Turn Your Gas Guzzler Into A Sipper With My Top 5 Rarely Used Gas Saving Tips
June 10th, 2008 : Nicholas Longtin
With gas prices soaring and no end in sight, many drivers are adopting new habits to help ease the pain. Lifehacker, The Consumerist and many other sites offer great millage stretching tips, but some of my favorites are not usually mentioned.
#1 - Order At The Counter
If you frequent fast-food joints, or anything with a drive through window, don’t idle in a long line of cars. Instead, park and order inside. It will probably take about the same amount of time, and you won’t be sitting in your car getting 0 MPG.
Keep reading for the rest of my tips.
#2 - Get That Junk Out Of Your Trunk
The heavier your car is the more gas it takes to go a mile. Most of us use our cars like a temporary storage locker, keeping lots of needless items in the trunk and back seat. It may not look heavy, but all those miscellaneous items add up to serious weight. Lighten the load and only drive around with what you really need.
#3 - Don’t Drive The Whole Way
Driving through parking garages, circling the block for a spot, and driving all the way to your destination is a waste of fuel. If weather and time permit, try parking closer to where you came from. This simple idea doesn’t save buckets of gas each trip, but the accumulative effect is a fatter wallet and a thinner waist as you get natural exercise from the extra walking.
#4 - Order It Online
There is almost no reason to hop in the car for most shopping trips these days. Entertainment is transitioning to digital, on-line stores offer better deals than big box retailers, and many places offer free shipping for orders over a certain amount. You can even order groceries, personal care products, and alcohol from Simon Delivers. Just watch for minimum order requirements to get free shipping and delivery fees waived.
#5 - Shop Locally, Communally
Most of us have similar buying habits and schedules. If you must drive to handle routine errands bring a few friends. A small group of communal shoppers carpooling can save serious gas and be more fun anyway. Take turns driving to spread the savings around, and either have your friends walk to where your leaving from or a spot on the way so you don’t clock too many additional miles.
Also, make sure you take stock of local shops, farmers markets, and convenience marts. Prices at smaller stores are usually a little more than at big retailers, but if all you need is deodorant don’t drive ten miles to save twenty cents.
I hope these tips help you save some money during the gas hungry summer driving season. Please post any other obscure tricks you have learned, and good luck!
Tags:environmental issues Tips
June 10th, 2008 at 3:02 pm
I’ve also heard that you should get gas only in the morning before it expands so that you’re actually getting a gallon.
June 10th, 2008 at 3:30 pm
That is actually a common myth. Since gas is stored underground in large tanks the temperature doesn’t change much like the air temperature does. It has been de-bunked by several experts. Read more here.
June 10th, 2008 at 4:41 pm
I wonder if the personal fuel savings of ordering more online is offset by the increase in shipping fuel used. Obviously your one package may not make a difference, but on a large scale it means more trucks moving around goods, and trucks do not have the fuel efficiency of smaller vehicles, do they?
I suspect, actually, that it is not offset; the net result would probably be a gain. But it is something to consider.
June 10th, 2008 at 5:03 pm
That is a good point. I don’t think trucks get the same MPG as small cars, but probably very similar to SUVs. One fuel advantage FedEx and Simon Delivers does have though is efficient vehicle routing. I am sure they expend as little fuel as possible in a day.
I suppose if twenty people with Hummers went to Target for toilet paper it would be better for the environment if they ordered on-line. I doubt that’s a very realistic scenario though.
June 18th, 2008 at 10:39 am
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