A Guide on How to Save Money on Gas

Gas prices keep on rising. The other day, I paid over $40 a gallon. Since this is something I can't control, I tend not to dwell on the price fluctuations too much. Yes, I know just enough to understand which gas stations in my immediate area consistently have the best prices.

But instead of complain, I've decided to actually learn about how to save money on gasoline. Even if you only implement one of these changes, it could make a big difference in your wallet.

Share a car. My husband and I decided a long time ago that we will share a car. A few years ago, both of our cars stopped working around the same time. We were about to move to Germany which has excellent public transportation so we didn't see the need to buy more than one car. We've been back to the US for about four years and still only have one car. We save a lot of money not only on gas, but on maintenance fees.

Carpool. If you have a long commute, you may want to look into carpooling with some coworkers who live in the area. You can each take turns driving. The added benefit of this is that a lot of major cities have carpool lanes that tend to go faster but you typically need to have two or more people in the car.

Watch the errands. It is amazing how much those little errands really do add up. To pull this off you'll need to be organized because it helps to group similar errands together on the same trip. For example, if the post office is next to the super market, do them both at the same time instead of going on separate days.

Car maintenance. If you keep up with maintaining your car, it could make a big difference in how much money you spend on gas. For example, keeping your tire pressure at the level it needs to be is one of those little things that can help your car burn gasoline more efficiently. Just follow the regular maintenance schedule and you should be all set.

Check your speed. Going to fast will burn more gasoline. If you keep your speed under 65 mph your car will burn gas more efficiently. This means you won't need to fill up at the gas station as often. Resist the urge to speed when you're running late and you'll save money!

Ride public transportation. This one may seem obvious but not many people do it. Public transportation will run regardless if you use it or not. And when you do use it, that means that you will be using your car less. This means you will not be filling up your car as often and that you'll also be reducing the demand for gasoline. If more people do this, the lessening demans would be more obvious.