Lifestyle
Reduce trips to the store
How many times have you found yourself at the same store 2 and 3 times in one week because you didn’t take the time to evaluate what you were running low on, or need for upcoming activities? Keep a pad of paper on the fridge, to write down when your running low on laundry soap or toilet paper, then before going to the store, take 5 minutes to look over your calendar, and take inventory of the pantry and food storage. Write down anything that needs to be restocked so it can all be done in one trip. It will save you time and gas!

Consolidate Your Errands
You’re probably already doing this but there might be room for improvement with a few minutes of thought. Think through what needs to be done, and plan your route so you can smoothly go from place to place using the shortest route. Additionally, are there items that could be picked up in the same place instead of multiple stores? Many grocery stores are becoming mini-malls with a post office, bank/ATM, restaurant, dry cleaners, etc. Additionally, discount department stores like K-Mart, Target and Wal-mart carry grocery basics like bread and milk.

Carpool
The concept of carpooling has been around for a long, long time. Mom’s with school age kids LOVE it, and they try and carpool for everything school related. Look for others to carpool with for church meetings and activities – HFPE, YM/YW, Scouts, Seminary, Sunday Meetings, Presidency Meetings. Etc. There may be some opportunities to share driving responsibilities and save you a little time and money on gasoline.

Walk or Peddle
America’s overall set up isn’t exactly built for this, but there maybe a few times where you could walk or ride a bike to your destination. It’s a great form of exercise and in some cases may actually take as long as driving. Maybe your child’s school or music lessons are close enough to walk them to and from. When it’s a mile or less, walk or ride a bike. When it’s 1-5 miles, ride your bike. It’s a great time to think and work out any stress you may have built up.

Alter your driving schedule
Sitting in stop and go traffic is the biggest waste of fuel there is. Try altering your work schedule, to avoid the heavy pile ups. Leave for work 15-20 minutes earlier and see if it makes a difference. Discuss the subject with your boss, even something small like arriving early to work, or taking a shorter lunch break so you can leave that much earlier at the end of the day will make a difference in your fuel consumption.

We stay-at-home mom’s can heed this advice too. I know getting out of my neighborhood between 4:30 and 6pm is nearly impossible. There are certain routes I simply don’t take because of the time and gasoline I waste. Schedule your errands, and trips at a different time of day when traffic is lighter, or try and choose alternate routes where you won’t be sitting in as much stop and go traffic.

Take your lunch
Use your lunch hour wisely. There are times when you can bang out a ton of errands in a short period of time on your lunch break, and here are others, when it would be better to simply stay put. Try and avoid leaving the office every day of the week. If possible, stockpile your errands for one lunch hour, per week. Brown bag your lunch or have it delivered (most restaurants will do this for orders over $20, so go in with a few co-workers).

Shop Around
Gas stations are like fast food restraints, if you see one on a corner, chances are you’ll see more very close by. Check all the prices, competition is good for driving the price down to the lowest possible point. There are a couple of websites out there that, like Gasbuddy.com, who with the help of volunteer price spotters, post the latest gas prices of stations around the country.

Warning: Driving across town to save one or two cents a gallon will more than likely use more gas than you’ll save, unless of course, the saving is eight to ten cents a gallon. It’s best to keep an eye on prices as you drive around and if you see a lower price, take advantage of it.

Driving Habits
Lighten your load
The days of using your trunk as a third closet are over. Take everything out that you don’t need. Keep the 72-hour kit, the jumper cables and the spare tire, but if it’s summer, make sure the sand bags and the snow chains are left in the garage – easily accessible for when the temperature changes. Excess weight means excess fuel consumption, meaning you’re spending money on extra fuel to haul all that stuff around.

Turn it off
Evaluate your day… how frequently do you sit in your car, not moving while the engines running for more than 2 minutes at a time… waiting for kids in the school parking lot, sitting in a traffic jam on the interstate, at the drive-thru during the lunch hour rush, while your husband runs in for a gallon of milk, your own drive way. There are plenty of times we find ourselves sitting in our cars waiting with the engine on. Make a conscious effort to turn off your engine when ever possible. Experts say It takes less gas to start the engine again than it does to idle longer than 2 minutes.

Gunning it
Instead of gunning the engine when leaving a stoplight and darting in and out of traffic, drivers should take it easy on the accelerator and maintain a steady speed, said Jeffrey Spring, a spokesman for the Automobile Club. (LA Times, August 16, 2005.) Gunning the engine causes excess gasoline to pour through your system unused, depending on how significant your poor driving habit, you could save significantly on the wasted gas.

Follow the law
Amazingly enough, the most fuel efficient speed is still around 55mph for most vehicals. So following the posted speed limits will not only save you from getting a speeding ticket, but will also help your engine be fuel efficient.

‘A recent study showed that a driver with a heavier foot got only nine miles a gallon, but when he slowed down, he got 20 miles a gallon, said Jeffrey Spring, a spokesman for the Automobile Club. "We encourage people to drive with the speed of traffic instead of trying to beat everyone on the road," he said. "You can save a lot of gas that way."’ (Quoted in the LA Times, August 16, 2005.)

Think About the Vehicle You Use
If you are a two car family, use the cars wisely. Consider a more fuel-efficient vehicle for the person commuting the furthest to work. On weekends switch around depending on who's running the errands. Do you really need to drive the big gas sucking SUV, or would your little 5-speed from college be a better fit? Glamorous, maybe not, fuel efficient, yes.

