How to Save Money on Gasoline

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By McBubba
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Save Money on Gasoline

Here are a few tips on saving money at the gas pump.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Step 1

Shop around.

Check the gas prices all along your commute, especially if you drive far to work/school or cross state lines.

Also, you can check on web sites like www.gasbuddy.com or www.fueleconomy.gov
Step 2

Limit your engine's idle time.

To stop and start your vehicle only takes the same amount of gas as about 30 seconds of idle time and in the winter, you shouldn't have to let your car run more than 1 to 1 1/2 minutes before it's ready to drive.
Step 3

Make the most of your drive time.

Try running errands at the same time, or if you have multiple drivers, divide up the errands in a way that makes sense geographically.
Step 4

Discover the best routes to take.

You want to find the quickest route, not necessarily the shortest. This is because fuel consumption is based more on how you drive and for how long than distance traveled. So avoid routes that take you through heavy traffic, or through a lot of intersections.

You can figure this out by trying a few different routes and checking your mileage and how long it takes, or you can try to figure it out with a map or online map site.
Step 5

Think ahead.

Try filling your tank whenever gas prices drop.

Better yet, try finding a coop in your area that lets you but gasoline in advance. These places sell gas by the hundreds or thousands of gallons. You get a member card, and then pick up the gas as you need it.
Step 6

Never 'top off' your tank.

If you fill your tank past the point where the automatic cut-off stops the pump, that extra gas will often slop out of your tank anyway.
Step 7

Buy your gasoline in the morning.

Gasoline expands when it is warm, so buying it in the coolest part of your the day may help you get the most for your dollar. Just don't overfill(step 6).
Step 8

Don't let you gas disappear into thin air.

Always park your car and store gas in the coolest place possible, as gasoline evaporates quickly.
Step 9

Get a gas card.

There are 2 kinds of credit cards that save you on gas. The first gives you a discount on each gallon you by and is usually brand specific. The second gives you points towards free gas.
Step 10

SHAMELESS PLUG ALERT! -> checkout my article other article "How to Improve Your Vehicle's Gas Mileage"

Comments

jull14 said

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on 7/6/2009 Thank you for sharing this information with me, it is very interesting, helpful for many here at ehow and the article is well written and easy to follow, thanks so much.