Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

[meenah]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

i dont drive. my employer offers a discount for city bus passes. i pay $17 a month ($5 off the regular) if i need to go places on sundays i am usually with others who give me a ride. or i stay home.. or ride my bike. i can bike to the stores and back in about 30 mins total. to my moms house and back in an hour. great excersize.
i have a rolling backpack from when i was in college for when i grocery shop but if i buy too much, a cab from walmart to my house is $6 one way. (bus there cab home) i have only needed to do this once.
taking the bus to and from work does exend my day about 2 hours. but i use the time on the bus to relax, i read or play games on my cell phone.
i dont pay insurance, i dont pay for gas, for car payment or upkeep.

[sdc2027]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

I bought a scooter for travelling to work. Even if I only ride it once a week, that is time not driving the car. Also need to look into getting bikes for local places to bike to - store for milk/bread

[katwoman]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

Nice thread quiznut!

Here's a variation on the same theme from a favorite poster of mine:

http://deals.families.com/save-12-on-gas-plus-25-statement-credit-with-speedway-chase-credit-platinum-card,t7209

[sakigt]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

I have local gas stations that sell premium at the plus price on the weekends.

So I wait until the weekend to fill up. Saves me $.10 a gallon

[boefixepa]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

I drive as little as possible and my boss fills up my car every now and again.

I make sure I keep the oil changed, the tires rotated, and I'm not carrying around extra weight. (Dog food or cat liter in the trunk unusally.)

I buy gas at Costco - 10 -15 cents less than the going rate - boss pays for membership.

I pay with my AMEX so I get cash back on that, plus the little interest I earn holding on to my money for another month....

Other than that I haven't found any more that I can do. We do not have the store you mentioned around here, but you have a good system for you...keep it up.

[Ima saver]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

At least the price of oil went down today. My dh only wants me to buy BP/Amoco. He insists that it the best gas.

[Mathew Green]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

Here's a simple method that works for me: Under normal circumstances, when my gas gauge gets below a certain level I buy $20 of gas. That means I buy fewer gallons on days when the price is up and more gallons when the price is down, so on average I pay less than the average price for my gas (if you see what I mean).

I also keep an eye on the advertised gas prices at the four stations I pass on my way to work. When prices are especially low I stop on the way home and fill my tank all the way up, but when they are especially high I put off buying gas and reduce my purchase to $10 in anticipation of prices dropping a few cents within a week or so.

My gas tank only holds 14 gallons and I drive less than 200 miles a week, so the dollar amounts quoted above will need to be adjusted to fit individual circumstances, but the basic principle remains the same: Spending the same number of dollars each time will get you fewer gallons when the price is high, more when it's low, resulting in a lower overall average price.

[Ima saver]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

The prices seem to be going down this week. It will be the first time I have paid under $3 a gallon in a long time. I drive slowly and watch my acceleration! My mother's car use to have a light that came on when you were wasting gas.

[cklballs]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

I attempt to go to do my chores within the same locations of the city. If I want to do something or shop and I have an appointment on that side of town that week, I'll wait to get it done. It saves time and money. I also ask my husband to do it if he's on that sound of town.

[twinsmommy]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

I am saving almost 25% on my gas right now. I work next to a Costco which always has the cheapest gas in the area. I stop several times a week for gas and use my BofA 'keep the change' debit card. I buy $4.01 in gas each time.

$5.00 is debited from my checking account (.99 is transferred to savings 'keep the change promotion')
BofA matches my .99 cents in my savings account

I just paid $3.02 for $4.01 in gas. Plus the $1.98 (my keep the change and the bank's match) are in my savings account which adds up during the month.

This will only work for me during the next two months because the promotional match is the first 3 months only. Then the match drops to 5%.

[cklballs]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

Thanks for the info. Can anyone get the Bofa card or discount?

[mom-from-missouri]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

I find myself starting the vehicle, then telling my kids to sit down and buckle up-sometimes it takes over a minute. I am sure that idle engine gas consumption adds up. I am now trying to get them to buckle up before I start the engine.
This morning I paid $2.26 a gallon for reg. diesel has also gone down-its $2.48.

[Ima saver]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

I heard if a car idles over 30 seconds, you are wasting gas. When i go to the drive thru at my bank, I turn the car engine off and sit there.

[geojen]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

Does no one like to save on their gas? I'm sorry, I'm just surprised with gas shooting up a couple days ago that this subject isn't more talked about. Not that I'm trying to promote my own subject, but I have some reason to believe it carries importance. Has anyone else ever done what I mentioned above?

My husband and I just starting doing it. Luckily for us, there are tons of Speedways around where we live. We were planning on buying the 50 dollar gift card because right now, they are also offering 1000 bonus points , so there you go. Even more incentive.

[geojen]

Re: Best way to save on gas (in my mind)

At least the price of oil went down today. My dh only wants me to buy BP/Amoco. He insists that it the best gas.

According to an article in this month's consumer reports, the only difference between brands of gas is a minute amount of additives they put in to differeniate between companies. It makes no practical difference to consumers.

Another helpful tip from CR this month: When gas prices are low, chain companies like BP or marathon will probably have lower prices because they can discount more deeply (they own the supply) but when gas prices are high, independents not tied to a company can shop around for the lowest rate, and therefore will probably have the lowest prices.