Saving Money On Fuel Prices
Old Fashioned Tips for Saving Money on Fuel Prices
For whatever reason, due to supply and demand and the result of speculators speculating wildly, fuel prices are at an all-time high. And since our country simply doesn’t have a well-developed mass transportation system in place, save for some of the larger cities, owning and driving a car is a necessity for most Americans.
A little bit of money saved on fuel prices here, a little bit there, it adds up quickly.
First, and most obvious, drive a fuel-efficient car. Get yourself a sedan or maybe even a hybrid if you’re willing to spend a little more upfront.
You shouldn’t drive like a maniac, even if your car gets 50 mpg on the highway. Don’t peel away from the intersection when the stoplight turns green. The harder you press the gas pedal, the more gas is consumed. Get your foot off the pedal and let momentum propel your car forward. That’s gas saved, and money earned back from fuel prices.
Don’t buy premium gas unless you have to. Premium gas, unless you’re driving a high-end car, is a complete waste of money on fuel prices. If you’re looking to shave a little bit off your weekly gas bill, odds are you aren’t driving a car that benefits all that much from premium gas.
Drive the speed limit. Not only is it safer, but you also burn less gas driving slower than you do driving fast. This is pure physics. As you drive faster, there’s more air your vehicle has to push out of the way, which leads to more resistance, increased drag and the force pulling your car backward, and decreased fuel efficiency. It’s a waste, and that’s something you don’t want.
Try to minimize excess weight. Get rid of any junk you’ve got tied to your roof. Roof racks increase the drag on your car, thereby reducing fuel efficiency. Search the interior for unnecessary weight.
So those are just a few ways to keep your gas bill as low as possible. You can easily save a large amount of money on fuel prices each month by cutting your gas expenditures. More people are buying fuel efficient and hybrid cars, but for generations, Americans have been accustomed to having bigger and more prestigious, vehicles to haul themselves around, and they now want to save money on fuel prices.
Put Money in Your Pocket, Not in Your Tank
If you’ve either a full tank or an empty wallet, chances are you’ve got both. And with gas prices at record levels these days, you should probably get used to the condition.
Retail gas prices continue to hit their highest levels ever, and it’s unlikely that they’ll come down any time soon.
Make sure you’re getting the most out of every drop by driving smarter, maintaining your car better, and knowing whose pumps have the best prices to save money.
Tips for saving money on fuel prices at the pump:
• Gas prices at nearby stations can vary by 20 cents or more per gallon.
• Use the right octane to save money on fuel prices. Higher grades rarely provide any benefit or save money. Don’t top off your tank. You’ll lose less to evaporation.
Tips for saving money on fuel prices on the road:
• Stop-and-go traffic will always be annoying, but you can minimize the frustration by going with the flow instead of racing and braking every time the line inches forward.
• If you don’t need it, leave extra gear in the garage. The same goes for the roof rack. If you’re not using it, all it’s doing is increasing aerodynamic drag and lowering your gas mileage.
Tips for saving money on fuel prices every day:
• Most air filters are easily replaced.
• Clean oil improves performance by reducing friction.
The best way to burn less fuel and save money is to buy a car that gets better gas mileage.
Tips for how to get the best gas mileage and save money on fuel prices:
• Drive at a moderate speed. This is the biggest factor. One reason is that aerodynamic drag increases exponentially the faster you drive. It simply takes more fuel and more money to power the car through the air.
• Drive smoothly. Avoid hard acceleration and braking whenever possible. Once up to speed on the highway, maintain a steady pace in top gear. Smooth acceleration, cornering, and braking also extend the life of the engine, transmission, brakes, and tires.
• Reduce unnecessary drag. Don’t carry things on top of your vehicle when you don’t have to. Even driving with empty racks on the car reduces its fuel economy and saves money on fuel prices.
Don’t use premium fuel if you don’t have to. If your car specified regular fuel, don’t buy premium under the mistaken belief that your engine will run better.
Saving Energy and Fuel Can Begin in your Home
Energy is not something free like it was in years past or as one would think. Energy is very expensive, whether it’s in the form of fuel for our home or fuel in our gas tank. Everywhere we go we’re hearing about ways to become more energy efficient so we can be saving money on fuel prices.
The high cost of fuel for our homes and cars is almost driving some to bankruptcy. Although there is no way to eliminate most of these expenses, saving money on fuel prices, which are at an all-time high now, is possible in our homes and car.
Some items in our home that may use some type of fuel are our furnace, cook stove, washing machine, and water heater. Next, to our furnace, the appliance that consumes the most fuel and energy usage is the water heater. The water heater is used for washing dishes, taking showers, and doing laundry.
If you are part of a large family, especially with growing children, you know the hot showers, and dirty laundry seems to go on with no end. Attempting a plan where saving money on fuel prices is a possibility is the only choice for many families. Your water heater may be the first place to start this plan.
If you’re purchasing a water heater, don’t grab the first water heater you see just because it’s the cheapest. Although most new water heaters are energy-efficient and will help with saving money on fuel prices, some are more efficient than others.
Don’t put yourself in a position where you’re paying hundreds of dollars more each year than you need to be paying just because your water heater is inefficient. If you’re serious about saving money on fuel prices, make sure you buy an efficient water heater. Here are some tips on the most important things to look for when buying a water heater:
• Energy-efficient water heaters come in many different sizes so make sure you buy the size you need to meet the needs of your family. It’s not unusual for a family of five to use 100 gallons of hot water daily.
• Make sure the water heater you buy has a low radiant heat loss rating. A rating of 15 or less is good. The radiant heat passes from the water heater to the environment outside of the heater instead of going back into the water.
• Make sure your new water heater has a low cycling loss, which is the amount of heat that is lost as it goes throughout your home. The lower the number, the better its efficiency.
• Consider buying a tankless heater. Although it is a lot more expensive to buy and install it can be up to 30 percent cheaper to run. The money you save will add up.
