Five Ways to Save Gas Money
Here's how to keep more cash in your pocket when you're at the pump.
By Stacy Rapacon, Reporter, Kiplinger's Personal Finance
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Gas prices may be down (especially compared to a record-breaking summer of 2008), but saving money is more important than ever.
Here are five ways to score solid savings when you pull into the service station.
1. Find the Lowest Gas Prices
Search GasBuddy.com or GasPriceWatch.com by zip code or city and state to get the lowest prices in your area.
GasBuddy links you to 181 local websites, each focused on a U.S. state, metro area, Canadian province or city. For example, search for St. Louis, Mo., on GasBuddy.com and get sent to MissouriGasPrices.com, where results reveal a price range within that area.
Prices are updated constantly and are dropped from the site after 72 hours -- it's assumed spotters will have updated information by then. And with the site's 124 million registered users keeping an eye out for you, you're bound to benefit.
GasPriceWatch.com hosts data from only about 166,000 volunteer tipsters. But it collects pricing info directly from fuel providers and gas station companies. The site plans to roll out a certified pricing program, which will guarantee you a specific price if you get to the station within one hour of seeing it on the site. Additionally, it offers a tool called MyPage that allows you to track prices at specific stations along your regular routes.
Both sites include prices from Costco and other big-box retailers that sell gasoline to customers at discounted prices. Brad Proctor, founder of GasPriceWatch.com, says Midwest retail supercenter Meijer is particularly "proactive about gas."
It provides text message alerts to customers' cell phones when gas prices are expected to rise -- promising to not raise Meijer prices until a scheduled time.
2. Target the Best Time of Day to Buy Gas
The best time of day to fill up your tank is before dawn or late at night, when the sun and traffic volume are both down. Stations usually will raise prices during the day, especially for rush hour.
In some cities -- like Detroit, Minneapolis, and Toledo -- "Wednesdays are the best day of the week for cheap gas prices," says Jason Toews, co-founder of GasBuddy.com. "Stations tend to raise prices on the weekends and especially during the summer."
Also, don't wait until your gas gauge drops down to "E." Toews says it's not good for your car's fuel injection system. Better to fill 'er up when the gauge indicates a quarter-full tank. Thinking about a refill at that point leaves you some time to shop around for the best gas price. Proctor figures: "You'll see that cheaper price a day after you had to fill up, and it's like watching the ball rolling just off your pick on the roulette wheel."
Finally, check that the price on the pump matches what is on the sign. And be sure that the gas pump starts at the $0 mark.
Reader Comments (26)
Posted by: Bud Stephens at 03/31/2008 12:12:58 PM
Everybody's an expert!!
Posted by: J Springer at 03/31/2008 01:20:50 PM
Use gas not diluted with ethanol. Mileage on gas without ethanol is better.
Posted by: SteveTheHawk at 03/31/2008 01:58:58 PM
You forgot to suggest the most obvious idea. Get rid of your pig-mobile SUV and/or pickup. And by the way, a "cross-over" is not saving you much in the way of gas. One other idea.... get off your Big Mac and walk in rather than use the drive-thru.
Posted by: Innkeeper Virginia at 03/31/2008 02:54:52 PM
Save gas surcharges by staying in your own backyard righ here in Virginia! Centrally located on the Mid-Atlantic...If you have never had biscuits and gravy at Dairy Queen while listening to toe tappin bluegrass - you better get out here to these Blue Ridge Mountains!...
Posted by: kenneth dameron at 04/02/2008 08:31:40 AM
Ethanol contains less BTU's than gasoline. Thus, while ethanol has a higher octane, it contains less energy. The typical gas/ethanol mix of 90%/10% will cost you 7 to 10% in gas mileage...
Posted by: Bradley at 04/02/2008 01:03:57 PM
Ethanol does not cause a great loss in gas mileage. It's a 2% decrease at the very most. If your car gets 30 mpg, it may decrease to 29.4 mpg. In some cars, it doesn't cause a loss in mileage at all.
