In my popular book Beat High Gas Prices Now! I offer many ways you can save $20 to $50 per month at the pump. Here are 11 of the easiest opportunities you have right now to beat higher gas prices– without buying a new, more fuel-efficient car or giving up driving altogether.

How to Beat Higher Gas Prices

⇒Drive Less

⇒Drive Smarter

⇒Get a Tune Up

Drive Less – The single best way to spend less money at the pump is by buying less gas. The best way to avoid buying gas is by not driving.

Note that I don’t say, use Uber or Lyft. If prices rise enough, car services and taxis will charge an “emergency surcharge” or some other fee to cover their own increased gas costs.

BONUS: Burning one gallon of gasoline generates almost 20 pounds of carbon dioxide (CO2), a potent greenhouse gas that is causing climate change. When you drive less, you generate a lot less CO2, so not only are you saving money but you’re doing your part to stop climate change, too.

1-Telecommute -If there ever was a time to work from home, this is it. You’ll spend nothing on gasoline and save a lot of travel time that you can use for either work or leisure. If your company already has a telecommute policy, take advantage of it. If not, ask your boss if you can work from home a couple of days a week as long until the prices at the pump come down.

2-Car Pool – If you still need to go to a physical work location, find a couple of people to carpool with. Four people sharing a ride keeps three cars off the road, and shares the price of gasoline four ways.

The iCarPool.com mobile app makes it easy to find a ride to share. So do Ridefinders.com, eRideShare.com, and Waze Carpool.

BONUS: Carpool lanes are usually faster than regular lanes used by only one person per car.

3-Use Mass Transit – If your community has a decent subway, bus or light rail system, now is the time to use it. Subways and light rail systems are electrified, so fares should not be affected by higher gas prices.

4-Walk and Bicycle – I have been car-less for about four months now and have been surprised by how easy it is to walk to many places I used to drive to. If you want to walk to the grocery store, invest in a cart on wheels so it’s easy to get your groceries home.

Drive Smarter – The way we drive has a big impact on how much gasoline our vehicle uses.

You can get many more miles to the gallon if you do the following:

5-Drive the Speed Limit – In addition to being safer, driving the speed limit saves gas. How much? Every 5 mph you drive above 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gasoline.

6-Don’t be a “Jack Rabbit” – Hopping in and out of traffic, speeding up, slowing down and weaving from one lane to the other wastes gas because all that acceleration and deceleration uses the engine so inefficiently. Plus, it doesn’t really shave that many minutes off your arrival time.

7-Plan Your Route – People waste a lot of gas taking the long way to their destination or not knowing where they’re going in the first place. Use Waze or the GPS device on your phone or in your car to find the shortest route. When possible, travel during non-rush hour.

8-Stop Idling – “Idling” – when you sit in your car with the gear in “park” and the engine running, going nowhere – is another word for wasting gas. Just. Don’t. Do. It. You use a lot more gasoline idling than if you turn the car off for a couple of minutes then on when you’re ready to give. Skip long drive-through lines. If you go to pick someone up, turn off the engine while you wait for them to come out.

Focus on Your Vehicle – Maintain the engine, tires, and air filters to improve fuel efficiency.

9-Change Your Oil and Get a Tune Up – Improve gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent by maintaining your vehicle in top condition. That may include changing the air filters and replacing the spark plugs.

10-Pump Up Your Tires – You can beat higher gas prices and improve gas mileage by around 3.3% by keeping your tires inflated to the proper PSI. If you don’t know what your PSI is, you can find it on the inside of the car’s front door.

Need a gauge to check your tire pressure? Here are some good ones.

11-Remove the Roof Rack and Extra Weight in the Trunk – A roof rack creates wind resistance, which means your car needs more gas to move forward.

Extra weight in the trunk also puts more strain on the engine to do its job.

Don’t treat your trunk like a storage facility, and don’t leave the roof rack on if you’re not using it.

No matter what the price of gas is, burning it is like burning money (except it has a much bigger impact on climate change).

Hurricane Harvey has reminded us just how dependent on gas we can be if we don’t get smart about how we use it.

The post 11 Immediate Ways to Beat Higher Gas Prices After Hurricane Harvey appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Sorry to throw a little damper on the big planetary party that’s happening next week. But parties are notorious for giving people permission to waste food and leave their trash behind. (The garbage left behind on the National Mall after July 4, for example, takes days to clean up and haul away, and that’s just the “regular” Independence Day celebration, nothing so cosmic as a total solar eclipse.)

Whether you’re planning to watch the eclipse at home or head out to a viewing party, follow our eco guide to keep it green.

IMPORTANT: PROTECT YOUR EYES!