Saving Money on Automotive Fuel
Fuel or gasoline for our cars is a necessary evil for most of us. Many have said that it would be great if we could go back to the days of the horse and buggy. While this might be an over-exaggeration, our frustration over rising fuel costs, as well as the cost of vehicles in general, has led many of us to feel this way.
We may not ever get away from having to spend a good chunk of our money on fuel but saving money on fuel prices is possible. Although certain measures may only improve your gas mileage by a couple of miles per gallon, when you add them all up, it will come to nice annual savings. The following are some great ideas for saving money on fuel for your vehicle.
Don’t be too particular about the brand of gasoline you buy for your car. In spite of what you may have been told, there’s not that much difference between the different brands of gas. All the brands get their fuel from the closest refinery.
They may each put in a different type of additive, one that’s proprietary to their brand. But, all the additives, regardless of who uses them, have to meet certain EPA and OEM standards of performance. Therefore, they’re pretty much all the same.
Choose gasoline with the lowest required octane. Octane is a rating given to fuel in regards to how well it resists pre-ignition “knocks” in high-performance engines. Very few of us drive high-performance engines. If your car drives well on low octane gas, that’s all it needs, and it’s great for saving money on fuel prices.
You may also want to mix the octane in your car. Lower octane cost less money. If your car requires 87 octanes, you can fill half the tank with 85 octanes and the other half with 89 octanes. You’ll still be getting the required amount, but the lower will cost less.
Checking online for the best deals on gasoline will work great toward your goal of saving money on fuel prices. This is especially true if you are traveling any great distance. There are sites only that will tell you the most expensive and the least expensive gas stations in specific states and cities.
Provided you’re not going out of your way; you can save a lot on the cost of fuel when you’re on a trip. If you know gasoline is noticeably cheaper 200 miles down the road, just put in enough gas to get you there, and then you can fill your car.
Saving Money on Fuel Prices
Gas costs have become an unnerving new concern for Americans planning vacations, with fuel prices soaring well over 3 dollars a gallon. Saving money on fuel prices adds yet another burden to the often already considerable cost of traveling. In many parts of the country fuel prices have already surpassed 4 dollars a gallon, and they show no signs of falling. The fact is that the days of the 2 dollars and under a gallon of gas are almost certainly over.
Tips for saving money on fuel prices when on the highway:
• Buy gas the day before you travel. You already know where the best gas deals are near your house or office, so you might as well purchase the first tank of your trip at a price you know and can control.
• Empty your ride. Lighten your load before traveling to save money on fuel prices.
• Choose an exit with several gas stations. You can usually tell these from the amenity signs on the highway leading up to an exit. To save money on fuel prices, look for the ones that list several local diners, hotels, and gas stations. If the sign lists two or more stations, you will often benefit from the simple fact that there is competition for your business.
• Use “official” rest stops. Oddly enough, these official rest stops tend to have fairly competitive fuel prices.
Tips for saving money on fuel prices when renting a car:
• Your most reliable tactic is to check nearby gas prices for savings on your way out of the airport or car rental zone just after you pick up the car. This is when you should be thinking about saving money on fuel prices, not when you are returning the car and are under time pressure to make a flight. Then, when returning the car, consider purchasing your gas some distance from the return counter.
• You can even pick the exact station at which you will purchase your gas on the way back in. Most rental companies require that you fill the tank within 10 miles of the return lot. You will typically find much cheaper gas at this distance, out where real people buy gas for daily life. If you do this, get a receipt and take it with you to the counter as proof of purchase.
• Even before getting in the car, in fact even before booking the rental, you may want to make the fuel efficiency of your chosen vehicle a priority to save money.
Saving Money on Fuel Prices Year-round in the Home
Home heating is at an all-time high. Every winter we think the cost of heating our homes can’t get much higher only to find out the following year that the cost has, once again, gone up. When the cost of living continues to go up each year, consumers are choosing what luxuries in their lives they can give up to save money.
Unfortunately, heat for our homes is not something that we can give up or do without. There are, however, ways of saving money on fuel prices. Whether you’re heating your home with oil, natural gas, propane fuel, wood, or coal, there are always ways of saving money on fuel prices if you’re committed to making some changes in your life.
One method of saving money on fuel prices that have been very effective is heating the home with a wood pellet stove. Homeowners that have tried these stoves are amazed at the money they managed to save on fuel expenses.
The use of wood pellet stoves is said to have cut the cost of heating the home by one third to one half of what they would pay with natural gas or oil. Even better is the fact that the pellets are a fuel source that’s renewable. While the cost of a wood pellet stove is approximately two thousand dollars, the savings, the way you’ll be saving money on fuel prices, the furnace will pay for itself in a couple of years.
So many homeowners are deciding to switch to wood pellet stoves that the demand for pellets has become quite high. With the old store of “supply and demand,” the price of pellets or wood pellet stoves may go up as well, but they’re still much more economical than traditional oil or natural gas furnaces.
With the high demand for wood pellets, manufacturers state that they can barely keep up with the demand for these like pieces of wood. Using wood pellets is a classic example of turning sawdust into gold dust! Wood pellets are made from junk leftovers at sawmills and lumber companies, but it’s junk that used to find its way into the landfills. Whereas at one time, people could pick up this junk for free, this is no longer the case because now homeowners are saving money on fuel prices by using these wood pellets.
Another method different homeowners have tried is a form of biofuels. Biofuel, another method for saving money on fuel prices, is come to many in the form of soybeans or rather soybean oil. Soybean oil, when mixed with regular heating oil makes excellent heating oil that’s much better for the environment. This can add up to a lot of money in areas where soybeans are grown regularly.
Saving Money on Fuel with Solar Energy
Everywhere we look we’re seeing and hearing about ways to conserve energy while saving money on fuel prices. For a long time, I would look at some of these conservative energy individuals, listen to them talk, and look at them like they were from another planet. With the high cost of keeping our car fuel tanks full and our homes heated, we’re no longer looking and listening but rather asking questions and trying to find out all we can about saving energy and saving money on fuel prices.
