yesterday it was 1990 and a gallon of gas was not even $1. Even so, we must face reality that gas for our cars is a natural resource - something bound to run out sooner or later. The price of a gallon of gas has nowhere to go but up. Here are some tips on how to save money on gas. It may not seem like much, but the $$ adds up.

Carpool

This is a rather simple alternative to driving your car. If you need to go to school or work each morning, try to get a group of buddies together and carpool. You can rotate shifts so everyone can share the equal burden and be happy. With 1 car with 4 people instead of 4 cars with 4 people, you do the math.

Proximity

Find a job closer to your house, or just move closer to your job. If the commute is short enough, you may even be able to walk or ride a bike. The simple correlation here is that the longer you have to drive, the more gas you will use.

Park in the Shade

One summer, I was away for 2 months on a trip. When I came back, the car parked in my driveway (which had a full tank when I left) was totally empty. Believe it or not, liquids will evaporate in high temperatures, and your gas isn't safe if it is in the sun. Move it into your garage or park it in a shaded area to prevent against the phase change of a liquid.

Stop Accelerating So Fast

When you floor the gas pedal, you put an increased burden on your engine, which in turn makes it have to compensate for your rough behavior. The gas will fall extremely quickly if you always accelerate so fast. Besides, that 3 seconds you are saving isn't going to get you anywhere faster!

Only buy Regular Gas

Stop filling up with Plus and Premium. Octane is defined as a rating of the fuel's resistance to engine-damaging pre-ignition in high performance vehicles. If you are driving a really high class car, I'm sure you have enough money to not be reading this article. If you are like the other 90% of us, your car only needs to fill up with the unleaded kind. If you take care of your car, you won't need to really keep an eye on what type of gas you fill your car with (unless its sand).

Credit Card Gas Cashback

Lots of Credit Card companies offer cash back on various different types of fuels. If you own a company or use your credit card a lot, the benefits will be that you will be able to purchase cheaper gas, so apply for one if you haven't done so already.

Buy Gas Before the Holidays

Gas prices always rise during the holidays, just like almost everything else.

Stop filling up the minimum

If you need gas, fill it up full. You not only save yourself the burden of always thinking, "When am I going to run out." You save your own gas. Believe it or not, every trip you take to the gas station and wait in line while other people fill up is your own gas wasted.

Avoid Braking too much

When you see a red light in the distance, quit accelerating and just let your car slow down naturally, so that by the time you actually reach the light you won't need to step on your brakes so hard. This, compared to slamming on your brakes so you don't crash into the car in front of you, will save you a ton of gas.

Don't Drive at High Speeds

When driving at a high speed, the force of the air provides an opposite force in the direction you are moving called drag. This can significantly reduce the speed at which your should be going, but your engine doesn't know that. You will keep burning fuel no matter what. Highway regulations are a measure of the most efficient speed at which you should drive in order to get the most gas for each dollar you spend. Driving fast also increases the chances of accidents.

Those are just some tips on how to keep more money in your wallet while getting around town. Remember, try to get from place to place without wasting too much time in between, because time wasted is gas wasted. Combine your many small errands into one big trip, and complete things you need to do in an orderly fashion so you don't have to drive back and forth.