High Gas Prices - Paying
Less at the Pump
Gas prices continue to soar to unheard of levels.
Between the war in the Gulf to natural disasters close to home, we continue to
pay more and more at the pumps. With the average gallon hovering around $3.00
a gallon (more or less, depending on location) it is more important than ever
for consumers to conserve on their gas guzzling. Below, we share five of the
top ways to take the bite out of filling up the family truckster this season:
Carpooling - Sharing a ride with someone
can cut your (and their) gas bills in half; more if you can include more than
one other person. Carpools aren't just for commuting to the office any more,
think outside of the box and see if you can carpool with a neighbor for
shopping trips, driving to church, and other errands.
Can't find a carpool buddy? Check with
eRideShare.com and see if
you can get matched up with someone in your neighborhood.
Telecommute - Employers understand the gas
crunch as well as everyone else. We are seeing more and more telecommuting
then ever before as employees choose to stay home a day or two a week instead
of making the daily pilgrimage to the office.
With connecting software and remote control
desktops, employees are able to access their pc's from the comfort of the own
home and employers are finding that people are just as productive, if not
more, while the work is being done from home by staff in their pj's.
Combining Trips - How often do you run an
errand? How many times to you run out just to go to the bank, the grocery
store, the post office, or, ack!, the gas station. Now, how many of those
trips could have been combined to have been done all at once? By combining
trips you save miles, and, as you know, miles equals money.
You should try to make it a rule to never run an
errand unless you can kill two birds with one stone. Hold off on that trip to
the store until you have to do out for something else. Or, stop at the bank on
your way home from work instead of making a special trip during your lunch
hour.
Just beware of making up excuses to go somewhere
else just so you can run an errand, such as deciding to eat out at lunch just
because you need to run to the beauty parlor. That is defeating the purpose of
saving money.
Car Maintenance - Keeping your car well
maintained goes a long way to conserving your fuel economy. By keeping your
vehicle properly tuned, lubricated (oil change), and proper tire pressure, you
can save a bundle each year on fuel.
Also, by keeping your air conditioner off, avoid
driving with the windows down at high speeds, and keeping the outside of your
vehicle free of obstruction that can make it less than aerodynamic (such as
luggage racks and such) can also contribute to your cars gas mileage.
Shop Around - One of the best and most
popular ways to save at the gas pumps is... get ready for this... to pay less!
By shopping around for the best gas prices you are saving right off of the
top. Ask your friends, co-workers and neighbors where they have seen the
cheapest prices. Also, you can check certain websites, such as
gasbuddy.com, to compare gas
prices without leaving your home (you can do this while in your pj's when your
supposed to be telecommuting!).
A couple notes of caution though: when you find a
cheap gas price online, call first to ensure that it is still that price and
if they plan on changing any time soon. Gas prices can fluctuate several times
a day and may not be immediately updated online. Also, be conscience of how
far you have to drive to save on gas. Driving 50 miles to save 10 cents a
gallon may not be the wisest thing to do.
