A Pain in The Gas

To begin, it is important to recognize that driving less may not be an option for most of us due to where we live, work, and engage in various activities (school, after-school child programs, medical care needs, and more).  Further, many of us can’t buy a new car, let alone an expensive electric vehicle or EV (even if one is readily available).  Given this scenario, questions of “how can we burn less fuel? and “How can I save at the gas pump?” must surface.

Even if you drive an EV, there’s no sense in using up battery power.  After all, recharging an EV still costs some money.

There are several options.  I have employed some of these; others are outside my daily realm of driving.

(1) While waiting in a car line, at a school or sports drop-off/pickup, a drive-through, or at a Costco or Walmart gas line, turn off the engine and the air conditioning and open the car windows.  Yes, in the Florida heat (year-round) and in the summer heat in other parts of the country, it WILL be uncomfortable.  But the mission here is to save money and gas.  If comfort trumps one or both of these, you may be reading the wrong article.

    I have watched long lines at local elementary schools at both drop-off and pick-up times (Fig. 1).  Car windows are almost uniformly raised and engines are running.  Some of these lines start to form 30 – 60 minutes early and contain upwards of fifty cars.

I have also seen the lengthy drive-thru lines at Chick Fil-A (Fig. 2).  My work-around for the Chick Fil-A situation was to order from the parking lot via their cellphone app and walk into the store (Airport Road just north of Pine Ridge Road).  It took me two minutes.  The last vehicles in the line of 20 to 30 cars would have taken about 30 minutes to clear.

(2) Plan your travels around town.  I try to make circles or loops whenever I can.  It isn’t always possible to do so.  When I can, even for only a part of my travels, I often save, not only gas/money, but also time.

I have used Google maps to demonstrate this concept.  I inserted an unplanned route around town (Google maps can handle a large number of connecting points), that I might have made in the past and then obtained the mileage and time involved.  I then replanned the trip (making only minor changes in this case) and wound up saving 21 minutes and 10.4 miles (around 4/10’s of a gallon of gas when compared to my CRV’s 27 miles per gallon for city driving).  Figure 3 shows the two trips.  It isn’t necessary to do this for every trip.  However, it is instructive to realize how easily one can save gas, money, and time.

Note that savings will vary upon the routes driven.  It is assumed that driving speed and style were similar for both trips.

(3) Drive at a steady rate, rather than gunning your engine to speed ahead to the next red light.  I typically meet these racers at the next red light.  Drive slower, rather than faster, but don’t drive too slowly.

Note that many insurance companies have programs that monitor your driving and translate that into insurance cost-savings.  Thus, by driving closer to the speed limit and driving at a steadier pace, you could save even more money.

(4) Take a few minutes to clean the excess weight from your trunk or back storage area in your vehicle.  The heavier the vehicle, the more gas you will burn.

(5) Keep your tires fully inflated.  I do this routinely when I have my car serviced (lube-oil-filter change) every three to four months (or 5,000 miles).  I also have a tire gauge and can check the pressure of my tires, if needed.  On occasion, I have gone into my servicing site (car dealership or other service location) and simply asked to have the tire pressure checked.  In a pinch, you can buy some air from a gas station air pump.  When you do any of these, check your tires for unusual wear or tire damage.  You’ll, also, save some gas by having your car tires in alignment and by having them in proper balance.

(6) One of the most effective ways to save money at the pump, is to be a member of the GasBuddy or (Get) Upside gas-saving apps.  These apps (available at the Apple and Google stores) already offer discounted prices at some gas stations.  Figure 4 shows screenshots of the two apps at work.

If you want to try either of these apps, please use the following invitation codes:

Gas Buddy        EB2WHVG

(Get) Upside     FYB6R

We’ll both get a sign-up bonus after your first use.

Another way is to belong to Costco and/or Sam’s Club and get their branded credit card.  While you can get gas at these club stores, you don’t have to do so.  Their cards are good at other gas stations and still provide a 4% or 5% cash back, respectively, atop any app discounts.  If you combine either of these club cards with Upside, you’ll usually save a lot more than using GasBuddy (which requires a bank debit or their branded credit card).  Nonetheless, I always compare both options when I look for the best place to buy gas.  Note that high-test at the club stores is almost always the lowest price available.

During June 2022, while many drivers in southwest Florida were paying almost $5 per gallon for regular gas, my combined use of Upside and my Sam’s Club credit card, saved me 40 cents a gallon on at least a few gas station visits.  Thank goodness that I don’t live in California where some gas prices were more than two dollars a gallon higher.

(7) Finally, consider joining one of the branded gasoline company’s reward programs – https://www.thepennyhoarder.com/save-money/fuel-rewards-programs/.  I’m not a big fan of these because I would need to track / carry far too many rewards cards or employ too many apps.  Still, if you have a favorite branded gas station, and don’t use Gas Buddy or Upside to locate lower-cost gas stations, this could be a simple way to save at the pump.

Obviously, you don’t want to drive out of your way to save a few pennies or dollars on a gas purchase.  But, if you combine idea #2 with idea #6 and/or #7, you can make a significant dent in your gas usage and/or costs.

Please contact me at writing@weatherworks.com if you use any of these methods successfully or if you have other ideas, comments, or concerns.  I fear that gas prices will remain elevated for many months to come (or longer).  Hence, anything that helps even a handful of people save money is a positive thing.

H Michael Mogil

A Self-proclaimed Consummate Consumerist

© 2022 H. Michael Mogil

Originally posted 7/24/22