HOW TO SAVE MONEY ON CAR GASOLINE
After cutting our grocery bill down our next big expense is our commuting related expenses. Between gas and tolls we spend just under $1,000 a month. That’s a lot of money.
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Since we’ve paid off all of our credit card debt I have been in the spirit of feverishly building up our emergency fund because I really want to move on to investing. I know I could do both simultaneously, but I still want to educate myself more on the basics of investing.
Gas prices are constantly going up and once the warmer months roll around they’ll continue to rise.
I can’t change the amount of miles my husband and I drive each day, but I can come up with easy ways for us to save money on gas.
EASY WAYS TO SAVE MONEY ON GAS
#1 DRIVE LESS
My husband and I each drive to and from work five days a week. When we need to go shopping or run errands we try to do them based on what we need to do in the surrounding area.
Try not to drive out of your way for one thing.
If we drive to the consignment shop to pick up our money or drop items off we also go to the Asian supermarket nearby because it is a little hike from our house.
Try to have more “stay at home” days or stick to local venues if possible.
My husband takes the kids to the mall just to walk around and tire them out at the mall playground. It’s not far, but once the weather gets nicer he’ll stick to parks closer to our house which will help save money on gas.
#2 CRUISE CONTROL
Because I drive on highways and freeways for a significant portion of my commute to work I have been trying to use my car’s cruise control feature.
The more frequently you accelerate the more gas you burn.
Try to drive your car at a steady speed without having to accelerate unnecessarily or brake harshly. Cruise control makes doing this a lot easier.
#3 AVOID TURNING ON THE A/C
It’s still very cold where we live so it’s not a problem now, but turning on your car’s air conditioning burns more gas.
Try cracking open the windows first and letting the fresh air cool you down before automatically start blasting the A/C.
#4 COMPARE PRICES USING A GAS APP
Gasbuddy is a good site and app to use. Just type in your zip code and it’ll give you the prices and addresses of gas stations in the nearby area.
No need to waste gas driving around looking for the cheapest gas. You’ll save time and money on gas with an app.
#5 STOP WARMING UP YOUR CAR MORE THAN 30 SECONDS
Guilty! With my remote start I let my car warm up for 5 minutes or more, especially on these chilly days.
It’s been more of a habit because ever since I was young I remember my parents letting their cars warm up, not just in the winter time.
Cars today are so much more efficient. Engines warm up faster when they are driven compared to when they idle. When you first get in your car drive off slowly. Give it a few minutes before putting the pedal to the metal.
#6 DON’T CARRY EXTRA WEIGHT
Think about it. The more weight in your car the less efficient it will be on gas.
We have and still are selling things to make money. This means we are carrying a lot of boxes and added weight in our cars at any given time. I make sure I can make it to the post office for drop off because if I can’t I’ll have several pounds of unnecessary weight going around with me until I can drop them off.
#7 FILL TIRES WITH AIR
Don’t wait for your car’s tire pressure monitor to go off.
When I go to get gas I occasionally check to make sure my tires have the recommended amount of air using the free air pumps at the gas station. This ensures my car is getting the most efficient amount of miles per gallon.
#8 AVOID IDLING
When I drop my daughter off at school we end up sitting in the car for about 5 to 10 minutes depending on how early we leave that day. Unless it’s very cold and I want the heat to be on I turn the car off.
Idling burns gas. If you’re going to be sitting in your car for more than a few minutes turn off your car and save money on gas.
#9 GAS/CREDIT CARD REWARDS
I have a credit card that gives us 3% cash back on all of our gas purchases.
To save money on gas you can also look into gas brand credit cards. They offer a discount per gallon every time you fill up at that specific brand’s gas station.
I prefer the credit card because I can go to any brand gas station and get the cheapest gas.
#10 AVOID MAJOR HIGHWAYS/
TRANSPORTATION CENTERS
Have you ever noticed that the price of gas near major highways or the airport is more money than other locations?
Without even using a gas app I know that the gas stations on one highway by my house tend to be more money than the highway on the other side of my house.
