Most of us spend a lot of time in our cars.  Whether we are driving to work day after day or driving our children to school and sports constantly, we are putting a lot of miles on our vehicles.  A lot of miles on our vehicles means a lot of gas through the tank.  That means that we are spending a fortune at the tank.  

There are several things that we can do though to ease up the cost of fuel.  These are simply small changes that don’t cost much (if anything), but can save you a lot!

Properly inflate your tires

Having your tires properly inflated is one way to make your vehicle as fuel efficient as possible.  For every one pound drop in your tire’s air pressure, you are losing ⅓ of a percent on fuel economy.  Keeping your tires inflated properly can save you up to 9 cents per gallon.

Maintain Your Car

Proper maintenance is the single most important thing you can do to preserve your car and to sustain the best fuel economy from your vehicle.  A simple tune up doesn’t cost much (especially if you do it yourself!) and can save you a significant amount of money on gas costs because your car will be running more smoothly, therefore losing less gas.

Clear the Clutter

You know what I am talking about.  I’m talking about the bags of stuff you have been toting around in your trunk for months, the gym bag in the backseat and the list goes on.  All of the extra weight from the stuff you are carting around with you weighs your car down which decreases its fuel mileage.  So clean out your car!

Carpool

Do you live close to a coworker?  Do your kids participate in activities with the neighbors’ kids?  Start carpooling during these times to save money.  Many people will be receptive to the carpooling idea, because they too, need to save money.

Drive Carefully

Driving recklessly (swerving, driving too fast, constantly braking) is not only dangerous, but it really does affect your gas mileage.  Driving 55 mph as opposed to 75 mph would save you 25% in fuel consumption.

Avoid Rush Hour (if you can)

Do all that you can to avoid rush hour traffic.  When you are stuck in traffic you are idling and your car is getting 0 MPG.  I don’t think that needs any further explanation.