20 mpg vs 40 mpg
If you’re in the market for a new car (new-new or new-to-you), gas mileage should be a determining factor on cars you consider. Whether or not you drive a lot, the difference between 20 miles-per-gallon and 40 miles-per-gallon is huge and will make a difference in the over all cost of running that vehicle each month.

Maintenance
Get a tune up
A well tuned engine gets better gas mileage, period. Vincent Ciulla, who contributes to About.com’s Auto Repair segment, stated, “An engine that grinds for ten seconds before firing up wastes enough gas to take you two miles.” Air filters and spark plugs are other things that need to be checked and change regularly to insure your car is running at optimum performance. Also have your mechanic make sure the timing is set correctly.

Tire Pressure
Did you know that if you’re driving around on tires low on air, you could be wasting ½ a gallon of gasoline on each fill up? That’s 1 mile per gallon that you’re throwing away to added drag on your tires do to low tire pressure. Additionally if your tires are over-inflated that doesn’t help your gas mileage either. Consult your owner’s manual and regularly check the pressure of your tires – it could be a savings of $1.35 at every fill up.

Fuel Grade
Pat Veretto, About.com contributor for their Frugal Living segment, shares this advice: “High octane gasoline may be needed for some engines, but find out if yours will run just as well on less. On a nearly empty tank, put in five gallons of a lower octane gasoline than you normally use. If there's no appreciable difference (except for the change in your pocket), find a lower octane gas when that runs out. Keep going until you can tell the difference, then step up one rating. Note: If your engine starts pinging or making other strange noises, increase the octane rating by adding a higher octane gasoline to your tank. This is why you need to test 5 gallons at a time.”

Thinking outside the tank
Credit-card rewards
“Credit-card companies also are rushing out new offers. Citibank is offering its cardholders in the New York City area and Miami double American Airlines frequent-flier miles for gas purchases until Oct. 31. Other cards, such as the Citi Dividend Platinum Select MasterCard and the Discover Platinum Gas Card let you earn a 5 percent rebate on gas purchases -- Citi's card gives 5 percent back at drugstores and grocery stores as well. (That has led many people to use it as part of a two-card strategy along with the plastic that earns the most travel rewards.)” (Wall Street Journal August 22, 2005)

While credit cards that earn you rewards, or rebates on gasoline purchases can be a quick and easy way to save money at the pump, you need to be careful. The Wall Street Journal continues, “The cards have some fine print. With the Citi Dividend Platinum Select MasterCard, once you earn $300 in any calendar year, the refunds fall to zero. People who reach that mark -- or who live or work near Shell gas stations -- then could turn to its Citi MasterCard, which also yields 5 percent. It has no annual earnings cap, but you earn the 5 percent refund only when you buy Shell gas, and can spend the rebate only on Shell gas.

”A caveat: Not all card companies are getting more generous with their offers. The AAA motor club is dropping the rebate to 3 percent from 5 percent on its credit card starting next month for cardholders in the mid-Atlantic region. (The rebate for AAA credit-card holders in other parts of the country already has fallen.)”

Being an educated consumer about the possibilities is an essential part of working gas discounts and rebates through credit card offers. If you have trouble paying off your credit cards, this is not an option for you. You are only able to reap the benefits of the savings, if you can pay off the balance on time, each and every month. Even one late fee and your savings could be gone, so be careful and diligent.

Look for alternative gasoline retailers
An increasing number of retailers are getting into the gasoline business. In addition to independent gas stations and branded/chain gas stations like Mobil, Phillips 66, and Shell, warehouse chains (Costco) and grocery stores (Albertsons, HyVee, and Kroger) are taking the plunge into the gasoline market. Even Home Depot is getting into the market – by 2006 four stores in Nashville Tennessee are scheduled to have gas pumps.

“Some offer gas-loyalty programs – the more promotional items you buy in the store, the more money you get toward your fuel purchase. ‘There’s no risk if you’re going into the grocery store anyway,” says Brad Proctor, founder of Gaspricewatch.com.” (Wall Street Journal August 22, 2005)

Gasoline Saving Myths
- Belief vs. Reality-

Belief: Driving close behind a truck improves gas mileage because the truck cuts your wind resistance.

Reality: True, but it's also dangerous.

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Belief: Gasoline stations near freeway exits charge higher prices.

Reality: Generally true.

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Belief: You get more for your money if you fill up when it's cold because gasoline is denser at low temperatures.

Reality: Not really. Any difference would be insignificant and besides, most pumps correct for temperature.

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Belief: There's always money to be saved by taking the train for longer commutes.

Reality: Not necessarily. A 70-mile round trip commute from Santa Clarita to downtown Los Angeles would cost $7 to $8 in fuel. The same trip costs $12 on Metrolink.

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Belief: Turning off the air conditioning saves gas.

Reality: True, but if you then roll down the windows, (especially when traveling a fast speeds) the increased wind resistance may eat up any savings.

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Belief: Gas prices go up on the weekend, so fill up during the week.

Reality: Generally false. Every area raises their prices at different times. Keep a notebook in your car and record when you see prices change, if you notice a trend, keep that in mind when deciding when to fill up.

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Belief: Higher-octane gas, for instance an 89 grade instead of an 87 grade, improves fuel efficiency.

Reality: That's a myth. Unless your car is specifically designed to run on higher octane grade, use regular unleaded.

(From the LA Times)