Save Gas and Save Dollars

Need to save gas? This is almost a ridiculous question with has prices still near or above $3 per gallon in most locations throughout the country, with the Northeast and some parts of California and Texas taking an especially large hit right now. With this in mind, here are some ideas you can practice - with little time required - each week to try to reduce the gas you expend and therefore have to buy.

1. Once a week, clean out any unnecessary weight from your vehicle. No, we're not talking about your mother-in-law or your brother who always needs a ride. Instead, look at things like bowling balls and boxes of miscellaneous stuff you may carry around in your rear passenger area or in your trunk.

2. Keep an eye on the overall tuning of your vehicle. Once you notice that the tuning no longer seems up to par, get a tune-up, which you can usually do yourself for less than $100, including new spark plugs and wires, an air cleaner, and a few other items.

3. Think ahead to your week's schedule to see what trips can be consolidated. You would be amazed at how just a few less small trips each week can trim the money you're investing at the gas pump - which contributes to fuel companies' world record profits.

4. Along the same lines, consider what car trips simply are not necessary. Even with gas prices high, many people go out for unnecessary joy rides or travel much farther than required to buy their groceries or general merchandise items. It's not that you can go some distance from home, but choose your occasions wisely.

5. Can you car pool one or two days a week for work or for your kids' out-of-school activities? Again, you can save an appreciable amount off weekly gas prices.

6. Watch the inflation in your tires. Poor inflation can really sap gas consumption as well as make your vehicle less safe to operate. A tire gauge can cost only a few dollars and an air compressor to add air to your tires can cost less than three or four car gas tank fill-ups.

7. Don't let your vehicle sit idling. Idling can really tap your gas tank and contributes to air pollution.

8. If you have more than one vehicle, use the smaller, more gas saving one for small trips that don't require the honker of an SUV. You would be amazed how many vans, SUVs and yes, even the huge Humvees have just a single occupant and almost no cargo to justify the use of the huge vehicle.

9. Avoid using features on your vehicle that may require more fuel than normal. Not everything on your car needs to be turned on every trip you take. Use your resources wisely.

10. Use some of the Web-based resources to try to locate some of the best gas prices in your area. While this doesn't necessarily save gas, you may discover that you are going miles out of your way to save a few cents that you could recover through a cheaper gas station much closer to home.