Saving money on gas

Ahhhh! I went to the gas station today and the price of gas has jumped 50 cents per gallon in the last couple of weeks! So I thought I would give some proven pointers to save you from consuming too much gas and wasting that hard-earned cash. I drive this way and actually fit in this time of year (meaning I drive like a granny and there are alot of grannies around for the good weather). ;-) There's nothing wrong with being safe, driving slowly, and saving money.

• City traffic is the worst. Stopping means you are converting any momentum you have into heat through the application of your brakes. Accelerating is the biggest gas guzzling action of anything in your car. So be smart. When you approach a light that is either a stale green (meaning it has been green for a while and may change to red soon) or is already red, take your foot off the gas when you are far away and coast in to the light. If you are lucky, it will change to green before you even get there, you will have saved all that gas getting to the light and you won't have to make a complete stop...you have preserved your momentum.
• Go the speed limit. There is a reason why the speed limits are what they are. Some of it has to do with safety, but alot of it has to do with keeping traffic moving. Lights are timed for the traffic that was predicted and observed by the City Traffic Engineer. These people get paid alot of money to set the light timing and speed limits; I have worked with them and they know their stuff. Trust them.
• You have all heard it, but do it: Inflate your tires to their recommended pressure. According to fueleconomy.gov, you can save up to 11 cents per gallon by doing this. So let's calculate this out: if you have a 15 gallon tank, that's $1.65. It doesn't seem like much until you consider how many times you fill up. Say you just do it twice a month for a year...that equals $39.60. That's a night out to dinner, 10 drinks at Starbucks...anything is better than giving that money to the gas companies!

Now let's talk long term: do you have a giant gas-guzzling car that gets 16 or less miles per gallon? Do you really *need* it? If you need it to cart kids/boats/5th wheels, then great. Do you have two of these cars? Or maybe you have a Suburban-type vehicle and a mini-van. Do you need both of these? Can you get by with one big car and one sedan or compact car? These are important questions. There are big savings when you are talking about an average of 16 mpg versus an average of 25 mpg, not to mention the reduced impact from air quality emissions. Even better: if you can trade in one of your big cars for a smaller one and work it so you don't have a loan, you are really sitting pretty. Less fuel costs plus no car payment = happy campers!

Just remember: even if you don't change the car you are driving, you can still change your driving habits and save money. If you are really interested if your driving habits change your gas costs, there are plenty of apps out there for smartphones that will track your mpg. If you don't have a smartphone, write down your mileage and the amount of gas you get at your fill-up. Divide your mileage since your last fill-up by the amount of gas and there is your mpg. Keep a log. See how you do.

And good luck with the rising prices...it is enough to make me want to walk EVERYWHERE.

--Katie