The following is a post by MPFJ staff writer, Jeff. Jeff writes about reducing waste, saving money and building freedom at his website, Sustainable Life Blog.
I remember when I got my first car, I ended up with a cheap, used, gas guzzling SUV. It was around 2002, and gas was cheap (under $2) and I didn’t really care how bad my MPG was. Not long later, gas prices began to march up, and I started feeling the pinch. Instead of drive less, I just complained about the price and it didn’t really force any habit changes.
Not long after that I moved to go to school, and didn’t take car with me, I started to ride the bus or my bike everywhere. While I watched gas prices go up from the sidelines, it made me pretty happy that I didn’t have to pay them and I was left out of all the complaining about prices going up. Unfortunately, after I got my first job it was quite a ways away from where I lived, and I was once again bowing to the mercy of the gas prices. I was driving 100+ miles per day, so even small fluctuations could have a deep impact on what I was able to pay down in debt that month.
During that time, I figured out quite a few different ways to save money on gas, so here they are.
Drive Less
This is probably the most obvious, but no one ever takes it seriously. Think about how many trips you make that are less than a mile or 2 – those can easily be walked (if the environments are right) or they can be combined with other errands into one trip instead of multiple trips. If the distance is over 2 miles but less than 5 or so, look into hopping on your bike and running your errands. Most things that you head out to get can probably be put in a backpack for the trip home.
I’ve started doing this, and have really enjoyed it so far. In 2014, I bought approximately 7 tanks of gas, and 3 of those were purchased (and used) specifically so I could travel to the airport.
Driving less may seem odd at first, but it’s easy to get used to and it’s a great money saver. It will insulate you from price shocks when gas goes back up – and it will at some point.
Use the Cruise
When you’re driving at highway speeds, it can be tempting to sit and keep your foot on the gas and constantly adjust your speed. This is bad for gas consumption as it makes the engine work harder and use more fuel. Set the cruise control to a reasonable speed (at or near the speed limit) and enjoy the fuel savings from a consistent engine RPM.
Watch your In Town Driving
When I’m biking to work in the morning, I have about a mile commute, and since I’m traveling from a neighborhood to the CBD in my town, I go to a lot of the same places cars are going. You’d think that over that distance they would get there much quicker than I do, but I can beat them or get there at the same time because I don’t stop nearly as much as they do. Many cars floor it after the light turns green, only to advance a block or two and then come to a complete stop and wait, while I’m slowly pedaling towards them.
I time it perfectly so that when I get to the light the signal changes from red to green and I don’t have to stop on my bike at all. It takes a lot of power to get a vehicle moving again, and if you just drive a bit slower from one signal to the next and make sure you didn’t have to stop between them, you’ll save a bit of gas every time.
These are the three things that I’ve found are the most worth watching if you’re looking to save money on gas. They helped me during the times I was commuting long distances to work (I bike now) and were able to give me the cash to keep my debt repayment on track.
How about you all? What are your favorite gas saving tips? How much have you been able to save by implementing your own gas saving tips?
Share your experiences by commenting below!
***Photo courtesy https://www.flickr.com/photos/dok1/13229214115/
