15 Easy Ways to Save on Gas!

We all do it.  Many of us do it at least once a week.

We all make that trek to the gas station.  We pull up, open the gas tank, put the nozzle in, hit the regular button, and start to cringe.


Living in Rhode Island, we're paying roughly $3.55 - $3.80 per gallon.  I know there are states and cities that are even higher than Rhode Island right now.

Here are some sure fire tips to help you get the absolute most out of every single gallon you are buying.

1. Tire Pressure.  Make sure your tire pressure is right where it should be.  For your correct tire pressure, you can normally find out how many PSI (pounds per square inch) your tires need on the inside of the driver's side door.

2.  Empty Your Trunk.  I've done it, and know all too many people who regularly do this.  We buy some heavy things, like kitty litter, or dog food, and say to ourselves, I'll get it later.  Later turns into a few days, maybe even a week.  Stop traveling with excess, unneeded weight in the trunk of your vehicle.  The more weight you have in your vehicle, the more gas you are going to use.

3.  Get a Tune-Up.  Regular tune ups can definitely help you to get better gas mileage, as well as help to prolong the life of your vehicle.

4.  Take Your Foot off the Gas.   I've been practicing this for a while now, and really began studying this for the last several months, and I have to say, this step alone, is actually giving me about 15% more miles than when I wasn't doing this.  Keeping your engine's RPM's (Rotations Per Minute) at or under 2 will give you anywhere from 10% - 20% more miles per gallon.

5. Routes.   Before heading out to run errands, write them down, and then create your route.  Avoid going back and forth through your town.  Also, I have noticed when I started to really pay attention to my gas, that I was going through more gas by simply turning my vehicle on than I was using while driving.  So now, if I have to run to a store quickly, I can lock my truck while it's running, and I have a second key to unlock it when I come back out.  I will say I only do this if I'm running into a small store to get one or two items, never if I'm doing a full shopping trip to Walmart or a grocery store.  Many other websites will tell you to not idle, however by studying this myself for the last several months, I have noticed that on quick errands, I use MUCH more gas turning my truck on then when idling.  This may not be the case for a small vehicle, but it is the case for a large truck.

6. Know When To Fill Up.  Fill your gas tanks in the morning when the ground temperatures are still cold.  Cool air makes the gas more dense, and you'll have less vapors while filling your tanks.  The colder the ground the more dense the gasoline, when it gets warmer gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, ethanol and other petroleum products plays an important role. Just a single degree rise in temperature is a big deal for these companies and service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

7.  Don't Rush!  When you're at the pump, we all want to get the gas, and leave.  Take an extra couple of minutes and pump your gas slowly.  Each nozzle has three different pump rates, Slow, Medium, and High.  Pumping your gas at the fastest rate, will give you the least amount of gas.  All hoses at the stations have a vapor return built in, so when you're squeezing the nozzle all the way, more gas becomes vapor, thus sending it back into their tanks.  You're actually paying for that amount that is going back into their tanks!  

8.  Don't wait!  Fill your tank when you're half full already.  Why?  The more gas in your tank, the less air you have in your tank.  Gasoline evaporates at an astonishing rate, the less air that is in your tanks when you're filling up the less it will evaporate.  

9.  Truck Owners - Cover Up!   If you're driving around in a pick up truck, consider investing in a cap or a tonneau cover, or at the very least open your tailgate.  When you drive around the beds of trucks are far from aero-dynamic.  When we put a cap on my truck, we went from getting an average of 10.8 miles per gallon to 11.9 miles per gallon.  By covering your bed, or opening up the tailgate, you're allowing the wind to easily pass by your truck.  

10.  Take Advantage of Rewards.  More and more places like Stop & Shop are offering gas rewards right now.   Take advantage of those!  Each week grocery stores will offer a sale or special deal like by purchasing 7 selected items and you can save 20¢ per gallon.  

11.  Download a Gas App.  You may not know that a different gas station around you is 5¢ cheaper than everyone else.  Download one of the many free gas apps available right now, and see where the best prices are around you.  

12.  Tighten Your Gas Cap.  Millions upon millions of gas evaporated right out of consumers gas tanks last year.  Make sure your cap is tight and you have a good seal.  If you don't consider purchasing a new gas cap.

13.  Avoid putting things on your roof rack.   By placing items up on the top of your vehicle, your reducing your gas mileage by as much as 5% as your increasing your wind resistance.  If you can place it inside or in your trunk, you'll save.

14.  Replace Your Air Filter.  Every vehicle has an air filter, and they are super easy to replace, and often cost less than $20.  Over the course of a year, you could save up to 10% by simply replacing your filter each year.

15.  Look for Cash Discounts.  I'm noticing some gas stations are beginning to offer a 5¢ - 10¢ discount if you pay in cash.