Heating our homes is a major source of fuel consumption, regardless of what type of heat we use. It’s like a big cycle, and it all costs money. One method of saving money on fuel prices that more and more homeowners are using is the use of solar energy.
While some are going with solar energy at a small and slow pace, others are going headfirst with solar homes. Not only are these lucky and smart individuals helping our environment by building green but they are also saving money on fuel prices. In fact, they are saving a lot of money.
If you’re building a home or remodeling your home, a good place to begin saving money on fuel prices is through the use of passive solar energy. Passive solar is described as the use or rejection of direct sunlight to lower the amount of fuel or electricity that is being used to cool or heat the home. The sun is more than just something to warm the air or give us a good tan.
Used effectively, the sun can help warm your home in the winter and cool it in the summer. With the use of certain solar panels and specially designed roof overhangs, the sun will be your best friend year-round while you’re saving money on your fuel prices.
Although it may cost a little more to build your home in a solar energy style, the savings on your fuel bills over the lifetime of your home will more than pay for the project. While all your friends are saying they can barely afford to pay their heating and electric bills, you’ll smile and hope for another sunny day. Although I could write an entirely new chapter on building a solar home, I’m just going to give a few quick tips for solar energy.
For the best chances at saving money on fuel prices, most of your windows on the south side of the home like this where the strongest and longest sun comes from. You’ll want to have a lot of thermal mass such as tile, brick, or block, preferably dark ones, on the south side of the inside. You want it positioned in the home so that the sun can strike it in the wintertime. This mass will absorb the heat and store it during the day and radiate it throughout the room at night.
While this will help you in the winter, during the summer, you should have overhangs on the south and west side of your home to keep your home cooler. These are just a couple of very helpful ways where solar energy can help with saving money on fuel prices.
The Next Generation
What we’re leaving our children and grandchildren as a legacy is not something to brag about. High prices, debt, and bankruptcy, are in the top five of the legacy. Not many have property, money, or other items to leave the children without leaving some high debts.
Leaving them the family car that we worked hard to get will cost them in the long run when it comes to saving money on fuel prices. By that time they may not even be able to drive it, aside from the high fuel prices there is insurance that is mandatory so they may only be able to park it.
Our country has fallen on hard times recently, with banks closing, the government bailing out some of them with money the government doesn’t have, and our country going into a possible recession. These are some of the legacies our children and grandchildren will have from us. Saving money on fuel prices may be the least of their worries.
They have to be able to afford a home, the utilities to run the home, and the insurance for both the home and the car. Then they have to buy groceries. That’s a lot of money they need. And then there’s education which many of them won’t get because they have to work.
We can tell our children and grandchildren the tips to save money on fuel prices and also how to save money on other necessary items, but knowing children, they are not going to listen to us adults. They forget we are going through the same increases in prices on everything as they are.
We hope that their life will be a lot easier than the past was for all of us, but we know that it won’t. They are already learning about saving money on fuel prices. And they feel that they have to have a car. No one rides the buses anymore. And cigarettes, although a bad subject, use to cost .25 cents a package, and that was for the name brands, as there were no generic brands.
We didn’t know then what they would do to the human body, but we can tell them now. Now it costs $5.00 or more a package. That should be more than enough to make you quit smoking, but it isn’t. It is enough to make us worry about our children and grandchildren who smoke.
Then there is the drinking. This is a real concern for our children and grandchildren. Driving under the influence arrests are done, and a phone call from your child or grandchild to come and bail them out scares us. The phone ringing in the middle of the night is the most terrifying thing known. That’s when you hope they haven’t learned anything about saving money on fuel prices and all the kids are riding bikes. That’s when you hope your children and grandchildren are home safely in bed.
Ways of Conserving Energy and Fuel Consumption in your Home
Heating your home doesn’t have to be a living nightmare; it is for so many. While it’s true that heating and fuel costs are at an all-time high, there are some things you can do inside of your home to help with saving money on fuel prices and make your home more energy-efficient.
Sometimes simple things like energy-efficient light bulbs can make a difference in your saving money on fuel prices. Some individuals may scoff and laugh at the idea of different light bulbs saving money on fuel prices. They may see a label on the product that says you’ll save 40 dollars per year on your electric bill and laugh.
Consider how much money you’ll save if you change ten things in your home that will each save you 40 dollars per year. That’s a total savings of 400 dollars. I don’t know about you, but I’d love to have 400 extra dollars in my wallet each year.
With just a little time and thought, there are many ways you can begin saving money on fuel prices with just a few small changes in your home. Including are some efficient energy tips for saving money on fuel prices for heat and electricity:
• Use compact fluorescent light bulbs. If you use rheostat based lights, make sure you use electronic energy-efficient ones.
• Make sure any new electronics and appliances you buy are energy efficient.
• Add the maximum amount of insurance on your walls and ceilings. For maximum efficiency, choose blown cellulose insulation.
• Be sure that all cracks around your window and door frames are sealed and that all doors have insulating strips.
• Use high-performance windows, insulated window shades or drapes, and insulated exterior doors.
• Unless you live in the cold northern climate, your metal roof should be light-colored so that it will reject the heat of the summer sun.
• Get an energy audit to help you determine the most important energy needs in your home and how to meet those needs. In most areas, these audits are free.
• Have a programmable thermostat installed to avoid overheating or overcooling your home.
• Contact a heating assistance program specialist for an energy audit to help determine your energy and heating needs and the best way to meet those needs.
• Use insulated window shades over high-performance windows as well as properly insulated exterior doors.
• Unless you live in the cold northern climate use a metal roof that’s light-colored to reject the high heat from the summer sun.
• Install a programmable thermostat to help you avoid over-cooling or over-heating your home.
Ways to Cut Rising Fuels Costs for your Vehicle
Saving money on fuel prices has become a rising concern for everyone. It is one of the most increasingly important topics today. If the price of oil isn’t high enough already, it seems to be steadily increasing. It will decrease in price one week just to increase more the following week.
