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.

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Meanwhile, not only are you spending, and maybe even wasting money, but the gas you burn releases carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere. All that CO2 build-up is causing climate change, and we know what a serious problem that’s become (extreme storms, drought, poison ivy, etc.).

Still, you need to get to where you have to go. How can you do that and actually use less gas? We’ve partnered with Halfords, a UK-based automotive services company, to bring you 12 of the best ways to improve the gas mileage of your vehicle, reduce its environmental impact, and use less gas every day. Here you go!

How to Use Less Gas Every Day

⇒ Don’t be a show off, a hot head, or a jack rabbit like the guy in the picture. In other words, drive the speed limit (or the speed you need to drive to stay in traffic safely). Avoid quick starts and stops, use cruise control to maintain an even speed, and don’t tail gate. Being in a hurry is a prescription for wasting gas (and possibly an accident).

⇒ Check the tire pressure on your tires at least every season. You can improve gas mileage by around 3.3 percent by keeping your tires inflated to the proper pressure. Don’t know what that is? Check your driver’s manual, or the label on the inside of your front seat door jamb. Tire pressure responds to outdoor temperatures, so make sure to check the pressure when the weather turns cold or hot. Checking the pressure will also tell you whether you have a slow leak and need a repair.

Need a tire pressure gauge? They’re cheap to buy and easy to use. Here are a variety of options. 

⇒ Change the oil based on the recommendation of the manufacturer. Changing oil after 3,000 miles used to be standard, but really, follow the directions in your vehicle’s owner’s manual. It might be 3,000 miles, but it’s more likely 5,000 or even 7,500. The key is to change the oil when it’s needed to keep the oil running smoothly and efficiently. Here’s what cars.com recommends.

Another good tip: Halfords recommends checking the amount of oil you have in your engine. Too little oil can reduce the life of the engine and eventually require expensive repairs if piston walls get scratched, valves rub down and oil gets into the combustion chamber. In a recent survey they conducted, the company found that 25% of drivers in the UK don’t check to see whether their car’s oil levels are adequate.

⇒ Get a regular tune up. Keeping the engine and related parts (like spark plugs) in good working order can improve your gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent. While the car is getting a tune up, check the air filters to see if they need to be replaced, another action that can save you money and improve fuel efficiency so you will use less gas every day.

⇒ Don’t top off the gas tank. Many drivers like to pump a little bit more gas into their tank even after the automatic shut-off kicks in. Don’t do it. The U.S EPA says that this top layer of gas just evaporates and adds to smog rather than get you any extra miles per gallon.

⇒ Don’t idle. “Idling” is another way to say “wasting gas.” For almost all vehicles, if you’re going to be waiting anywhere for longer than 30 seconds, just turn off your ignition. If possible, skip drive-throughs, like banks, cleaners, stores, and fast food restaurants, especially if there’s a long line of vehicles ahead of you.

⇒ Take the shortest, most direct route and avoid rush hour if possible. Use Google Maps, Waze, Mapquest, or other mobile tools to help identify the shortest way to get to your destination and avoid traffic jams that could have you sitting on the highway for hours just burning gas.

⇒ Car pool, use mass transit, telecommute, and combine trips. The best way to use less gas every day is to drive less. Period. Can you telecommute a couple of days a week? Carpool with other friends or colleagues? Take the bus or the subway? Combine trips so that you get all your errands done on one outing?

Every mile or kilometer you don’t drive is another way to keep gas money in your pocket rather than doling it out to the pump.

⇒ Keep the roof rack clear. Unless you’re going on a vacation or are moving big items, keep your roof rack empty. Piling things on top of your car creates aerodynamic drag and can affect fuel economy. Keep it tidy up there.

⇒ Lighten the load in the trunk or boot of the car. Carrying an extra 110 lb (50 kg) in your car can increase your fuel bill by 2%.

⇒ Use sun reflectors to keep the car cooler inside. On hot days, especially if your car’s interior is black, it can get extremely hot in the vehicle. Many drivers immediately want to crank up the air conditioning, which is an energy hog.

Instead, use sun reflectors to lower internal temperatures. Keep a window cracked so air can circulate. When you get in the car, leave the doors open for a couple of minutes to let hot air escape.

There are lots of sun reflectors to choose from. You can get an idea of your options here.

⇒ Turn on the AC when driving in hot temperatures at high speeds. It can be fun to drive with the windows down, but open windows decrease a vehicle’s aerodynamics at higher speeds. If you’re driving around town, open windows are fine. At higher speeds, use the AC.