Before we offer our green party planning tips, I do want to remind everyone of how important it is to protect your eyes during the eclipse.

Even though the sun is 93 million miles away, you can’t look at it directly, even when it’s completely blacked out during an eclipse.

I got the solar eclipse glasses I’m wearing in the picture above from NASA during a special astronomy night on the Washington DC Mall earlier this summer. They’re guaranteed to protect my eyes so I can look directly at the sun without suffering eye damage.

If you order today or tomorrow, you can probably still get your own glasses from Amazon. Look for ones like these, which are approved by NASA and the American Astronomical Society, manufactured in Germany, and meet the international ISO standard for solar viewing.

They will filter out 100% of harmful ultra-violet and infrared rays, 99.999% of intense visible light, and are 100% safe for direct viewing of the sun and solar eclipses.

Also check your local hardware store, planetarium, or science center. Pick up several pairs so people in your group have them – you won’t want to give yours up once the eclipse starts.

Eco Guide to the Solar Eclipse

√Carpool
√Choose Your Location Wisely
√Get to Your Location Early
√Skip Fast Food, Junk Food
√Take BIG Reusable Water Jugs
√Take Mobile Chargers, Plug Into Solar
√Camp
√Have Fun! 

Carpool –

By all reports, there will be epic traffic on Monday, August 21, as millions of people drive all over the country to get into the eclipse’s “path of totality” or as near to it as possible.

If you don’t need to drive to a viewing spot, don’t.

If you can carpool with someone else to reduce the number of cars on the road, do.

If bicycling is an option, go for it.

Choose Your Location Wisely –

Get close. The closer you can be to your viewing location, the better. You’ll minimize driving, spend less time in traffic jams, and keep stress under control.

Choose “unpopular.” Try to avoid locations that are being billed as “the best place to see the eclipse,” as they’ll probably be overrun.

Don’t think you can just pull off the highway somewhere to see the sun go dark. Highway patrols will be on high alert and trying to keep cars moving.

Have a plan in case the sky clouds over. Figure out soon whether you are going to try to move to clearer viewing – or just give up and watch the whole thing on your phone.

Get to your location early – really early, maybe even the day before.

And plan on staying on through the day after the eclipse is over to avoid all the traffic that will be on the move once the sun passes on.

Skip Fast Food and Junk Food

Take food with you in your car, in a cooler if it needs to be refrigerated, and packed in reusable bags or boxes if it’s dry food.

Avoid fast food outlets, because everything they sell, they package in throwaway paper and plastic.

Skip junk food packed in single-serving sizes, like individual plastic bottles of water, or individual snack bags. It all just creates a lot of trash.

Don’t miss: “9 Make-Ahead Lunches You Can Carry in a Mason Jar.”

Bring a trash bag with you. As you do in parks and campgrounds, “take only pictures, leave only footprints.” Whatever garbage you generate, you own. Bag it and take it with you until you find a dumpster or trashcan that’s not overflowing.

We’ve got lots of great tips for a “green party” right here.

Take BIG Reusable Water Jugs 

If you’re out for the entire day – which you might be if traffic is horrendous – one or even two water bottles won’t suffice.

Buy a couple of larger reusable water jugs. Fill them up, and then refill your reusable water bottles from your own jug.

You can see our list of 5 Best Reusable Water Bottles right here.

Even something like this 64 oz. beer growler would be great, and it works for cold and hot beverages alike.

Take Mobile Chargers and Plug Into Solar

Your mobile devices might easily run out of battery if you’re out all day and taking lots of pictures, chatting on social media, and updating your status.

Take at least one portable mobile charger with you so you can plug in your phone before it dies. NOTE: skip the chargers that require you to recharge external batteries.

Solar chargers can provide plenty of power to a mobile phone. (NOTE: I haven’t tried the one pictured here, but it looks like a good model to work from.)

Camp

Rather than stay in a hotel, if you can still find a place to camp out for the weekend, do it.

Sleeping out under the stars the night before the eclipse seems like about the right way to watch the biggest star in our universe get wild and crazy the day of the eclipse.

Have Fun!

Are you planning to view the eclipse? Let us know where you’re going to be and how you plan to keep it green!

WANT MORE INFO? NASA’s website tells you everything you need to know right here.

The post Use Our Eco Guide to the Solar Eclipse to Keep It Green appeared first on Big Green Purse.

On Valentine’s Day, you express your love by sending flowers, by showing kindness and consideration, and by reflecting on who you love and why.

You do that on Car Free Day, too. Though in this case, the object of your love is your community, and instead of delivering roses, you don’t drive your car, or you share the ride.

OK, maybe that’s a stretch. But not a big one. Air pollution generated by cars is one of the leading causes of poor air quality and a major contributor to asthma, heart disease and climate change.

