Rather than write a post about how ridiculous gas prices are and how expensive it is to fill up and blah blah blah, I am going to be constructive and write a post on how to deal with rising gas prices. Here are some tips to save on your gas expenses:
*Drive less: I know, I'm a genius. But really, rising gas prices have made more more committed to carpooling to work, combining errands into one trip, riding my bike where I can, and taking the Metro whenever possible. BF and I have already used the Metro to go to two Dodger games. We each pay $6 for a day pass, which is cheaper than combined gas, plus we don't fight traffic or deal with parking. I've gotten down to two tanks of gas per month, which is still more than I'd like to use, but it's still an improvement.
*Find the cheapest gas: I use http://gasbuddy.com to search for the cheapest gas in my area. Obviously it's not worth it to drive far out of the way for a few cents, but I live in a big city where gas prices can differ greatly in just a few blocks. This site helps save money, though be aware that some of the stations charge fees to use your debit card. Which brings me to my next piece of advice...
*Avoid Fees: This is a new rule for myself, that I copied from BF. Last night he commented, "I don't pay fees for gas. I'd rather buy a soda or something to get cash back, that way I at least get something for it." I'm going to try to improve on that by remembering to get cash back when I grocery shop to use as gas money. And yes, if worse comes to worse, buying a candy bar so I can get cash back seems better than giving that 50 cents to the gas station.
*No Running on Empty: I tend to wait until my gas light comes on to get gas, and even then sometimes push the limits. The problem with that is by the time I get gas I'm desperate and can't wait to go the cheapest location. So, today I got $20 in cash at the grocery store and I'm going to put some gas into my tank, even though I've still got a quarter tank left.
*Get Better Mileage: I could be better about this one, but drive the speed limit, don't carry extra weight in your car, and limit use of the air conditioner whenever possible.
Any tips I'm missing? How are you dealing with the increase in gas prices?
I don't drive, petrol (what we call Gas) is currently at $1.49 a litre in Australia, instead I live in the inner city and walk or get public transport everywhere, it sucks but it's a lot cheaper then petrol.
ReplyDeleteHow much more are you paying for gas per month?
ReplyDeleteMine has increase by $20-30, which I have absorbed in the budget.