How to Save Gas

Use Less Gas

The best advice on how to save gas is simply to use less gas. It sounds so simple that few people realize how important this strategy is. If you want to save gas, you must use less gas. What this means is that you must think about every time you get in your car, am I doing things in the most fuel efficient manner? I cut my gas bills in half by following this strategy.

Save Gas: Don't Drive Everywhere

I used to drive everywhere without thinking about it. If I had an errand to do, a person to see, or just wanted a burger and fries, I would hop in the car and drive. You may not think you are driving that much, but when you add up all the little trips, that's where the real mileage is. For starters, see if you can car pool or take public transport when you have to get somewhere. It's really easy to find other people who are traveling the same direction. If you have a weekly meeting that is always in the same place at the same time, you will probably find others making the same trip. Now, instead of driving the route every week, you may be only driving once a month, if that.

Plan Your Week

Instead of driving to all different places every day, sit down and plan where you have to be. Then take one day and get everything done. If you are used to going to the bank one day, the supermarket the next, and the bike shop the day after, get everything done on the same day. You will not only save gas, but you will save another precious resource: time.

Get a Bike

You may have noticed that I listed "bike shop" as a common errand in the above paragraph. If a bike shop is not on your list of places you visit, it should be. By leaving the car at home for short errands and riding a bike, you save gas and improve your health. Why buy gas to drive yourself to a health club when you can ride a bike there and not even have to go in? You get your workout on the bike and you saved both gas money and the money that you would have spent on a membership.

How They Save Gas Abroad

If you travel to many places, you will see that bikes are used a lot more abroad that in the United States. Countries from Holland to China set aside special bike lanes and offer tax incentives to people who bike to work. The only fuel you need is from a water bottle and you can fill those up for free almost anywhere. I love filling my bottles up at the gas station while I watch people spending hundreds of dollars on gas. As gas prices continue to climb, I believe more and more people will decide to ride bikes. Not only will they be saving money, but they will have the great side benefit of losing weight and feeling healthy.