Every time you’ve filled up your gas tank over the past few weeks, you’ve likely noticed that the bill got larger each time. Gas has been going way up in price - mostly thanks to record oil prices. To make matters worse, experts expect to see another $.20 jump in prices in the very near future. If gas isn’t yet over $3.00 per gallon in your area, this latest jump will do the trick. So, what can you do? I’m not suggesting that you run out and trade your car in for a hybrid right away. If you’re already considering trading in your car, then you should certainly look at some fuel efficient options. But don’t make the trade just based on the latest jump in gas prices.

What can you do to keep the damage to a minimum?

Without going to the extreme of trading in your car, there are a few things you can do to keep the hit to your wallet minimal.

  • Drive less - cut out unnecessary trips. If you don’t *need* to go somewhere, simply don’t.
  • Go the speed limit. Boring, I know. But it works - you can get 15-20% better gas mileage on the highway by going the limit instead of 10 MPH over.
  • Look ahead. If the light a few hundred yards away is turning yellow, take your foot off the gas. You’ll need to slow down and stop anyway, so you might as well get a head start, and save some gas.
  • Accelerate slowly. Fast starts kill your overall mileage, and don’t really get you where you’re going much faster anyhow. Keep it slow and steady.

None of this is groundbreaking or earth-shattering. You probably already know that most of these tips can save gas, and money. But do you put them into practice everyday? For those of us on tight budgets, a hike in gas prices is truly painful. A gently reminder, like this one, on how to save gas, may be exactly what you need. So follow these tips, use less gas, and you won’t be worrying about rising gas prices.

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