Do you have road trip plans this Summer?  You should plan in advance to save money on gas so you are not overwhelmed with the costs associated with your adventures.

Here are 5 ways to save money on gas this Summer:

1. Clean out your car.  Did you know that extra weight in your car costs you fuel mileage?  Make sure that you stay on top of your cleaning out your car.  I used to have a habit of driving around for days with the back of my car full of old stuff that was taking to the Salvation Army.  I never made it a habit to make sure I got there right away.  I have since changed my tune and if I have a basket full of stuff in my car, I head straight to the donation center so I’m not wasting precious fuel.
2. Drive less often.  Okay, this one is a given, but seriously.  Combine your trips so that you are not wasting gas when you could have done that same trip yesterday.
3. Use GasBuddy.  Download Gasbuddy onto your phone and use it to find the cheapest gas near you.  I used it yesterday and discovered that within a short distance, there was more than a $0.30 difference in gas prices.
4. Consider downsizing your vehicle.  Do you drive a large SUV or car?  Do you really need a car that size?  Why not downsize your car to one that gets better fuel mileage?  Many of us get too wrapped up in what we are driving and the status of it to really think about whether it cost effective and beneficial to our families.
5. Avoid Rush Hour.  The stop and go traffic that many of us are stuck in during rush hour costs a lot of money worth of fuel mileage.  Constantly hitting the brakes and then having to hit the throttle heavy to go again can cause you to lose about 20% of your fuel mileage.