NOTE: Partners like Halfords enable us to bring you expert content at no cost to you. Our editorial opinions remain our own.

The post 12 Things You Should Do Right Now to Use Less Gas Every Day appeared first on Big Green Purse.

Air pollution is particularly tough on kids, reports the terrific non-profit group Moms Clean Air Force, because they actually breathe faster than grown-ups and inhale more air per pound of body weight. Some communities, like this inspiring group in Nova Scotia, Canada, have banded together to put a stop to idling at schools, sporting events, and shopping malls.

According to the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (SCDHEC.gov), idling a car for as little as ten seconds actually uses more fuel than turning off the engine and restarting it! In fact, every minute of idling uses at least 2/10 of a gallon of gas, up to about 7/10 of a gallon for an 8-cylinder engine. If you spend five minutes idling, you’ll waste a perfectly good gallon of gas. If gas costs you an average of $3.00 a gallon, that’s three bucks pretty much burned up with nothing to show for it. Do that four or five times a week, and you could waste as much as $12 or $15 – enough to buy a pizza, go see a movie, or save in your rainy day fund.

The problem increases in winter because so many drivers believe idling is a good way to warm up their engine. In fact, just the opposite is true, says SCDHEC.gov. To properly warm a vehicle’s transmission, tires, suspension, steering, and wheel bearings, it’s much better to slowly drive the car as soon as you you start it.

Sure, it’s convenient to idle, especially if you’re waiting for someone, using a drive-through window, or (ahem) parking illegally. But for cleaner air, healthier kids, and greater fuel savings, keep the idling to a minimum.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO STOP IDLING ENGINES?

* If you’re going to be stopped at a traffic light, traffic jam or railroad crossing for longer than ten seconds, turn off the engine. (Don’t worry – research shows that turning off the engine and then turning it on again several seconds or a minute later doesn’t damage it, despite the myth to the contrary.)

* Skip drive-throughs, especially during the busiest times of the day when start-stop traffic is likeliest to be heavy (this means mornings at drive-through donut and coffee shops, lunch time for fast food restaurants, and afterwork for banks). The one drive-through I do use is at my pharmacy; I’ve learned that a wait for the customer in front of me could take five or ten minutes, and my own service could take equally as long. It’s been easy to get in the habit of turning the car off until it’s my turn.

* Use a remote car starter sparingly. Yeah, in cold climates, it’s a real treat to get into a warm car when it’s freezing outside. But ironically, though the air might be warmer, it could actually be more polluted, as well, since outdoor emissions can filter into the car through windows and air intake vents.

* Definitely avoid idling your vehicle if you’re near a school or bus stop, recommends the U.S. EPA. Why expose children to all that dirty air?

* Keep a blanket in the car or van so the kids can cuddle up and get warm while they’re waiting for the car to do the same.

Creative Commons Photo Credit: Idling photo link

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What’s driving the price spike?

You’ve heard it before: supply, and demand.

Supply has been shrinking for years – ever since the first oil well was tapped decades ago. But this year, supply is tighter than usual. An unprecedented number of refinery accidents, refinery outages due to maintenance, and drivers’ increasing gasoline demand are draining fuel tanks all over the country.
In fact, the amount of available gasoline fell by more than half this month, according to government figures. That’s not good news, even to people who drive gas-sipping hybrids.

What can you do?

I offer about 90 suggestions in my book, Beat High Gas Prices Now! The Fastest, Easiest Ways to Save $20-$50 Every Month on Gasoline. Some highlights:

* Get a tune-up if you haven’t had one in a while. You’ll improve fuel economy by at least 4.1%.
* Pumping up your tires will get you another 3%.
* Use cruise control if you do a lot of highway driving for as much as a 14% fuel economy gain.
* Skip the drive throughs. “Idling” is another way of saying “wasting gas.”
* If you’re in the market for a new car, buy the most fuel-efficient vehicle in your price range. You can compare mileage at www.fueleconomy.gov.

Keep this in mind: after Hurricane Katrina in September 2005 pushed gas prices above $3/gallon for the first time, consumers conserved so much gasoline that demand dropped as much as 6.5 percent. You can save money, stabilize gas supply, and help bring prices back under control by using less gas – and still get where you want to go.

QUESTION: What works for you? Leave a comment with your best gas-saving suggestion.

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