10 Ways to Save Money on Gasoline!

So you may have noticed that your wallet is a little lighter that usual after you filled you car with gas this week. Yup,this is the time of year when gas prices usually rise both in the Canada, and in the U.S. This is partly due to maintenance being scheduled by oil refineries in preparation for the summer months, which basically means that they have to slow or stop production for a while. A fire in an oil refinery didn't help much either In my part of Canada the prices have rose 10 to 15 cents in the last week or two.

OK, enough rambling Kev! Get on with the Tips!

Here you go: here's some tips on how to keep some of your hard in cash in your pocket!
(I know some of these are obvious but it never hurts to refresh the memory).

1. Check your tire Pressure
If your tires are low, you use more gas to get and keep your vehicle moving.

2. Don't Idle!
If you live a region of the world where it's cold in the winter (like -10 to -40 Celsius) you'll have to let yo car warm up (unless you have a good garage to park in). Don't let it run too long! Five minutes max. If you are waiting to pick someone up or have to stop for a few minutes, shut the vehicle off. I just learned this one. I was letting my truck warm up for 15-20 minutes because I had to take my 16 month old son to daycare. We had a real bad cold spell with about two weeks of -30 degrees Celsius. I was being over cautious. I started leaving it for 5 minutes and it was fine. Not fully warm but it doesn't take long once the car is moving. I saved around $10 -$20 a week.


3. Find a nearby gas station with a good discount incentive.
Most gas stations have incentives to bring in customers. You know, "become a member and receive 3.5 cents off per litre. These are mostly market tracking schemes to track what you are buy but hey a deal is a deal. My wife and I just signed up at a Co-Op gas station. You buy 5 common shares in their capital stock and they send you a cheque at the end of the year. My parents got a cheque for around $290 in January. Important: Don't drive too far out of your way for a goo deal. You'll just waste your savings in gas.

4. Drive the speed limit and watch the acceleration.
I know that's no fun, but you really will save yourself some gas. You'll also waste more gas if you constantly accelerate fast. Basically, drive nice.

5. Check you air filter.
Clogged air filters restrict the intake of air and effect the performance of a vehicle. Which means....? More fuel consumption.

6. Get rid of unnecessary weight.
Make sure you don't have anything heavy in your trunk. Do keep your spare tire though (-:

7. Turn off the heat/air conditioner
These make your engine work harder so turn them off if you can. If you can't, try turning them off for a few minutes every now and then.

8. Get a tune up
Get that oil and those spark plugs changed. Take it in and tune it up. You'll be amazed at how much better a car will run. That means burning less fuel.

9. Take the other vehicle.
This one is a no brainer! If you can, take the car that is cheaper on gas. If your family has to use both vehicles then who ever is going the furthest distance should take the car that's better on gas.

10. Take the bus.
When I was was a research assistant for the Government, I had to work downtown. It would cost about $6.00 a day to park. That's a lot of money. $30 a week to be exact (not to mention the gas it took to get there). It's a win win situation. You can even try it for 2 days a week!

Bonus Tip: Walk
Not only will you use no gas, but you'll do your body some good as well.

Well that's it folks!

Let me know if I missed any.