Petroleum (gasoline) and diesel expenses are taking up a larger portion of everyone’s budget every day. The more we use, the higher the prices seem to increase. We’ve been told many reasons for the increase in fuel costs, from the effects of global warming on our reserves of oil being used up.
Regardless of the reasons, it’s affecting everyone. Therefore, saving money on fuel prices has been a major concern for everyone. While it is very little, we can do about the rising fuel prices as well as there being some expenses that we can do little about, there are things we can do that will be effective for saving money on fuel prices, especially our vehicles. Some possible ways of saving money on fuel prices with our vehicles include:
• Choosing an economical vehicle
• Choose the most economical fuel
• Shop for the best fuel prices
• Consolidate trips
If you already have a vehicle, it’s not in your best interest to rush out and purchase a new vehicle, but if you’re in the market already, look for an economical vehicle. With the right selection, you can save a lot of money on fuel expenses in addition to other automotive expenses. Although diesel vehicles are around 20% more economical than petrol vehicles, they are also more expensive, so you may not be saving in the long run.
The engine size and type of transmission you choose will also make a difference in your fuel economy. A 4 cylinder car is going to use less fuel than a six-cylinder car and will meet your needs quite well. Although most people, except many young teenagers, prefer automatic transmissions. If you feel you can live with a manual transmission (stick shift), consider making your next car a manual transmission. Both of these choices will contribute to your saving money on fuel prices.
Fuel is constantly rising in price almost every time we go to the pump to fill up. Auto manufacturers will recommend you use premium gas over regular unleaded fuel. Unless you notice a real difference in gas mileage, it’s not worth the extra cost you’ll pay at the pump. Don’t drive 20 miles to save 3 cents on the gallon, but look for the gas station in your town that offers the lowest price.
Consolidating your trips will help in saving money on fuel prices. Unless you have specific appointments on certain days and times, do all your errands at one time. For instance, if you have a medical appointment, allow enough time to do your grocery shopping after the appointment. Plan any of your other errands on the same day.
Ways to Make Your Car as Economical As Possible
Driving our vehicles (cars, trucks, vans, etc.) has become very expensive, especially in recent years. Everything is going up in price, with fuel being the most obvious expense. It seems as though every day the price of fuel increases. Saving money on fuel prices is uppermost in most people’s minds.
You go to the gas station on Monday believing you’ve paid all you could pay only to find out the price increases again the next day. Although for many people, driving is a luxury that they can do at leisure, a majority of the population has to commute to work or school each day.
While some only have to travel a few miles, others have to commute many miles each day. It’s come to the point where many can barely afford to drive to work but need their jobs. Although we’re not going to be able to change the price of operating our vehicles, there are things we can do as individuals that will contribute to saving money on fuel prices.
Taking care of our vehicles and keeping them in tip-top shape is a great start toward saving money on fuel prices. Following are some things we can do to help our fuel economy:
• Give your car a tune-up
• Change the oil as needed
• Change the air filter regularly
• Upgrade your tires
• Maintain proper air pressure in tires
• Get rid of unnecessary items in your car
• Remove racks you don’t need
Too often our cars get neglected with respect to tune-ups, whether it’s the extra expense, not enough time, or many other reasons. The extra time and money spent to give your car a tune-up (spark plugs, spark plug wires, getting air and fuel filters and hoses checked) will be more than made up by the fuel you’ll save.
Too often, filters get overlooked, and a clogged filter can hurt your gas mileage. A vehicle that is not operating as it should is not going to get the best possible gas mileage.
Oil changes are also very important in keeping your vehicle running as smoothly and efficiently as possible. Auto manufacturers recommend regular oil changes every so many mile and it’s not because they have a deal going with the oil companies. It’s because regular oil changes will help your car run as economically as possible.
Tires are very important for your fuel economy. Stay with the size tires recommended for your car regardless of how “cool” those large tires may look. Make sure they are properly inflated as well. Stick with the psi that’s listed on your tire. Under or over-inflated tires will adversely affect your gas mileage.
Unnecessary cargo such as heavy objects you’re carting around, or racks that you don’t need will also affect your fuel economy. Carrying as few items in your car as possible and following these other steps mentioned will go a long way towards saving money on fuel prices.
An Energy Efficient Home Will Use Less Fuel
Fuel costs are at such a high rate that many people find that a good portion of their paychecks is going either into their car’s fuel tank or into their home for heat and other utilities. Fuel is needed almost everywhere we look, even if we don’t realize it. Some of the simple things in our lives that we take for granted are controlled by our usage of fuel.
Our home is the largest source of energy usage. Saving money on fuel prices has become a top priority for many homeowners. We may not have any control over the high price of fuel, but there are ways of saving money on fuel prices. With a little dedication and determination, you can make your home as energy-efficient as possible.
It seems like every time we turn around winter is once again upon us, and with it, the high cost of heating. If your heating bill seems to be higher than you believe it should be or saving money on fuel prices seems difficult, it may be time to give your home an energy efficiency test to see if it’s as efficient as it can be. You may have an energy audit done, but you can still do some tests yourself to determine if there are any leaks in your home where warm air may be escaping.
The first place you can look for heat loss is the space under your front door. There may include other spaces that you can’t see such as where two different materials meet. Look at all your windows and door frames as well as your siding and foundation. If you have any outside gas or electric service entrances, check these out for heat escaping. Most of our electronics like a television, cables, and telephones pass through holes in our walls to make sure there is no excess air escaping.
You can check for small gaps in a couple of ways. At night, take a flashlight and shine over any spots where you feel there may be any gaps or holes. Have someone on the other side check to see if they can see the light. If they can, there are some cracks or holes that need fixing. Another way to check is to shut your doors and windows on a sheet of paper. If you can pull the paper out without the paper ripping, you have a leak.
