HOWTO: Save at the Pump
The Wall Street Journal offered some tips on getting the most out of your trip to the gas station. You may have seen the article already but we haven't and you learn through repetition, right? Tip 4 is pretty awesome.
- 1. Gas prices changes as much by 20% within blocks, check around for cheaper prices.
2. Don't top off your tank--overfilling is bad for the environment and you may pay for gas that won't make it into your tank.
3. When the pump automatically shuts off, turn the handle upside down 180 degree to release the small amount left from the pump to make sure you get all the gas you're paying for.
4. Shop for gas during coolest time of the day, when gas is at its densest, so you get more for your money.
There's also a free eBook [pdf 440 kb] from Lulu.com called 62 Ways to Save at the Pump.
There's also a thing called a bicycle.
[via StopBuyingCrap]
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Comments:
The bicycle crack isn't quite needed. I would love to ride a bike to work, but I currently work ~32 miles away from home. If you want to do that bike ride twice a day, great; me, I'd rather get home in time to sleep, not to turn around and go back to work.
Yeah mister blogger, how was that bike ride from the living room to the upstairs office?
Agreed. I walk to work 4 days out of 5 a week, but that's only because my apartment is across the street. Bike riding is great in theory, especially in a big city, but have fun riding to work in a suit, or carrying one in a garment bag and having it not get wrinkled.
I've never really understood about the ills of topping off. Sure, if you're so overfilling your tank that gas runs out and spills on the pavement, that's stupid, not to mention dangerous. But I've had the pump shutoff and been able to get 1.5 more gallons in. How is that bad for the enivironment?
I'm sorry, but that eBook was pretty terrible. Some of what it said was flat-out wrong. For example, they claim that you can only deduct only a certain IRS-determined cost per mile for car expenses, but in fact, if you accurately track all actual expenses yourself, you can deduct the actual cost.
Also, I have no idea what they mean when they say that certain wasteful activities (A/C, etc.) add "10 cents to the cost of a gallon." Wasting gas means burning more gas, not makeing gas cost more...
Making, not makeing. Whoa.
DeeJayQueue: It was awesome.
The ultimate way to save gas, CARPOOL. (Works until you learn to hate your coworkers)
I live 2.5 miles from work and I would LOVE to walk or ride my bike. I already jog about 5 miles, 3 times a week, so that'd be no sweat (pun intended). I live in a decent area, but in order to get to work I'd have to walk through a REALLY nasty part of town with crack-hos and drug dealers on every street corner, even at 7AM. Not exactly safe for a slight female like msyelf. So, yeah, I'll stick to my car.
Get a diesel vehicle and use Biodiesel. At least then your money doesn't go to obscene oil company net profits...
The book is totally wrong. They claim that using the AC will reduce your fuel efficiancy by 10-20%. That was FLAT OUT proven to be wrong it doesnt do a damn thing.
4 is idiotic. Gasoline is stored underground so its temperature won't vary much over the course of the day. Even then, its density won't change much with the temperature range in question.