The first step is admitting you are a computer geek, the second, using it to your advantage. When I need to do anything from painting a room, re-caulking tile or create the perfect cake, I go to my computer first. Here is what I learned from ten minutes of “Google searching:”
1. Buy your gas in the early morning or late evening. I don’t know much about science, but various websites agree that gas is denser at a cooler temperature, so when you fill up when it’s cooler, you’ll get a better deal. The gas pumps measure the volume of the gas not the density. This makes no sense to me, but, I’m trying it.
2. Pay for your gas wisely. cash is the best way to go, but gas credit cards will give you incentives. But if you don’t pay them off every month, the needless interest charges make the gas even more expensive. The Wal-Mart Gift Card will save you three cents per gallon at the Murphy’s station.
3. Get the most for your money. This is a new one to me. You can get more gas for your money (up to a half cup) if you turn the nozzle 180 degrees after you pump. Why? When you are filling up your tank, some gas remains in the nozzle. You paid for it, so, dump it into your tank instead of wasting it.
4. Multi-task.We all know this, but it bears reminding to do all your errands wisely to avoid costly driving back and forth, something that most moms like me are famous for. Find a way to get all of your errands done in one trip. If your kid forgets something, it’s a lesson to them that it just isn’t worth the gas to go back home.
5. Shop around for gas. But, not drive around- use that computer. Type in “Hartsville SC gas prices" into your search engine to find prices of gas locally. This is a good one: www.motortrend.com/gas_prices/33/south_carolina/darlington/hartsville/index.html
6. Plan your trip. The AAA folks have a great site to plan your gas costs for longer trips; http://www.fuelcostcalculator.com/TripGasprice.aspx. This may be the deciding factor on how far you want to travel this summer for vacation.
7. Monitor your tires. Under- inflated tires or poorly aligned wheels waste fuel by forcing the engine to work harder to push the vehicle and its contents.
8. Remove unused items from your vehicle. Less weight means better gasoline mileage.
9. Observe speed limits. Speeding decreases your miles per gallon, as does sudden accelerations. Be a calm driver with plenty of room between you and the car ahead of you to keep from having to brake quickly, and use cruise control when driving on the highway.
10. Avoid excessive engine idling. Turn off the engine while waiting for friends and family and avoid drive-thru for this reason. Park and walk in!
11. Use windows and air conditioning wisely. Avoid using your air conditioner in heavy, stop-and-go traffic such as traffic jams or holiday weekend backups. There is some controversy whether you save more gas by not using your air-conditioning vs. driving with the windows down all the time. Some say the “drag” of the windows down costs more than the AC, but the same is true for the other side- at higher speeds, it’s pennies both ways. Use your own comfort level on this choice; it may be worth the money to arrive to your destination in more comfort. Men’s Health magazine lists 35 mph as the speed at which it is more fuel efficient to roll up the windows and turn on the AC.
12. Maintain your engine. You can maximize your gas mileage by having a smoothly running engine. Replace filters, fluids, and have your engine checked out regularly.
13. Coast whenever possible. Let off of the gas pedal when driving downhill. Coasting into stop signs and red lights, rather than hard braking.
14. Carpool!
15. Make sure that the gas cap securely tightened. Gas can evaporate easily.
16. When you are car shopping, look for one with better gas mileage- this is not going to get better.
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