If you still think you may have some leaks, shut off your heat on a windy day. Make sure all your doors and windows are cold. Turn on any exhaust fan that will blow air outside the home. Walk past any potential holes and draft spots holding an incense stick that’s lit.
If the smoke gets blown into the room or sucked out of the room, you have a draft somewhere. By doing these simple steps yourself, you’ll be on your way to saving money on fuel prices.
Are Tips Followed
Every day we receive some sort of tip. A little tip to a large tip, but do we follow them? It all depends on the tip we receive. And it also depends on who is giving us a tip. Or, how important is the information that you’re getting? One of the important tips of today is saving money on fuel prices. The price of gas has rocketed beyond belief and is still climbing, so any tips on saving money on fuel prices are important.
Some of the tips we receive on saving money on fuel prices include:
● Use the fuel grade that your car calls for, not the highest grade
● Keep your engine in tune
● Make sure tires have the right amount of air; not less and not more
● Try to avoid unnecessary driving-less traffic, less stop and start
● Try to avoid overloading the car with passengers or materials
● Watch your speed. Don’t speed up and then slow down.
● Unload the car for less weight
● Roll down your windows and don’t use an air conditioner if possible
● No fast stepping on the gas to rev your car up
● Idling your engine causes more use of gas
● Try to get more carpools going
These are a few of the tips for saving money on fuel prices. All of them should be implemented when considering the price of gas and how we can save money when running our vehicles. Another way to save money is when you are buying a new vehicle consider one that has better gas mileage.
There are a lot of vehicles that are available now that can save gas with mileage. Toyota and Mazda build some of the cars that get more mileage to the gallon of gas. Driving at a constant speed of 55 mph is also a good gas saver.
Tips could go on forever and ever, as there are so many. But following the tips is the question. Maybe it’s easier to not follow the tips and just complain about the gas prices. It doesn’t take much to follow the tips and get your vehicle in shape. It might even be easier to trade in the gas guzzler for one that is good on gas. Now that is a plan that would work. A new car out of the deal and one that saves money on fuel. Now that’s a tip worth following.
Credit Cards Can Help Save Money on Fuel
Everywhere we look, whether it’s the television, newspaper, or the internet, we’re constantly hearing about fuel and the rising price. It’s almost hard to go to the gas station twice in one week and find the same price both times.
Unfortunately, gasoline is something we all need in our vehicles and homes. We do have some control as to how much fuel we use in our homes, but we have even more control over how much fuel our cars use. What this means is that there are different things we can do to improve our gas mileage and help us with saving money on fuel prices.
We all know this is the day and age of plastic, with more and more people choosing to use credit cards for many of their purchases. With fuel such a large portion of our weekly expenses, many are using credit cards for their fuel at the pump. If you’re going to be using credit cards for your fuel purchases, be selective about the type of credit cards you choose. Some will help in saving money on fuel prices.
Gas rebate credit cards are very popular today because of the rebates they give you at the gas pump. While some are selective as to which gas stations you have to get your gas from to receive the rebates, others will give you the rebates at any gas station. Some of these credit cards will give rebates of up to 10%.
These rebates will give you money back, thus contributing to saving money on fuel prices. Some of these gas rebate cards will also give you 5% rebates for purchases at the grocery stores and 1% on other purchases. Saving money on fuel prices has never been so much fun as with the new gas rebate cards.
Saving money on fuel prices through gas rebate cards may come in two different forms or credit cards. The two types of gas rebate cards are those affiliated with a gas company while the other type is general rewards cards.
The gas rebate cards from the gas company will generally give you more generous rebates, but you’ll only get the entire rebate if you buy your gas at one of their gas affiliates. The general rebate cards will give you rewards or rebates on purchases of gas, pharmacy, items, groceries, etc. The percentage of rebates varies by card.
Although gas rebate cards work great for saving money on fuel prices, there are things you need to keep in mind when applying for these cards. Get the cards that offer you the longest-term value in terms of rewards or rebates as opposed to those that only give rebates for a short amount of time.
Saving money on fuel prices through gas rebate cards will be futile if your card charges a high amount of interest. So always, get the card with the best interest rate as well, such as a low or 0% introductory rate as well as a low interest after the introductory period.
Drivers in Panic to Save Money on Soaring Fuel Prices
There does not appear to be any relief in sight for the pain at the gas pump.
Experts on saving money on fuel prices recommend:
• Drivers make sure that their car tires are properly inflated to get the most miles out of a tank of gas.
• Drivers try not to stack anything on top of their car. If heading on a trip or moving, packing anything on the roof of the vehicle will create an extra weight that works against the gas mileage.
• Drivers can save money on fuel prices by sticking with regular unleaded gas.
There are many easy ways you can reduce your gas consumption, keep cash in your pocket, and be a better contributor to the environment.
Use public transportation. Ride the bus, ride your bike, or walk.
Combine errands and walk between stops. Can you go to the grocery store and the post office on one trip rather than two? Can you walk from the pharmacy to the tailor without re-parking?
Slow it down. If you are driving, remember the faster you go, the faster you burn fuel. And rapid acceleration is a big gas burner, too. Use cruise control when you can on the highway.
Keep your tires well-inflated. Inflated tires help you get better gas mileage. It’s good to check your tires at least once per month.
Keep it light. Remove any unneeded weight from the car. Your fuel efficiency is highest when your vehicle is light and aerodynamic. Also, remove any car racks you’re not using as they create drag.
Try to park in the shade. Gasoline evaporates out of your tank and sitting in the hot sun speeds up that process. Parking in the shade also keeps it cooler inside, and you will need less air conditioning to cool off when you get back in.
If you’re in the market for a car, please consider a low or no-emissions vehicle. A hybrid can be a good option, or you can get diesel and then use biodiesel fuel.
Or what about a motorcycle or scooter instead of a car? These two-wheel options are much cheaper than cars, and they often get 70 mpg or better. You’ll save a ton of money on fuel prices over a car. Gas prices just seem to be getting higher and higher, no matter where you live, so saving money on fuel prices is important.
