Click before you fill up – check out online gas prices before you head to the pump. Gas Buddy and MapQuest Gas Prices are two good places to start.

Get gas at the store – In my neighborhood, we have some grocery stores that also have corresponding gas stations. If you swipe your store card at the pump you save 10% on your total purchase and score points towards free gas. Check around and see if you can get deals like this  – BUT make sure it adds up. If the store pumps charge a lot more than another gas station the discounts may not add up.

Roll up the windows – I actually hate driving with my windows up. I pretty much drive with them down year round, but it’s not smart money wise. Your drag is decreased when you roll up, which means you save gas.

Don’t idle - Besides being bad for the environment, idling is bad on the wallet. Why waste gas? If you’re not moving for over a minute, turn the car off.

Declutter the car – Having lots o’ junk in your trunk (wow- that sounded bad) is no good if you happen to be a car. Extra stuff weighs down a car and increases the gas you use.

[image via stock.xchng]

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

By cutting my workweek down to 4 days a week instead of the usual 5, I am surprised at the amount of gas I save. I do recognize the BLESSING! As a matter of fact I began working at an animal shelter in my neighborhood on those Fridays that I am off and I love it!

I also watch my speed. Unfortunately with the temperament of most drivers, slowing down can be dangerous too!”

~ Linda

Not a bad idea if you ask me.

I used to work for a large multinational bank and I handle Datacenter operations. I have 4 people under me that covers 3 shifts 24 x 7. What my staff sometimes do is that on certain occations, one staff can do double shift and he earns a day off. So he worked 4 days one of which is double shift, and on the 5th day (his day off), another person will cover 2 shifts, so the next week, this second person works only 4 days, and so on.
They were able to save on gas, parking fee, and the cost of their lunch.

It doesn’t have to be a doubleshift, you could probably put in an additional 2 hours a day to earn a day off. Ask your boss but before you do, find out why a 4 day work week be beneficial for him or your company? What good would it do for them? If you can provide a suitable reason, then you have a big chance of getting a 4 day work week.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy

I just saw a segment in Discovery Channel’s Mythbusters where they were testing the effects of driving a pickup truck with the tailgate down vs. driving with the tailgate up.

To test this, what they did is they rented out 2 identical pickup trucks. It carried the same weight, and loaded with a full tank of gas. They drove the car the same way, using cruise control and not much acceleration. They both run at the same speed all throughout the trip.

The result, the pickup truck with the tail gate down ran out of gas first while the other pickup truck ran about 30 miles more.

Scientifically, they’ve discussed why the difference. It has something to do with an increase in drag if the tail gate is down.

So, if you are driving a pickup truck, always keep your tailgate up to save on gas.

Post from: Thrifty Mommy