How to Save on Gasoline

Wow...even 15 gallons of gas costs over 40 bucks!  If you drive an SUV, filling up is equivalent to a night on the town!  It also seems the suburbs are getting farther and farther from town.  It is a fact that one can buy more home for the money the farther away it is from the central business district.  This means that people are living a lot farther from their place of employment, and they're driving gas-guzzling vehicles to go to and from, which forces demand higher.  In absence of moving, or finding another job, here are some tips on how to save money on gasoline:

1)   Consolidate trips by drawing imaginary lines in your city.  Say you're running errands; pick a major thoroughfare north of your home or starting point.  Once you go north of that street, stay on the north side of it and do everything you have to on that side before coming south.

2)   If you have more than one store to visit in a strip center, park in the middle; don't move your car to each location.  I don't care if you drive a Toyota or a Rolls-Royce, starting a car takes lots of fuel!

3)   Gas mileage drops dramatically at speeds over 60 miles per hour.  The EPA says that for every 5 miles per hour you drive above 60, you should add $.20 on the price of a gallon of gas.  Besides, it's safer to drive at slower speeds.

4)   Instead of accelerating uphill, I try and drive at the same speed as on level ground, or ever a little slower.

5)   I know a lot of people who use their car as a spare closet.  For every 100 pounds of stuff in your trunk, you can decrease your fuel economy by 1% to 2%, which adds up in the long run.

6)  For all you Sierra Club members and tri-athletes, this one's for you:  get rid of all that unsightly gear, like roof racks, until you are going to use it.  I know it's a pain to dismantle, but the drag from these appendages can reduce fuel economy by as much as 5%, which really adds up.

7)   Anticipate stops.  When you brake, you're wasting all that great acceleration you've already used.

8)   Accelerate slowly when the light turns green.  You don't impress anyone by being number one at the other side of the intersection.  If you're first in line when the light turns green, make sure you look both ways, as running red lights is quickly becoming an Olympic sport.