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.

Most people wouldn’t put a pile of money on their driveway and set it on fire. But when you drive, you’re essentially burning money. Regardless of whether gas prices are high or low, because we’re traveling more, we’re all burning more money via our gas tanks than ever before. It doesn’t have to be that way. You can save $20 – $50 every month on gasoline by following these six steps.

1) Drive LESS. How? Walk, especially if you’re traveling distances less than a mile and don’t need to carry heavy loads. Bike. More than half of all commuting trips are 5 miles or less in length, a distance easily covered by two wheels rather than four. Scoot, with an electric scooter that costs far less to charge than it does to fuel up a car with gas. Get organized, so you can combine trips and chores rather than going back and forth to do them. Pay your bills and shop online. That includes using grocery delivery services if they’re available in your area. Carpool. Share the drive and share the bill. Avoid rush hour. Telecommute, go to work early and leave early, or look for other ways to avoid the worst times of the day to be in a car. Because when you’re just sitting in traffic, you’re just burning money.

2) Drive SMART. What does “smart” mean? More or less, it’s what you learned when you took driving lessons all those years ago before you even got your driver’s license. Start with the speed limit. Stick to it. The U.S. Department of Energy says that every 5 mph you drive above 50 mph can lower gas mileage by 7% or more. That could amount to as much as $.52 a gallon! Slow down a little and put the money in the bank. Plus, turn the car off rather than idle. Idling gets zero miles per gallon; if that’s not a waste of gas and money, I don’t know what is! Don’t be a “jackrabbit” and speed up only to have to slow down in between stop signs and traffic signals. As for tailgating, it can cost you 1-2 percent in fuel efficiency. What a waste.

3) Drive CHEAP. In most cases, your engine can tolerate the cheapest gas you can find. Get to know where gas costs less and buy yours there. The GasBuddy mobile app makes it easy to find the cheapest gas on your driving route every day. Don’t top off your tank. Not only will you waste money, but that “extra” evaporates pretty quickly, contributing to air pollution. Pay cash. It can be ten or twenty cents a gallon cheaper than paying by credit card. Use gas rewards programs. I earn gas points at my grocery store that I can use to lower the price I pay at the pump by ten, twenty and even thirty cents a gallon.

4) Drive IN TUNE. You’ll improve your gas mileage by an average of 4.1 percent when you get a tune up. Most cars need an oil change every 3,000 – 5,000 miles, too. If that’s too frequent for you, join Groupon, Living Social, or another social shopping site. You’ll find many affordable tune-up and oil change promotions that cut the service costs significantly.  While you’re at it, replace air filters regularly to get another 10 percent gain in fuel efficiency. Checking the oxygen sensor is smart, too. That’s the engine’s fuel control feedback loop. Repairing one that’s faulty could benefit your gas mileage as much as 40 percent.

5) Drive PUMPED UP. Gas mileage will improve by around 3.3 percent if you keep your tires properly inflated. Check your owner’s manual for appropriate inflation levels. You can buy a tire pressure gauge at your local hardware store and check your tires each time the seasons change. Then fill up your tires when you get gas.

6) Drive a GAS STRETCHER. Drive the most fuel-efficient vehicle that meets your transportation needs as well as your budget. If you’re in a family with two cars, use the one that gets the most mpg for the majority of your trips. If you’re in the market for a new car, check the rebates and tax incentives available to encourage people to purchase hybrids and electric cars, rather than those that depend exclusively on fossil fuels.

All of these actions can add up to big savings. An added benefit? Using less gas is a lot better for the environment, since burning gasoline contributes to air pollution, climate change and smog.

So drive less, get smart, be cheap, tune in, pump up and stretch.

Unless of course you have money to burn.

MORE GREAT INFORMATION:

Save Energy, Stop Climate Change, Save Money

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