How to Spend Less on Gas
Ever notice how your money doesn’t go as far anymore when it comes to gas for your car? The rising cost of petroleum is all over the news lately, and it’s not a surprise that many people want to know how to spend less on gas.
In a previous post, I recommended walking or biking to a location. But there’s more you can do to save your gas money. Here are some additional gas-saving tips:
Go slower. By going slower, you reduce the gas needed by your car to go from one destination to another. With all the traffic jams in Metro Manila, this won’t be hard to accomplish.
Take public transportation. If you’re going to an area that’s easily reachable by commuting, and it’s a beautiful day outside and you’re not planning on buying large bags of groceries or something like that, why not take public transportation?
Telecommute or move closer to your office. If you can get a telecommuting agreement with your employer, that will cut down a lot of expenses – not just gas. You don’t have to buy your lunch outside or dress in office clothes all the time. However, not all employers look at telecommuting in a positive light (even if it saves them money as well). If that’s your case, you can opt to move to an apartment nearer your office.
Don’t become picky when it comes to parking spaces. Park in the first space you find, unless you have compelling reasons not to do it (your car won’t fit, for example).
Find out where cheaper gas is sold. Gas prices aren’t constant all over the Philippines, you can save some money by finding a station that sells gas at a more affordable price. The next time you go around the city, be aware of the prices that gas stations are advertising and make a mental note of which ones are cheaper and within your usual route. AngGAStos is a website that aims to record how much gas costs in different areas in the Philippines. You can look at it as a reference (and don’t forget to share your own information as well).
Make your car weigh as light as possible. The less your car weighs, the less gas it requires to run at a certain speed. Inspect your trunk, back seat, glove compartment, and other nooks and crannies of your car and remove all the unnecessary things.
Get a map or plan before you go to a new place. When visiting a new area or going to a building/resto/house you’ve never been to before, it’s best to check out a map first so you’ll know how to get there and you won’t spend hours circling the place, getting lost, and consuming gas unnecessarily while you’re at it.
Don’t park in hot areas. My friend Nikki reminded me to keep my scooter parked in the shade because gas can easily evaporate if I park it under direct sunlight.
Get a tune up. If your car isn’t in great shape, it usually uses up more gas. Make sure all your car’s parts are working at optimum performance.
Check your tire pressure. This tip, I got from a reader over at Inquirer’s MoneySmarts blog. Apparently, you can get more gas mileage if your tires are properly inflated.
Read additional resources from other websites. If you want to read up on more gas-saving tips, check out these articles:
What do you do to save money on gas? How much does gas in your area cost?
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Help Iligan and CDO
good post! someone once demo’ed to me a gadget put on cars to reduce gas expenses. do you think that’s safe and effective?
It depend on what this “gadget” does. I found this interesting article on such devices: http://www.aa1car.com/library/gas805.htm
I also found this article on MSN which shows that most of these devices are scams.
Basically, we should all do our research first before buying ANY gadget – whether it’s the gas saving gadget you mentioned or a cellphone. Find some reviews online and a list of product specifications. This saves you from feeling buyer’s remorse.