Ways to Save Gas on Your Next Road Trip!
There’s lots of information out there on different ways you can save on gas but today I have some for you that you might not have thought of. We recently packed up the kids and took our family 1400 miles and while driving I started realizing there are ways we could have planned a little better to save ourselves even more money. Here’s what I came up with;
Make sure you pack right. What I mean is if you have a full car on the inside and need to carry some of it outside of our vehicle try borrowing or purchasing a luggage hitch that goes behind the car rather than one on top. Cars are made to be aerodynamic to give you better gas mileage. But when you change the shape and add something that’s wind resistant to the top, you’re causing your car to work harder to go faster costing you money. Also make sure you pack as light as possible!
Next you’ll want to watch the weather. This became a big deal when it came to our gas mileage. At the beginning of our trip we spend about 5 hours in a head on wind meaning our car was working against the storm to get us where we were going. So if you’re able to be a little flexible try to watch the weather and stay away from stormy, windy days.
Get your car tuned up. Set up an appointment with your local auto repair shop before you head out on your road trip. Make sure all your fluids are full and let them know you’ll be traveling beforehand so they can check and make sure you’re good to go. It’s not fun having the car breakdown on your way to your destination. Also don’t forget to check your tire pressure!
Make sure you know the roads and avoid any toll roads. We ran into this issue when we were traveling back east and unknown to us we had entered a toll road and ended up having to pay the price to drive on it. For locals who know the roads, they know where they are but if this is your first time traveling the area make sure you plan ahead.
Know when to use the cruise control. Using your cruise control while on straightaways is great as long as there’s no hills. If you’re traveling through the mountains and rolling hills turn off the cruise control and maintain the speed in a more efficient way. Learn to coast instead of brake and pump your breaks.
Enjoy the trip and remember these few tips to help you save on your gas!
How To Cut Down on Gas Costs
Summer is right around the corner and this means that more people are going to be on the road soon than they are at any other time of the years. People are going on vacations, kids are out of school, college students are on break, and everyone is looking to have a good time. That also means that people spend more money on gas during the summer than most other times of the year but that’s all about to change. We’re going to give you a few helpful tips that will not only help you save money on gas but you’ll still have a good time!
Travel in Groups
If you find yourself going out a lot during the summer, try to travel in groups. Pick a designated driver every week (someone whose car you will use) and have that person pick everyone up for a weekend on the town. The very next week, pick someone different. The people riding along can all throw in on gas and before you know it, you have a good system that will help you and all of your friends save money on gas during the summer.
Use Points
A lot of gas stations have some type of rewards or points card that you can get. For example, if you buy groceries at Kroger using your Kroger Card, you can get up to 20 cents off every gallon of gas you buy when you fill up. These points can be redeemed at any Kroger fuel station or Shell gas station. This, of course, is just one good example.
Avoid Traffic
Try to go out at times of the day that aren’t so busy during the summer. This will keep you from getting stuck in traffic jams and burning up too much gasoline. This will also keep you from getting lined up in toll roads or getting into a potential accident. Both of these bonuses will also save you money as car repairs are always expensive as are toll roads.
Get An EZ Pass
Okay, so depending on where you live in the country, it may be called something else. It may be called a Sun Pass or I Pass. It’s basically a device that goes on your car which you load with money and you can get through a specific lane at the toll roads. It saves you a lot of time and we all know that time is money. If you don’t have toll roads, disregard this.
And okay, we know. Not all of these were actual methods used to save money on gas but we just had to throw them in there. The important thing though is that you will save money on gas as well as numerous other things. Just be sure to take our advice, apply it during your busy summer schedule, and see how much money you end up saving. We hope it’s enough to buy yourself a second car but even if it’s not, it is still money well saved!