Record high gas prices make many people change their habits. Maybe for years you were used to drive your SUV and never felt the pain at the gas pump. You drove over 40 miles one way to work and it felt normal, but now with hundreds of dollars spent per month on gas alone you don’t see it that normal anymore. So if so far you never thought of ways to save money on gas perhaps now is the best time to do it.
Here are some practical tips on how you can save money at the pump:
1) Carpool- If you are driving a lot of miles every day to and from work, there is probably somebody in your area or within short distance that does the same thing. There are quite a few websites out there where you can post free ads looking for people that are willing to carpool in your route. One generic side would be the well known craigslist.com and a more specific site for this is erideshare.com. It might take you a few weeks or months to find the right person to ride with, but it’s definitely worth it. You will pretty much cut you gas expenses in half. So what would you say if you would see $2.00 / gallon gas. I am sure you will be pretty excited. So go ahead make the decision and start looking for a carpool partner.
2) Move closer to work-I know it is easier said than done. In today’s economy we are hit not only buy the high gas prices but also by a very, very slow real estate market. It is not that easy to sell you home anymore. I admit that this solution is a better fit for people who are renting. If you are not caught up in a long term contract do whatever possible to find a place to live close to your workplace. There are rumors that the gas prices are only going to go up, so the less you drive the better off you are.
3) Buy a car that gives more miles per gallon. Be ready to give up a little comfort. You might not have that spacious car but for sure a small little car will keep you away from the gas pump for a longer period of time. If you want to check the miles per gallon average numbers you can check it out at www.mpgbuddy.com.
4) Use the public transportation – Depending on what city you live in and where you go to work, there is probably a public transportation system that you could use. If you plan on doing this, as a method to save money on gas you have to be very organized. You got to know the bus schedule, wake up earlier than you use to and allow a lot more time to get to and from work.
I think that almost every single American is affected by the high gas prices, but not everyone is ready to take some of the drastic measure that I mentioned above. You don’t have to, but unless you are a millionaire I am pretty sure that you have to make some changes to your daily habits so that you can keep your budget under control.
