Gasoline prices do fluctuate but the overall trend is upward. Here are some tips to help you save money on gasoline.
1. Take advantage of savings if you buy your food at a chain grocery store that also has a gas station. Often there are significant discounts if you have a membership card at the store and spend a certain amount on groceries. This can be one of the very best deals around.
2. Check online for the best gas prices in your city. Type "best gas prices" and the name of your community into a search engine like Google. There are websites that track this. Sometimes they are part of the website for a local newspaper.
3. For a smaller savings, get a credit card that offers a rebate when you use it at the gas station. This is similar to getting frequent flyer miles on a credit card; you will not get both on the same card. Of course, getting any credit card is a money saver only if you are not tempted to overspend with it!
4. Drive less. Combine your errands when you go out, and do your grocery shopping once a week rather than running out to get something all the time. Car pool to work or for the kids' sports events, if possible. Try taking the bus if it is not going to take you a lot longer. Ride a bike or walk to nearby locations if those are reasonable options for your circumstances.
5. Keep your car tuned up and it will require less gas to run.
6. Keep your tires inflated to the pressure recommended for your car. It's a good idea to check this every couple of weeks with an inexpensive tire gauge that you can keep in the car.
7. Avoid using air conditioning except when you really need it. Running air conditioning requires more from your engine and lowers your miles per gallon.
8. Drive smoothly, without fast accelerating and braking, for a real benefit in terms of the amount of gas you use. Jerky driving can use as much as one-third more gasoline. There is a new method of saving gas by driving smoothly called "hypermiling." You can check on a search engine if you want to explore this further. On the freeways, staying at the speed limit or lower will keep you close to the point where the car uses the least gas per mile.
Following some or all of these steps can cut your gas usage enough that you will notice it in your wallet. This will also help the environment. It's well worth a little trouble to create the new habits that will come from doing any of these things.
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