10 tips to save on gas: Pay less at the pump
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported Monday that average price of gallon of gas rose 18 cents in the past week, the highest level in more than four months, according to atlantagasprices.com.
So, no, it’s not in your head. The pain you’re feeling at the pump is real. While walking is the cheapest alternative, it’s not a very realistic one for most people here in metro Atlanta. However, there are some steps you can take to improve your gas mileage and pay less for gas.
Gas prices are soaring, but you can keep your costs down. Photo credit: Steven Senne/AP
1. Go online: This is your best bet for finding inexpensive gas. Sites like atlantagasprices.com, GasPriceWatch.com, and for an entire Georgia search, gasbuddy.com get tips from drivers on the cheapest places to buy gas. Atlantagasprices.com updates its Web site regularly, so you’re likely to get accurate price points. There are also online fuel finder applications that you might find helpful.
2. Don’t pay for what you don’t need: All major brands, from Shell to Chevron to Mobil, have catchy slogans and marketing tactics to get you to choose their gas. They all claim to have fuel that’s better for your car. According to AAA national spokesperson, Geoff Sundstrom, it’s mostly bunk. Sundstrom told Smartmoney.com: “There’s little difference between brand name gas and any others.” That’s because since 1994, the government has required that detergents be added to gasoline to prevent fuel injections from clogging. It’s monitored by state and local agencies, and even the generic stations are held to the same standards. If anything, they may have slightly less detergent, but not enough to make much of a difference.
3. Buy wisely: Gasoline is most dense when temperatures are cooler. That means you’ll get more for less if you buy early in the morning and later at night. The most expensive time to buy is during rush hour.
4. Choose your day: It’s well known that gas is more expensive on the weekends. What is less clear is which day is really the best to buy. Many people say you should buy gas on Wednesdays, but competition and other factors also impact prices. At any rate, mid-week is cheaper than weekends, across the board. Still, don’t drive around on empty waiting for the perfect day. Driving on low fuel levels can be damaging.
5. Slow down: This is a tough one for me, I confess. However, I do know that it’s true. Driving slower saves gas. For optimum gas mileage, drive the speed limit.
6. Routine maintenance: You should have your tire pressure checked, change your oil and filters, have tune-ups and have other routine maintenance checks to help improve your gas mileage and the life of your vehicle.
7. Public transportation: Whether it’s one day a week or several, taking public transportation can obviously save you gas money. You can also car pool with friends and colleagues to cut down on fuel costs, and help preserve your vehicle.
8. Wholesale clubs: Gas at Costco, Sam’s and Wal-Mart is usually less expensive. If you’re not a member of a wholesale club, here’s a tip. You can buy a gift card at your local Wal-Mart, and use the card for gas at one of the stations.
9. Don’t waste gas: Once you hear the click, stop the pump. Overfilling the gas tank doesn’t save you any money.
10. Shop around: Most of us choose a gas station that is most convenient, and we tend to always fill up at the same station. If you’re like me, you may get annoyed when you pull off and notice the station two blocks away is five cents cheaper per gallon. It pays to be flexible.
Have a tip to save on gas?
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24 comments Add your comment
E
October 27th, 2009
9:11 am
Great tips!!!! Here’s another great tip: Only use premium gasoline and other higher grades in your car if it’s required by the manufacturer.
Many people pay extra for premium gasoline, thinking it’s better for the life of the car. It’s not. Using premium gas and other higher grades in a car that requires regular unleaded is useless. You’re only throwing money away. However, using regular unleaded in a car that requires premium will cause major problems.
FrugalFabATL
October 27th, 2009
10:48 am
You mention wholesale clubs, but Kroger can be a great resource also. My local Kroger has a gas station and if you spend $100 at Kroger in a month (you have to scan your free Kroger card) you get one fill up at .10 off the regular price. For every 2 precriptions you get filled at Kroger or $100 you buy in gift cards, you also earn a .10 per gallon discount on your next trip. If you have their Kroger credit card you can earn .15 off. I love it!
FASHIONista
October 27th, 2009
11:20 am
You don’t even have to spend $100 to get a gas disc at Kroger. Use your Kroger card and it takes 3 cents off the price.
Stan
October 27th, 2009
1:55 pm
I use Kroger and get the discount gas…but I have noticed that I get about 25-50 miles less per tank than I get with QT gas. I’ve noticed this a few times and haven’t really done the math in a real comp between the 2 or even seen if it really makes enough difference to pay a few extra cents for QT over the Kroger gas.
Remember to NOT go out of your way to save .01 per gal. It’s not worth it to drive 15 miles out of the way. I drive the same route daily so I keep an eye on the prices as I go past and see who regularly has the best price.
Slow down?? Right…not in Atlanta
You’ll get run over!
Gift Card Rescue
October 27th, 2009
8:18 pm
You can definitely save some money using a discount gift card to places like walmart that offer gasoline at their supercenters or costco.
Ben @ http://giftcardrescue.com
Latest tips to save gas news – 10 tips to save on gas: Pay less at the pump | Atlanta Bargain Hunter
October 29th, 2009
2:09 pm
[...] 10 tips to save on gas: Pay less at the pump | Atlanta Bargain Hunter [...]
Mike K.
October 29th, 2009
4:16 pm
“There’s little difference between brand name gas and any others.”
That’s because the gas is usually the same. Costco gets its gas from BP, and I can’t remember where QT gets theirs from. You really aren’t getting “dirtier” or “bad” gas from the discount stations.
