When gas prices rise, people who do a lot of driving feel it in their wallets. It hurts a lot. What if you could lessen the pain of fluctuations and put together a tiny nest egg in the process? That’s the idea behind the $4 Gas Savings Club.

The idea is simple, but might require a little bit of pain in your wallet to start. To join the club, simply pretend that gas always costs $4 per gallon. This has two advantages: it keeps the price of fuel consistent in your budget, if you always drive the same amount. It also helps you put away a little bit of money, which most Americans don’t do enough of.

Over at the AARP blog, the designer of this plan explains it using a cash method, but it’s easy to employ if you pay with a credit card, too. (Do you use a debit card at the gas pump? Don’t.) Added 13 gallons of gas? Take what you actually paid, then subtract it from $52. Make a note of that amount and move it to your savings account when you get home.

Of course, when gas consistently stays above $4 per gallon, you’ll have to recalculate the whole thing.

Start Your Own “$4 a Gallon Gas Savings Club” (via Lifehacker)

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