Be mindful of this and make sure you have enough gas in your tank so that you don’t get stuck paying for the pricier gas.
#11 CAR POOL
Ask around at your work to see if anyone is interested in carpooling with you. You can take turns driving each day or split gas and toll costs.
#12 PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
When we lived closer to work I would take the jitney bus for $1.25 each way. I didn’t have to worry about spending money on gas or tolls.
If I wanted to I could take the train into work. The problem with that is that I would need to pay for parking and allot myself an extra hour getting to and from work. For us the money saved isn’t worth the time because then we’d have to hire someone to watch the kids between our shifts.
Besides trains you can also take buses or ride a bike depending on your location.
#13 AVOID FILLING UP CLOSE TO THE WEEKEND
Gas prices tend to go up as it gets closer to the weekend, definitely in the summer time. They know more people will be driving around and are going to profit on that knowledge.
To save money on gas fill up midweek the latest.
#14 KEEP UP WITH CAR MAINTENANCE
Cleaning and changing your car filters when it hits the proper mileage will improve your car’s fuel economy.
With two kids who love going out it’s hard to keep gas expenses low. We try going to events close to our house and running errands in the same trip. In the nicer weather we walk to the park.
By using these easy ways to save money on gas I hope to reduce our spending by at least $50 a month. That would be $600 a year. I’ll update you once I get our statement next month.
Do you have any clever ways to save money on gas? Have any of these ways helped you save money on gas?
Every little bit helps! Great tips and ideas. I know I’m guilty of letting the car warm up too long as well haha.
Lol I know. Remote start makes it even easier too.
Lots of great ideas- I will have to try the gas app and check my tires more often!
Yes, the weather always affects my tire’s air pressure. The app is wonderful, you’ll like it.
I never though of filling up during the week because gas prices are higher on the weekends. That only makes sense. And in the winter I warm up my car for quite a while on those cold days!
Yes, me too. I’ve decreased the time I let my car heat up now too.
I’m glad to know that my OCD about not going out of my way may pay off in gas savings! I never make a return trip if I forget something at the store, unless I have to drive by there on another day.
Me neither. I just hate it if I forget something I needed that was going to be part of dinner that night.
Thanks for the reminders and tips for saving on gas. With some planning ahead we can all do this!
Yes!! You’re welcome.
I use my grocery shopping dollars to get a small discount off a fill up of gas. Sorry, I got nothin’!
Lol that works too 🙂
I feel like I have heard to avoiding filling up closer to the weekend. Thank you for reminding me. Many of these I knew, and some I do. Planning around the weekends is a practice that I can attempt to do, as well.
Yes I’ve been getting better with that too, but when it’s empty it’s empty lol
I love this, very beneficial. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome!
thank you! Hope it helps.
Thank you for sharing all of your tips. I always forget about not carrying extra weight. I will have to clean out the trunks this weekend!
Yes, I have so much snow related items in the trunk that I need to bring back in the house.
These are great tips! I remember when gas was $0.89/gallon at Costco. Oh, the good old days!
I know! Now I’m happy when it’s close to $2.
These are great tips. I spend about $500 a month because of my commute.
Thanks. It stinks doesn’t it.
Great tips! Our city could improve on public transportation. It only operates in certain areas and only during the weekday. It would be nice if they expanded!
Thank you! Yes, I wish our train station was closer. The parking is about $8 a day and the trains are hourly during non-rush hour times which unfortunately is when I go to work.
I didn’t know the tip about prices being higher near the weekend. Out of all of those, and the tires and maintenance, those I can handle. But I need the AC!!
LOL!! My husband is the same. I can last a little longer, but summer forget about it lol
As an Uber Driver – these are great tips!!!! I will be pinning this!
That’s great! Hope you start saving money soon.
Great suggestions! Every bit helps! We try to stick to not driving out of our way for places!
Thank you, I couldn’t agree more.
Great tips, I didn’t think about prices rising before the weekend.
Me neither, especially since I work the weekends, but I’m trying to be more mindful of it.