Driving Smart Can Save You Fuel
Saving money on fuel prices is a growing concern for all of us with the high cost of fuel for both our homes and our vehicles. While we can’t change the prices at the gas pump, we can adjust or change our driving habits to get the most mileage out of our dollar.
Planning all your trips can avoid unnecessary stops or backtracking, which can waste gas and time. Plan every place you need to stop before leaving your home so you can make the trip as efficiently as possible. Often taking back roads will save fuel because you’re not going to be getting stuck in traffic jams or traffic lights. If you have a GPS (global positioning system), consider using it as it works great towards saving money on fuel prices because it will tell you the shortest and most efficient route.
Remember that stops and hills will affect your gas mileage so if you don’t have to, don’t. If you’re forced to drive in areas with traffic lights, drive accordingly. If you slow down somewhat, you’ll be able to avoid stopping altogether.
The little amount you’ll have to speed up later won’t use near the gas that coming to a complete stop and restarting will use. While you’re driving, try to maintain as consistent a speed as possible. If possible, use your cruise control even if you’re going up or down a hill. Accelerating quickly and hard braking is very hard on gas mileage.
If at all possible, avoid idling. Idling will give you 0 miles per gallon so don’t do it. If you’re stopping at a restaurant, you will be saving money on fuel prices by turning your car off and going into the restaurant as opposed to idling in the drive-through.
You can also avoid idling by watching the stoplights ahead of you so you’ll be able to drive through them instead of stopping and starting. You’ll waste more gas by speeding up just to have to stop when you get there. When you’re forced to stop, accelerate slowly when you take off.
As miserable as the hot weather can be when you’re driving, avoid using the air conditioning except when you’re on the highway. If you’re driving at low speeds, keep your window open. Although many believe this will increase drag and lower your fuel economy, using your AC at low speeds uses more fuel.
Park in the shade if at all possible. Believe it or not, gas will evaporate out of the tank at a much faster rate when you’re parked directly in the sun, regardless of the season. Also, parking in the shade will keep your car cooler so you won’t need the air conditioning so quickly, another great tip for saving money on fuel prices is safe driving.
Everything Is So Expensive
The cost of everything has gone up; groceries, clothing, toiletries, and so much more. Saving money on fuel prices goes much further than just the domestics that we go through.
Saving money on fuel prices goes to our trucking industry, airplanes, and even trains. The price of our daily needs is going up because the price of gas is going up over the whole spectrum.
We need groceries, which are brought in by trucking, which requires gas to truck them in. The gas for the trucks has gone up extremely high, and so have our groceries. Gas is now almost $5.00 a gallon, so a loaf of bread is now $2.25 a loaf. It’s hard to figure out how the prices are figured out, but we don’t question it, we just accept it.
The same is true for our clothing. It’s brought in by truck so clothing goes up due to the price of gas. We find places to buy inexpensive things, like Wal-Mart. But then you have to figure that they have their trucks to bring things in, so the cost to them may be a little less, and that is passed on to the consumer.
So the trucks have to keep on rolling, but sometimes they don’t, and that makes things go even higher in price. A trucking strike due to the price of gas would be horrific in this day and age. We couldn’t handle any trucking of items that are usually brought in by truck. Trains would have to be used to transport the groceries needed and the clothes as well. Prices would go extremely high and affording groceries or clothes would be an impossibility.
Many unemployed men and women are now learning to drive big rigs and applying to different companies to become truck drivers. They know it’s a continual job and they will be hauling groceries and other items to the American people who need them. Truck drivers are a respected breed for what they do.
We grow what we can for our family, but we still depend on the trucks. When grocery shopping we try to do a week’s worth at a time, but can’t always work it out that way. Buying clothing can become a sometimes thing, or you can buy them at Goodwill where you can afford them. It can become impossible to afford clothes. They are not considered a necessity like groceries are.
So, what it comes down to is appreciating those trucks even if they do cut you off, or are too slow. If you honk at them, make it because you appreciate them, not because they are annoying you and making you angry.
Fuel Prices Skyrocketing: What’s a Driver to Do
You can maximize your fuel price savings by changing the way you drive.
Did you know that simple steps like inflating your tires and keeping your engine tuned can help you save money on gas fuel prices?
Are you taking advantage of coupons available for discounts on gas? Have you considered creating an official website so you and your coworkers can carpool to work?
Did you know there could be an advantage to buying gas at a certain time on a particular day of the week?
With rising gas fuel prices, you may wonder if there’s a cheaper alternative to gas. The average homeowner or small business owner doesn’t realize that using renewable energy technology can save you money in the long run on fuel prices.
As most people are well aware, the price of gas is skyrocketing in the US and Canada.
Even though it looks like high gas fuel prices are here to stay for a while, there are many things we can all do to save money on gasoline expenses. The best part is, not only will they save you money on fuel price expenses. Most of them are good habits that will improve your vehicle’s performance and longevity.
Here’s how to improve your car to increase fuel mileage to save money on fuel prices. There are a lot of little things you can do to your car that will help improve gas mileage. The best part is, most of them are part of routine maintenance and should be done anyway.
Properly inflate your tires. The firmer your tires, the more easily they roll across the pavement. Inflate them to the manufacturer’s specifications which are located on the inside of the driver side door. Be sure to check your air pressure at least 1-2 times a month, or more if the weather changes temperature often.
Remove excess weight. Get rid of things you don’t need to haul around. Extra weight equals extra fuel.
Change filters. Your air filter and fuel filter affect your gas mileage. In general, dirty filters equal lower mileage.
Keep your tires aligned. Tires that are out of alignment can cause damage to your tires, suspension, and alignment system, and decrease fuel efficiency.
Here’s how to save money by driving with fuel efficiency in mind. Accelerate smoothly. Hard starts and stops use a lot more fuel than gradually accelerating.
