Cut Down Your Fuel Expenses

We’ve all got to drive to get from point A to point B. And with the rising cots of fuel, we need to be able to do it as cheap as possibly. Here are some awesome tips on how to cut down your fuel expenses:

Fill Up Frequently 
With the rising gas prices (everyday it seems) keeping your tank as full as possible is the best bet. This will make sure you pay the lowest price for the gas you need.

Gas Station Incentive Programs 
Stations such as Wawa and 7-11 offer a discount on fuel when you sign up for their incentive programs. Check with your local stations to see if they offer something similar. It’s free!

Fill up on Mondays 
Many people find that gas is cheaper in their area on Mondays. Let us know if you find the same or a different date works for you.

Don’t go unless you HAVE to 
Don’t get in the car unless you absolutely HAVE to, and even then try to stack as many errands as possible into one outing.

Check Your Tire Pressure
A car with accurate tire pressure can get as much as 3.3% better gas mileage.

Change Your Oil On Time
Dirty oil will cause your car to use more gas.

Use STP Gas Treatment
This inexpensive treatment can improve your gas mileage up to 10%.

Buy 87 Octane Gasoline
Unless your car specifically requires that you use a higher octane, go with the cheapest available.

Carpool
If you can ride to work with someone, even if it’s one day a week, that’s saving gas, oil, miles on your car and cash.

Condense Your Trips
Plan your shopping trips along the best route and try to get it all done in one day. The less trips, the better!

Watch Gas Prices
As you are driving around, watch the prices of stations you pass. If it is lower than what you usually pay, go ahead and fill up!

Test Different Brands of Gas
Just because one brand of gas is the cheapest, it doesn’t mean it saves you money. We find we get 10-15% better gas mileage with Shell or BP gas then we get with Raceway or no-name gas stations.

Big Box Stores
Gas is sometimes cheaper at Sams and Costco. Check out your local club’s prices.

Grocery Store Fuel Perks
Find out if your grocery store offers fuel perks.

GasBuddy.com
Find the cheapest gas in your area

Change Your Tires
My husband’s truck had the wrong size tires. When we change them, we noticed an immediate improvement in gas mileage.

Clean/Change Your Air Filter
Make sure you have a clean air filter. A dirty one can hurt your gas mileage.

Drive The Speed Limit
Speeding not only costs you if you get a ticket, but it also costs more gas to run over the speed limit.

Take Off Slowly
Don’t gas it when you take off from a stop light or stop sign. Slowly increasing your speed will use less gas.

Turn Your Car Off
When waiting in the car for any length of time, turn it off. You can always run the car until the air/heat is at a comfortable level and then turn it off until you start to get uncomfortable again.

Tips from C2D Readers:

Pay attention to rewards points you can get from grocery stores and look at other options they give for redeeming those points. I used to use those points for gas and that’s it, but I did some “mathing” and realized there’s a better return if I use my points to buy eggs rather than gas. My grocery store caps the gas purchase at 20 gallons, so if I use 100 gas points to get 10 cents off per gallon for 20 gallons, I’m getting a savings of $2 for that 100 points IF I put a full 20 gallons of gas into my car (which I can’t with my current vehicle which has a 18.5 gallon tank). Currently, I can use those same 100 points to buy an 18 pack of eggs for 99 cents…..it ends up saving me $3.50 for those same 100 points. So, I end up saving more money overall by using my grocery points to buy eggs and then going to Sam’s Club for gas. – Jenn V

Publix sometimes has spend $50 in groceries buy a $50 gas card save $10 you can use the digital coupons to hit the $50 in food to bring your total down. – Reginee N

I have kids so if running to a friends house or activities I think if we need ANYTHING from anywhere even if it’s just Milk as I drive by places. So if there is a day or days we can stay home we can – Vesper M

Be sure to get the Feul Rewards Card for Shell and you automatically save $.05/gallon (up to 20 gallons) every fill up with the opportunity to earn even more off per gallon when you buy certain items or shop at certain stores. – Missy H

I’m doing what one newscast suggested, fill up your half of tank of gas so that you don’t feel like you’re paying that much for a full tank of gas. Yes it may mean two trips a week; however, I plan it for when I have errands or going to work etc! – Joseph T

I buy gift cards at Kroger for things I know I’m going to buy anyways to earn the 4x fuel rewards. My husbands truck holds 36 gallons so I use that to get $1.00 off each gallon. Usually after groceries and the cards we have enough for 3 fill ups a month. – Tasha C

Learn more about Kroger Fuel Rewards

Errands once a week and I take my mother in law with to help her save gas too. – Regina S

I use a couple of things that when stacked saves me at least a couple of dollars. I have TMobile and every week on their TMobile Tuesday app they give 5¢ to shell. I stack that with 5¢ from the shell loyalty program. I also use the gas buddy app and get a discount for using their debit card at the pump. It works just like the target redcard. GasBuddy also partners with upside so you can get an extra discount at some pumps, you just activate the deal on the app and they verify by using the debit card or uploading the receipt. – Iza M

I go to Walmart which is $.20 cheaper than the average price in town. Then I use Walmart pay to save $.05 per gallon with Walmart+, then I get 10% cashback with my doordash dasher direct debit card. So gas is $4.679 elsewhere and $4.479 at Walmart. I pay $4.429 and get $.44 of cash back per gallon, meaning I’m paying $3.99 per gallon. – Beth H

I use the BPme app. You just link the credit card you use at the pump and it automatically drops your price by 5 to 10 cents per gallon. If you are a nurse or first responder, you can get up to 25 cents off per gallon.
This also stacks with get upside and checkout51 cash back on gas. – Heather W

Im going to give a non-traditional answer…Because its not always what you save at the pump… its how much less fuel your can can use….
Time to do some maintenance on your vehicle:
– Adjust tire pressures
– Check / change air filter
– Are you past due to get your spark plugs changed?
– Maybe get an alignment check done
-Change driving habits. ie: keep things closer to the speed limit… dont start from a stop so quickly.
– When was the last time you changed your oil?
– Get your throttle body cleaned.
– Throw a bottle of Techron in the tank at the next fillup to clean injectors. – Chris S

Random Shared Tips

TIPS ON PUMPING GAS THAT WILL SAVE YOU $$$
“I don’t know what you guys are paying for gasoline…. but here in California we are paying up to $5.75 to $7 per gallon. My line of work is in petroleum for about 31 years now, so here are some tricks to get more of your money’s worth for every gallon:
Here at the Kinder Morgan Pipeline where I work in San Jose , CA we deliver about 4 million gallons in a 24-hour period thru the pipeline.. One day is diesel the next day is jet fuel, and gasoline, regular and premium grades. We have 34-storage tanks here with a total capacity of 16,800,000 gallons.

1️⃣ Only buy or fill up your car or truck in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening….your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role.

2️⃣ A 1-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

3️⃣ When you’re filling up do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode If you look you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you’re getting less worth for your money.

4️⃣ One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this is the more gas you have in your tank the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation. Unlike service stations, here where I work, every truck that we load is temperature compensated so that every gallon is actually the exact amount.

5️⃣ Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

6️⃣ Note: If the pump repeatedly shuts off early, it could be a sign of a problem with the vapor recovery system, such as a clogged carbon canister.”
**copied**

How do you save on gas?

Find out all the ways to save with our helpful Savings Bingo!