Save gas! Save Money!

In recent years there have been a lot of interest in getting good quality gas for our cars.  Quite a number of people sustained heavy financial loss due to bad gas. However it had me thinking how else can I save money on gas?

Know your fuel consumption

It is important to know how much you spend on gas weekly.  This will ensure that there is an idea of how much is spent on a weekly basis. It will also show how much you have saved when you put the new measures in place.

Maintain your engine

If you ensure that your car is properly maintained then it will improve gas mileage.  This includes properly inflating tires and ensuring that all fluids are at the correct level.

Essentially you want to make sure your car is rolling smoothly and using fuel efficiently.  A bad wheel alignment, an under-inflated tire, dirty filters or spark plug can put more strain on  your engine and your pocket!

Don’t Speed

Accelerating quickly is bad for the fuel consumption.   Once your reach an efficient speed, maintaining a constant pace avoids wasting energy on decelerating and then accelerating again.  Cruise control can help with this, but some people also find pulse and glide techniques effective.
When it comes to braking, less is more.

Anticipating road conditions and coasting in gear to a stop makes the most of your car’s momentum, as long as it is done safely.

Turn off the engine

Modern cars don’t really need much time to warm up, it just wastes fuel.  If you are waiting for someone, or stationary in traffic, for more than 30 seconds you are better turning the engine off, assuming it is safe to do so.

Turn off the air conditioning

Turning off the air conditioner will also conserve on gas. It can be very hot here and so I would only recommend this for short trips and cool evenings. The air conditioner at low or high speed will affect fuel consumption so use sparingly.

Avoid traffic

Although it is much easier said than done, planning ahead can occasionally help you avoid traffic. Nothing will ruin your fuel economy like the stop-start of getting stuck in traffic.
We need all the help we can get to save money so the less gas we have to buy the more money we get to keep in our pocket!

So how do you save money at the gas pump? Drop me a line!

Teri Ann Renee Paisley
Gleaner online writer

Tags: gas, save money