Getting the Most Fuel for your Dollar
As much as we all wish we didn’t have to drive cars because of the high cost of fuel, unless we want to walk or ride bicycles everywhere we go, we have little choice. Therefore, saving money for fuel prices has become of utmost importance to all of us. Since fuel for our cars takes up so much of our income each month, saving money on fuel prices can put a lot of money back in our pockets where it belongs.
One method of saving money on fuel prices that are appealing to many is the use of hybrid cars. I know you think of flowers and plants when you hear the word hybrid. The word hybrid is used with plants to signify that they are top of the line.
The same can be said about hybrid cars. While there are many things that make them unique, their ability to help save money on fuel prices is what makes them the most popular among consumers.
Saving money on fuel prices is what hybrid cars do because they use an electric motor along with a gas engine. Hybrid cars are any cars that use at least two different sources of their power. Hybrid cars are considered some of the greatest inventions by those in the automotive industry as well as owners of cars.
Before you rush out and purchase the first hybrid car, make sure you learn all you can learn about hybrid cars and what you can expect besides saving money on fuel prices. However, if good fuel economy is your top priority, you may want to start looking at hybrid cars for your next vehicle.
Hybrid has many advantages over our traditional gas engine vehicles, at the very least is there giving us help in saving money on fuel prices. Because less gas is being used because of the electric motor, the vehicle is driving much more energy-efficient, which makes it more efficient in terms of cost as well as helpful to our environment because of the decreased amount of gas emissions.
Some of the new hybrid cars made by Toyota and Honda have been given excellent reviews. Toyota Prius is said to have an mpg of 45 on the highway and 48 in the city, although drivers have stated their mileage to be anywhere from 31 to 61 mpg. The Prius is considered one of the most environmentally-friendly vehicles.
Tax credits for those buying hybrid cars have been another incentive for considering these unique energy-efficient vehicles. Each credit is different depending on the hybrid you purchase. If you’re considering a hybrid for your next vehicle, among other factors, look for the one with the best ability to help in saving money on fuel prices.
Heating Your Home For Less
With the high cost of fuel for our cars and our homes, everyone is looking for ways of saving money on fuel prices. Whether it’s our cars or our homes, fuel is taking a huge chunk out of our paychecks. Even with the many fuel assistance programs offered by the government to help individuals in different states, people are still having difficulty paying the cost of fuel. Home heating is the major source of fuel consumption and a large one for many families and individuals.
Fuel companies take into consideration the high cost of fuel as well as being a necessity in our lives. Unlike many luxuries that we can eliminate to save money, we need heat in our homes. Although we may learn ways of saving money on fuel costs, we still can’t eliminate them.
Fuel companies offer many options to help customers in saving money on fuel prices. By taking advantage of these options and special offers, you can save a considerable amount on your heating bill. Some of the special offers fuel companies may include:
• Cash Discounts Customers that pay for their gas when it is delivered will get a discount on the price per gallon.
• Annual Fill Gas companies may also offer a discount per gallon to customers that have their tanks filled up each year as opposed to only getting a small amount at a time.
• Customer Contracting When you are a customer with a certain gas company, you’ll automatically get a discount on your fuel.
• Pre-Pay Program This program is for recurring customers or customers that can prove how much fuel they’ve used the previous year. The customer has to pay for the entire year’s worth of fuel before the heating season begins. They are given a price per gallon based on the current price. Customers on the pre-pay program will get a discount per gallon off the total price of their annual fuel bill.
• Budget Pay Plan This program takes allows you to make monthly payments on your fuel bill with the first payment starting before the current heating season begins. The price per gallon the customer pays is the current price of gas. The customer is offered a discount per gallon on each gallon of gas they use. The customer is locked in at this price regardless of how the fuel price may fluctuate during the heating season.
• Keep Full Program This program offers customers cents off each gallon of gas they use as long as they get their tank filled up each time their delivery person delivers gas there.
Although some of these discounts may only appear to be a couple of cents per gallon, saving money on fuel prices is possible with any of these programs. Some of the programs can be used in conjunction with other ones, increasing the savings even more, such as Keep Full Program and Budget Pay. Ten cents per gallon savings on a home that uses 1,000 gals of gasoline annually means a savings of one hundred dollars.
Gas Prices – I Remember When
Saving money on fuel prices fifty years ago wasn’t as hard as it is today, but it was still hard. Five dollars in the gas tank was to last until the next paycheck. That was almost a full tank of gas. There weren’t as many cars on the road fifty years ago, and there weren’t many freeways.
The few cars that were considered gas guzzlers were those that were V-8s and large cars. And, when there were gas wars, gas went down, and five dollars was too much for a tank of gas. But, you were lucky if you had an old car to put gas in.
Riding the buses and walking was something that everyone did and no one was surprised by it. Groceries were priced at reasonable prices. People complained when the price of bread went to .25 cents and milk went to .40 cents a gallon. Movies were .10 cents for Saturday Matinee for the kids to go to. And television was a real treat in black and white, for a few hours a day. Times have certainly changed in fifty years.
Wages are higher, but not much, from fifty years ago and the cost of living is extremely higher. You could rent a two-bedroom house for $25.00, and now that same two-bedroom house will cost $850 – $950 a month to rent.
You could buy a two-bedroom home fifty years ago for $3,000 – 5,000 dollars and now that same two-bedroom house will cost you $150,000 – $250,000 and a 30 fixed mortgage. And, a new car fifty years ago would cost you $1,200 – $3,000, but now a new car will cost you $9,000 – $32,000 depending on the car you are buying.
With all these high prices today, saving money on fuel prices is very important in budget planning. Who could have seen what was going to happen in fifty years? Wages are higher, but jobs are few and far between so unemployment goes up.
Groceries are higher, and people can’t afford them, so the government established food stamps for those in need. Rent is higher, so again the government stepped in and found welfare for those in need. Now, it has become easy for some who just want to collect money for doing nothing.