AK
October 29th, 2009
4:31 pm
RE: Kroger – it’s 10 cents off per gallon for EVERY $100 you spend in the store, not $100 per month. I can get filled up at Kroger every other week or so for 10 off. Stan, the reason you get less miles is because Kroger’s gas is 10% ethanol, which is less efficient than gas. Yes, it may be “cleaner” and “greener” but it is just not as efficient. My husband and I determined that with the discount Kroger cardholders get, it averages out to be about the same deal even with the reduced # of miles as if I went (if I could find) to a station that has no ethanol mix and paid 3 – 10 cent more per gallon.
Texas Pete
October 29th, 2009
5:36 pm
Get laid off. That way you can reduce your milage to about 200-300 a month. Imagine how you can improve your carbon footprint by losing your job.
Irishmafia
October 29th, 2009
6:22 pm
!.Slow Down the easiestway`ever to save money
2.Kep the tires with right air pessure, riding on low ires increases friction lowering mileage, check 2x month minimum
3.remove excess weight from car -take out the junk you carry around all the time
4. slow dwon
5. don’t eave th engine running -when you go in the stoe, getting gas, warming the car up in the morning etc. all wastes gas
6. Slow down
7. Plan your trips so you dont goback and foth over the sam roads numerous times during the day
8 Slow don
Elliot Garcia
October 29th, 2009
7:24 pm
Texas Pete, I think that is Obama’s intention….He sure as hell isn’t creating any new jobs!!
Nathin
October 29th, 2009
7:24 pm
I had a CO2 sensor go bad in my 2001 Eclipse GT. When I took it into the dealer the mechanic told me that all the “cheap gas” gunked it up. Now I always try to use a name brand gas. It might not make much of a difference once or twice, but apparently over a period of several years it can effect certain components
JB
October 29th, 2009
7:28 pm
Elliot you Id_____. Did anyone ask you anything about President Obama. Then don’t say anthing?
RGB
October 29th, 2009
7:53 pm
Elliot is indeed correct: Obama cares nothing about creating jobs.
What’s more–people have all kinds of interest in saving 3 cents per gallon on gasoline but aren’t worried in the least about Obama’s Cap and Tax bill which would add $3,000 in costs to the average American family.
And they aren’t worried that the “Public [No]Option” Health Care plan would add thousands to the cost of a private insurance premium.
And they aren’t worried that Obama increased the federal deficit from $11 trillion (accumulated over 230 years) to $22 trillion over the next 10 years. If you are a taxpayer, you will pay for that either by direct taxation and/or by inflation that reduces the purchasing power of any savings you have by half.
But hey, make sure you save that $0.03/gallon at Kroger.
And remember, don’t criticize Obama because he represents change. Woo hoo.
RGB
October 29th, 2009
7:56 pm
Oh, one more thing.
We shouldn’t try to reduce the price of gasoline by actually trying to find any more–that’d be crazy.
All Obama supporters should sign an oath to only fill their cars with green wind and solar power.
: )
clyde
October 29th, 2009
8:36 pm
Stay home as much as possible.Check your vehicle’s alignment.Keep the speed down.Don’t make any unnecessary trips.Is there a school bus?Make the kids use it.Do you really need two vehcles?Make sure you bank the savings.Don’t just spend them on something else.
Name (required)
October 29th, 2009
10:04 pm
**CHECK YOUR TIRE PRESSURE** I can’t count how many of you idiots I see driving around with a half-flat tire. On top of ruining your gas mileage and handling, you’re going to have to buy tires more often. Remember those idiots that died when their Ford Explorers “flipped”? There was NO problem with those tires….they just didn’t check their pressure regularly like they should have.
Joel
October 30th, 2009
11:43 pm
Actually, driving the speed limit does not give you the best fuel economy. I wish it did, then we could set the speed limit at 100 mph and get there faster while saving gas.
chuck allison
October 31st, 2009
6:38 am
BAck in 2008, we had a good initiative going to start drilling in the known oil reserves here in the US, where we have plenty of oil. But, then we elected a president who believes the Al Gore global warming gibberish and we got bogged down with all the current “make America Socialist” stuff.
Joe Biden
October 31st, 2009
8:46 am
Get the “bonehead” congress/administration to allow offshore drilling?
Chuck Snow
November 1st, 2009
1:49 am
Buy a smaller more effecient car that Navigator or Escalade ain’t helping you a bit. Driving around with just one person, and the stereo blasting loud enough to kill small animals. I’m not sure if those 25 inch wheels help the MPG at all or hurt it, but it seems to make very little difference.
Some are okay
November 1st, 2009
2:44 am
Can we get something new on this, or is this just news filler.
Tip 8 Who ever thought adding more gas to your tank would help you save money.
Tip 3 Read Popular Mechanics, in theory gas expands as it heats up, but it is negligible,. Fill up when you need to or see a good price. Like one guy said check your tire pressure, that’s the easiest way to save a little money on gas, not to mention cost for new tires that cost way more than gas
Gretchen
November 1st, 2009
8:37 am
Whenever I use Kroger gas, my check engine light comes on. I have to run a couple of tanks of Shell to get it to come off. We’ve been to Auto Zone to have the code read and basically they said it’s dirty gas and my catalytic converter doesn’t like it. No more Kroger gas for me, you can keep your ten cent discount.
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