For a lot of people paying for gas is just something you have to do every week so you can get around and do what you need to do. Here’s a few ideas and tips to help you fill up less and save more money.
1- Take junk out of your car so that it weighs less
This may or may not seem obvious to you but if you have less weight in your car then it will need less power to move it around which will cost you less in gas. Don’t just haul around a bunch of nonsense for no good reason. Take everything out of that trunk and put it in the garage.
Are you still carrying around that bag of mulch in the trunk because you haven’t had a chance to work on the yard? Take it out of your car and you’ll quit wasting money carrying it around town. If you can be good about keeping extra unnecessary weight out of your car then your wallet will thank you.
2- Don’t get into stop and go traffic
This might not be an option for some of you, but if you have the option then you should try to avoid stop and go traffic. Braking to a stop and then accelerating to go again uses a lot more gas than if you didn’t have to brake. Maybe you can try a different route to work? Or better still, maybe you can try to leave for work at a different time so you can avoid the traffic all together.
Maybe you can find a gym near work that you can go to in the morning and that way you can be much closer to work when you have to head in during rush hour. How about running some errands early in the morning on your way or back from work. You might be able to avoid some of the gridlock if you can plan a little better.
3- Think about saving gas when you’re doing your errands
If you can avoid randomly going to the store to pick something up that you wanted every now and then you can really save yourself some money on gas. You should try to plan out your errands in a way that saves you the most on gas. Try not to go back and forth around town to get things done. Instead you should try your best to plan your trip in the most efficient way possible. Shaving a few miles here and there can really add up to some savings over the year.
4- Accelerate slowly and smoothly and you’ll save on gas
There’s really no real reason to floor your vehicle and accelerate quickly unless you want that thrill. There might be a very small percentage of the time when accelerating could be wise to avoid an accident, but if you can get into the habit of accelerating slowly you’ll save yourself some money at the pump. Your car will run more efficiently if you can hold back from putting the “pedal to the metal”.
Not sure how to accelerate efficiently? A good way to do it is to pretend you have hot coffee filled to the brim without a cup cover. What you need to do is try to drive around and keep the coffee from spilling. So quit accelerating so much and you’ll quit spilling your drink and you’ll save on gas.
5- Coast when you approach to stop
If you know you have to stop at that stop sign or that red light then instead of keeping your foot on the gas until the very last second and then braking why not just take your foot off the brake earlier and coasting to a stop. You don’t need to, and shouldn’t coast the whole way to a complete stop (although that will cost you less in gas). However, even coasting for a little bit can save you some money. Try to get into this habit and watch your MPG get better.
6- Cruise around at your ideal speed of around 50 mph
If you can keep your vehicle at an even speed then you should because it will save you money. Cruise control can be your friend here. Each car is different, but most of them will run the most fuel efficient at a speed around 50 mph. Therefore if you can find a route that takes you at that speed (instead of 35 or 75) then you might be able to save on gas even though the 50 mph route might be a mile longer than the others.
7- Don’t idle as much
Your car is still using gas when it’s running idle. If you’re parked waiting to pick someone up then don’t just sit there with the car running. Instead, turn the car off and roll down your windows if the weather is nice. If it’s cold or hot then you should leave the windows up while you wait to keep the hot (or cold) air inside the car.
I know it might be tempting to start the car early in the morning and let the air inside cool (or heat in the winter) but if you can avoid doing that your wallet will thank you. Instead just let the car do the hard work when you’re moving. That might not be as pleasant, but it is much more energy efficient.
8- The sun is your friend (or your enemy)
Take advantage of the sun (or the shade) when you’re trying to keep the temperature in your car regulated. When it’s hot outside try and park in the shade so that your car doesn’t have to work as hard when you’re trying to get it cool. Then, when it’s cold outside you should park in the sun so that you don’t have to make your car work as hard to heat you up when you get in.
9- Let your car’s aerodynamics design do its job
If you ask your grandfather he might tell you to drive with the AC off and the windows down so you can save on gas money. The truth is that these days that isn’t true like it once was. Car’s have been designed with superior aerodynamics that keep your vehicle fuel efficient. However, if you roll down your windows while you drive you’ll be messing with those efficient aerodynamics.
In other words, if you roll your windows down and turn the ac off that will be just as fuel efficient as keeping your windows up and running the ac. In some instances the drag on your car with the windows down might actually cost you more in gas than running the ac. Cars these days have computers running their AC to be more efficient so you’re better off keeping the windows up and letting the car’s aerodynamic design save you some gas money.
10- Keep up with your car maintenance
Nobody likes taking their car into the shop, but if you do it properly you can keep your car running more efficiently. This could save you on gas money and on other unforeseen costly repairs. Good advice is to follow your car manufacturer’s recommended maintenance schedule. If you can do that then you should have less emergency trips to the repair shop which will save you money, and you’ll have your car running at its optimum efficiency which will save you on gas money.