5 Ways to Save on Gas
According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, the average household spends $305 a month on gas, and those figures are from a year ago. Gas is nearing $5 a gallon, and that figure is bound to increase! In fact, my husband is in London this week, and it's $9 a gallon! How much more can your budget afford?
In celebration of Earth Week, and in the spirit of The Budget Diet – let's take a look at 5 Ways to Save on Gas:
- Plan Ahead – There's no reason to run errands every day! Get in the habit of checking your calendar for the week ahead and making a list of anything you might need like a birthday gift or ingredients to make cookies for the Girl Scout meeting. Try to have just 1 or 2 “errand days” each week. Planning ahead will save both time and gas.
- Plan Your Route – Don't drive 5 miles in one direction to buy a pair of shoes, and then backtrack because you forgot to pick up the dry cleaning. Plan your route in a logical pattern to reduce miles and save gas.
- Burn Calories, Not Gas – Could you walk or ride bikes with your children? What about baseball practice…is the ball park just down the street?
- Carpool – Make an effort to organize carpools to work, school and after school activities. Of course, carpooling requires planning ahead, and often it's easier just to drive yourself, but think about how much gas you'll save if you cut your driving in half!
- Drive Like a Little Old Lady – Slow down and don't drive like you're in race! Aggressive driving wastes gas, and according to the Department of Energy, reducing your speed by just 5 mph on the highway will save you about 30-cents per gallon.
How much are you spending on gas each month?
Challenge yourself to incorporate a couple of these gas saving tips, and leave a comment to let me know how much you save each month.
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Getting near $5 ? Where do you live? The Yukon Territory? I just paid $3.83, not that I’m happy about it.
It costs me about $40 to fill up and I have to do it about 3-4 times a month. My husband has to do it weekly. I hate spending that much but there really isn’t anything we can change right now. I do try to be good about how often I drive places that aren’t really close to my house.
Just being aware of how much your driving & planning ahead really does help save gas. I’m amazed how many people go to the grocery daily! Thanks for being a Budget Diet reader, and I hope I can help you save a little money!