Driving also wastes a lot of time. According to Clean Air Partners, people lose 70+ hours a year sitting in traffic jams! Not to mention all that time we spend driving to and from work when we could be sharing a ride with friends and family or relaxing at home with those we love instead.

Going car free is just about the best way to show your love for the planet – and for yourself, your family and your neighbors, too. You can drive less, save some money, and make life better for pretty much everyone you love.

When is Car Free Day?

Car Free Day is September 22, and just like Valentine’s Day, it’s celebrated around the world, with more than 40 countries and 1,500 cities all committed to encouraging commuters to try something new and go car free or share the ride.

Clean Air Partners, our air quality organization partner, is encouraging you to drive less and has pulled together a terrific list of ways you can celebrate the day.

Making a change has never been this easy. Their ideas for alternative transportation options across the D.C. region can likely be applied to wherever you live, as well.

How to Celebrate Car Free Day

Take the Pledge – Join hundreds of other residents of the D.C. area in pledging to go car free. Taking the pledge automatically enters you into drawings for lots of great prizes, including gift cars to use at supermarkets, on the subway, at restaurants, and even a one-year gym membership.

Bike to Work – You’ll avoid traffic headaches and parking will be a breeze! Plus, you won’t need to buy gas. Here in the greater metro Washington D.C. area, you can put your bike on the subway, then bike from the metro to your job, or take one of the many bike paths available in northern Virginia, d.C. and Maryland.

Walk – If you walked to your destination two days a week, you personally would help remove 1,600 pounds of pollution in just one year. Plus, it’s good for your health. Burn calories, not gas! Use MapMyWalk to find your route.

Rideshare – Instead of driving your own vehicle, carpool with friends and co-workers. You’ll improve air quality, get to know people in your community better, and still do your part for climate change. If four people share a ride instead of each one driving a car, you’ve reduced your environmental impact by 75 percent! Use Commuter Connections to find a ride.

Take the Bus – Eliminating one car per household and utilizing public transportation can save families $10,000 per year. Use Car Free Day to figure out the nearest bus stop and the route that will get you to your job without much fuss.

Ride a Train – Urban and suburban areas often benefit from commuter trains that offer a great alternative to driving. Is Car Free Day the day you finally buy a train ticket instead of gasoline or a road toll?

Telework – Save time and hassle getting to work by staying home. Plus, work in your pj’s all day if you want to.

Tell the World – Whatever you do, don’t keep it to yourself! Pledge to go Car Free on #CarFreeDay and encourage your community to show some love to their community. Use your social media and the hashtag #CarFreeDay to brag about your good deeds to your friends, family, and colleagues on Twitter and Facebook.

The post Why Car Free Day is Better Than Valentine’s Day (Almost) appeared first on Big Green Purse.

When it comes to global warming, burning less gas has always made sense. Now that gasoline costs more than $4.00 a gallon, reducing our consumption at the pump makes “cents,” too. These ten tips offer the fastest, easiest ways you can save gas – and money.

1. Drive smart – Avoid quick starts and stops, use cruise control on the highway, and don’t idle.

2. Drive the speed limit – Remember – every 5 mph you drive above 60 mph is like paying an additional $0.10 per gallon for gas.

3. Drive less – Walk, bicycle, use a scooter or moped, combine trips, and telecommute.

4. Drive a more fuel-efficient car – Consider one of the new hybrids; at the very least, choose from among the EPA’s “Fuel Economy Leaders” in the class vehicle you’re considering.

5. Keep your engine tuned up – Improve gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent by maintaining your vehicle in top condition.

6. Carpool – According to the Natural Resources Defense Council, 32 million gallons of gasoline would be saved each day if every car carried just one more passenger on its daily commute.

7. Use mass transit and “Ride Share” programs (here and here)- Why pay for gasoline at all?

8. Keep tires properly inflated – Improve gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Replace worn tires with the same make and model as the originals.

9. Buy the cheapest gas you can find – Buy gas in the morning, from wholesale shopper’s clubs, and using gas-company rebate cards. Track neighborhood prices on the Internet, at GasBuddy.com.

10. Support higher fuel-efficiency standards and the development of alternative fuels – Ultimately, our best hope for beating the gas crisis is to increase fuel efficiency while we transition to renewable and non-petroleum based fuels. Endorse efforts to boost average fuel efficiency to at least 40 mpg. Support programs that promote research and development of alternatives to transportation systems based on oil.

NOTE: For more ways to stop global warming, don’t miss the Green Moms Carnival at OrganicMania.

The post Save $20-$50 Per Month on Gasoline appeared first on Big Green Purse.