Looking at the last fifty years, makes us fear what the next fifty years will be like. We could never have predicted what would happen over the last fifty and we can’t predict what will happen over the next fifty years. We might have a good idea but can’t say for sure.
Importance – Saving Money
During our lifetime we have to learn to prioritize important things. Sometimes they don’t seem important, but as part of our everyday life, they are very important. From the time we’re old enough to know what we’re supposed to do, from the rules our parents lay down for us, until our death, we have things that are of importance for us to do.
They may seem minor to others but to us are important and should be important to all. These can include:
● Do our homework
● Clean our room
● Be home on time
Then as we get older, the important changes:
● Do our college homework
● Clean our dorm room
● Get to work on time
Now we are full-grown and going into the world as educated adults. Unfortunately, the world has changed more than we have:
● Save Money
● Pay the bills on time
● Keep all insurance, including health, auto, and home, up to date
● Get the kids to school on time
● Get to work on time
● Buy a car with good gas mileage
● Start saving money on fuel prices
With all the running around that is done gas mileage is very important and saving money on fuel prices is a must. With gas at the price, it is now, it can cut into your budget real quick, and then bills become late, or your home goes into foreclosure because you can’t make the payments. Utilities are cut off, and life has become miserable.
This has happened to so many people. Banks have closed, and the government is bailing out a few of them at very high costs. You’ve lost your job and are on the unemployment line and receiving food stamps and welfare. Now you can’t even save to put gas in the car to look for a job.
● Prioritize your life as to what is most important
● Family First
Saving money on fuel prices is important as not having money for gas can cause numerous other problems in your life.
Planning for your future is important so that you can meet those unexpected costs head-on with no fear. That’s where the savings come in from the time you’re a teenager. The money has gained interest which helps.
Having savings to use instead of credit cards is a big plus in your future. Credit cards put you further in debt, but a savings account has the money right there for you. This is part of prioritizing your life and doing it ahead of time.
Learning about Energy Efficiency Ratings Can Help You Save Fuel
Saving money on fuel prices is something everyone is trying to do. Whether it’s in our home or our car, fuel is costing us a fortune with little relief in sight. With so many other expenses we have to deal with, saving money on fuel prices is a great way to give us all some extra money each month. Everywhere we look today we hear about going green and buying energy efficiency appliances. Saving money on fuel prices and energy efficient appliances seem to be synonymous with each other.
Appliances today are rated with an energy efficiency number to tell consumers how environmentally friendly and economical they are. The more energy efficient the appliance, the better at saving money on fuel prices we’ll be over time. Many people buy new appliances that have the tag that says they are energy efficient without fully understanding how efficient the appliance is.
Most appliances that are energy efficient today will have the Energy Star label. These Energy Star appliances either are built with energy saving features or exceed the federal standards for energy consumption. Here are a few tips on what to look for when purchasing energy efficient appliances.
Seasonal Energy Efficiency Rating or SEER is the term used to measure efficiency in central air conditioners. A unit of a SEER of 12 or more is good as the higher, the better.
Energy Efficiency Rating or EER is used for room air conditioners and, once again, the higher the number, the more efficient the air conditioner is going to be. Make sure you fit the air conditioner into the room. If you choose a small air conditioner for a very large room, it’s going to be running nonstop regardless of how efficient of a model it may be. A room of 400 square feet will require a 9000 BTU air conditioner, for example.
Energy Factor or EF is what is used to determine the efficiency of washing machines. This number is telling you how many complete cycles your washer will run on one kilowatt-hour of electricity. While Energy Star washers are 2.5, the federal standard is 1.18. Use these numbers as your guidelines.
Energy Factor or EF is also used for dishwashers as it indicates how many complete cycles will be run by the dishwasher on one kilowatt-hour of electricity. Look for 0.52 or higher.
Refrigerators and freezers will require small numbers for more efficiency. This number tells the number of kilowatt-hours of electricity the appliance will consume in a year.
Learning About Different Hybrid Cars for Saving Fuel
We’ve heard a lot about hybrid cars in recent years in the public’s attempt at saving money on fuel prices. With fuel prices so high and increasing daily in cost, individuals are constantly looking for ways to cut down on their fuel consumption while still maintaining their current driving habits. One way that many are looking to help with saving money on fuel prices is the newest addition to the automotive industry, which is the hybrid car.
The hybrid car has been around for over ten years but has just recently been more publicized due to the high cost of fuel. Everyone on the highway is looking for ways to use less fuel. For many, this is by purchasing a hybrid car. The difference between a hybrid car and the traditional car that’s been around forever is the electric motor the hybrid possesses as a supplement to the gas engine.
The main components of the hybrid car are the gasoline engine, fuel tank, electric motor, generator, and batteries. Although the gasoline engine and fuel tanks are similar in both cars, the batteries, generator, and electric motor are what make the hybrid different. The batteries and electric motor keep each other charged and going, while the generator contributes as well.
Another of the great inventions in the automotive industry to help with saving money on fuel prices is the plugin of the hybrid car. Imagine plugging in your car at night in the same manner as you would plug in your cell phone to keep it charged. Ever wonder how they work to save fuel and money?
A typical hybrid car has an electric motor that helps the gasoline engine. The motor helps the car store energy in a battery pack. This energy replaces the energy that we use when we brake and accelerate. In this way, the car doesn’t need gasoline for this motion. When the car is stopped, the electric motor keeps the vehicle going. These are with the typical hybrid vehicles, which stop charging when the vehicle is shut down for the day.
Plug-in hybrids allow for recharging the battery pack with a regular 110-volt household electrical outlet. An advantage of the plugin is that it can go for a long period before it needs help from the gasoline engine as opposed to the traditional hybrid which may only go a short distance before the gas engine needs to kick in and help the electric motor. With this technology, saving money on fuel prices is even more possible.
The hybrid offers another advantage besides its excellent fuel economy, which is that hybrid cars reduce tailpipe emissions. This is a huge plus for our environment.
