Top 5 ways to save money on gas
I know you just want to get to the nitty-gritty of saving money on gas, but let me lecture you for a moment.
Petroleum products, including gas, are not going to get cheaper. One of the reasons for this is simply that they are limited and more and more people are competing for a smaller and smaller offer. This is something from Economics 101 and is known as supply and demand. As supply goes down and demand goes up, the price goes up. Anyway, when was the last time you saw major price reductions on a commodity like gas?
At the same time, people around the world are beginning to realize that not only are oil supplies limited, but the effects of burning gas and other petroleum products to power cars, factories, and your lawnmower. they are creating a highly unstable environmental situation. .one that can have disastrous consequences for our children and grandchildren if it is not for us.
So these tips not only point you to some ways you can just save money on gas, but they also guide you a bit on the path of change. As we’ve often heard, “if you keep doing what you’ve been doing, you’ll keep getting what you’ve been getting.” We have received more pollution and higher gasoline prices. Isn’t it time to make some kind of change?
Now who am I and where do I get my information? Well, I’ve done a lot of research and reading, but I’ve also been a long-distance and highway trucker and owned my own truck. With a vehicle hitting 6 to 8 MPG and 300 gallon tanks to fill every other day, I became familiar with ways to reduce my out-of-pocket expenses. Last year, I traded in my Dodge Intrepid and Isuzu Rodeo for a hybrid Toyota Prius … which is a great car. While you can do all kinds of things, including walking, to save money on gas, here are my top five options.
1. Swap out the gas guzzler – I don’t have quick, accurate figures on this, but I’m willing to bet, based on my personal observation, that at least 50% of people have much bigger, gas guzzling cars than they need. Although I am an off-road truck driver, I sometimes write articles about places I have visited, and this requires a certain amount of travel. All day long, whether in California or Georgia, I see big pickups and pickups that only get a few miles per gallon being driven by one person. I also see a lot of good-sounding, good-looking cars that I know have very bad mileage. Many people drive these devices to and from work every day!
I was talking to a guy yesterday at a motel in Abilene. He is going on a trip to the Grand Canyon with his children. Your truck has 15 MPG! Where it goes, gas is around four dollars a gallon. If you only go 1,000 miles each way, you need 133 gallons. That works out to about $ 500 just for gas at $ 3.75 a gallon. If you had a smaller, more fuel efficient car that hits around 30 MPG, you could cut it in half. If I had my Toyota Prius it would cost around $ 150.
How about commuting? Let’s imagine that my new friend from the Abilene motel drives 10 miles to work every day. At 20 miles a day, that’s 140 miles a week. Since you will probably get stuck in traffic at times, I’m just going to say that your average gas usage is 14 MPG (easier math) and you need 10 gallons of gas just to get to and from work each week. Let’s say gasoline costs $ 3.00 a gallon. That’s $ 30 a week for gas just to get to work and back. Again, getting a smaller car with double the mileage would result in a savings of $ 15 per week. That doesn’t seem like much until you think of it as an extra $ 60 a month (paying your water bill?), Or $ 360 a year.
Oh yeah! With a Toyota Prius (can you say I like it?), I would save more than $ 80 a month or $ 480 a year.
2. Keep your tires properly inflated – Proper tire inflation saves money on gas. A study by the Rubber Manufacturers Association estimated that only 15% of drivers correctly check their tire inflation. It’s interesting to note, by the way, that the study also showed that more people are checking their tire pressure as gas prices rise. Proper inflation can not only save you money on gas, it also saves you money on tires. Properly inflating your tires can help handle and reduce wear and tear on your steering components.
3. Slow Down – Here’s a little tidbit for you: Fuel economy drops about 10 percent between 55 mph and 65 mph, and 17 percent between 55 mph and 70 mph. Do I really need to say more? Come on, tell the truth. How fast were you going down the interstate this morning on your way to work?
Now this is what I see every day on the roads of America. A person driving a gas-guzzling SUV with at least two tires inflated at a speed close to or greater than 70 MPH! Do I really need to press this point? Suffice it to say that adhering to points 2 and 3 would save this person a lot of money and reduce pollution and our dependence on foreign oil.
4. Pay Attention: Try this on to see the size. I also see this one all the time.
As he was not only a road driver but also an instructor, he used to teach students to “play with the lights” and pay attention. The amount of gas your car needs is largely based on what you NEED it to do. Yesterday, like thousands of times before, I was driving down a highway and saw the traffic light turn red about an eighth of a mile. I was going to have to stop anyway, so I took my foot off the gas. As soon as I had done that, the driver behind me (a guy in a large SUV with an under-inflated left rear tire) pulled out to the left, sped around me, backed up, and accelerated a few more feet until he finally stopped. realized. that the light was red and then he slammed on the brakes. Guess how much gas you use every day.
Friends, it is simple. Wherever you go, it probably WILL NOT move before you get there! Pay attention to what is happening in front of you and around you. If you’re going to have to stop anyway, why not slow down and stop instead of burning more fuel to stop faster?
Much of that “full pedal” type of driving comes from stress. Plus, studies have shown that driving like this further increases your stress level. Start meditating or try yoga. In fact, it will improve your driving.
5. Keep your car in good condition – If your plugs are clean, the oil is changed regularly, and the car is lubricated, you will get better gas mileage. The engine and connected parts will be able to run more effectively and efficiently, and this translates to more miles per gallon. By the way, most synthetic motor oils available today will help you save money on gas by allowing your car to run more efficiently for longer periods between oil changes. This is an added saving, by the way. Although synthetic motor oils cost more per liter than petroleum-based lubricants, they last much longer, resulting in oil cost savings, as well as oil change cost savings if you pay someone else to change the oil for you. You are also helping to reduce the use of our limited supply of oil.
Of course, these aren’t the only ways you can save money on gas. You can carpool, find less congested routes to and from work and shopping, shop online instead of sitting in a traffic jam, take turns driving the kids to school, set it up with friends and neighbors to be Take turns running errands, combining errands into a single trip, or even learning to walk or bike short distances instead of driving. Hey, you could save money on healthcare with that last one, as walking or biking around the neighborhood can help you with fitness, health, and weight loss, and that usually translates to fewer trips to the doctor and fewer medications. or medical procedures.
As they say in Germany, “Leb Wohl!”
Oh yeah! That means, “Live well!”
What a concept!