Posted by: Cindy Schwalb at 04/09/2008 05:35:01 PM
I'm with Kiplinger.com. Improved electric cars are on the way, promising longer drive time and higher speeds. Our senior editor Mark Solheim reports from a recent NYC auto show. Copy and paste this url for more: kiplinger.com/features/archives/2006/09/altfuel.html
Posted by: Donald F. Wohlers Jr at 04/11/2008 10:13:35 PM
Buy your gas on certain days of the week and get a nickle off. Many gas stations in Vermont offer 5 cents off on Thursday or Tuesday.
Posted by: Matt at 04/17/2008 09:14:39 AM
I get all of my gas from Kum and Go. They offer a re-fillable gift card that saves you 5 cents a gallon every time you use it to buy gas. I put my budgeted amount on there every time I get paid. This has allowed me to budget better and always know that I have money for gas. I also get a free local paper every time I get gas, which saves me $1.50 every Sunday when we want all of the coupons. Every cent counts!!
Posted by: Robert White at 04/20/2008 09:20:13 AM
HAH, if you think spending NEARLY $4 a gallon at the gas pump imagine spending $14 yes you read right fourteen dollars a gallon, thats how much us Australians have to fork out, our prices are per litre and there are 4 litres per gallon, at the average price nowadays of $3.50 we are sick and tired of hearing you lot whinge and complain at spending what equates to nearly a dollar per litre over there. If we are forced to pay through the nose for our fuel which we have the ability to make our own ( I still say we should, it would be a damned sight cheaper than importing it and filling the oil barons pockets) then you should pay more as well, not a measly $4 a gallon.
Posted by: Ryan at 04/20/2008 10:00:12 AM
I lived in a town where all of the prices in town were the same...my dad became friends with one of the gas station owners in town who said that the reason all of the prices in town were exactly the same is because no one has brand loyalty... the next station has gas for 2 cents cheaper (what, 40 cents a fillup?) and that's where everybody goes...if enough people stayed at one or two stations, there might be a better chance your station won't have to do that, or that maybe they would get enough service that they could lower their prices...
Posted by: Paul B at 04/20/2008 10:35:01 AM
every time I read a story about this subject that talks about car idling, no one ever points out that you should stop using drive up windows at...fast food places...get out of the car and walk in ... and a side benifit of that is you usually get your stuff faster if the line is long outside.
Posted by: beachgrrl at 04/21/2008 01:00:53 AM
There are other sites that you can also find cheap gas prices on (not just the ones mentioned...) if you want to check them out, go to this article: (copy and paste, and put a www dot first.) associatedcontent.com/article/638321/find_cheap_gas_prices_online_a_little.html?cat=3
Posted by: Bob at 04/21/2008 09:17:02 PM
When searching for low price gas beware of your cars cost per mile.Driving 10 miles to save a nickel a gallon won't help.
Posted by: Stacy Rapacon at 04/25/2008 05:24:24 PM
Hi, everyone! I'm the author of the article. Thanks for visiting our site and reading my story. The rising cost of gas (and so many other things) in the U.S. is such a big issue, it's tough trying to fit it all into one story. So, it's great to have all this reader feedback fill in all the points I missed! Definite good advice from Steve, Paul B and Bob: skip the drive-thru and don't drive further than you have to for slim gas savings. As for the ethanol issue, I'd recommend visiting the Dept. of Energy's fueleconomy.gov. There is some good information under "Alternative Fuel Vehicles." Again, thanks for reading! And keep the comments coming!
Posted by: Adrian at 04/29/2008 11:13:57 AM
In addition to all these tips, I want to let you know about Yesterday's Gas Inc. Their site has essentially a prepaid gas card that increases in value by allowing you to purchase gas at a set price.
Posted by: mark farrell at 05/08/2008 02:43:27 PM
Ive "heard" that there are modification kits you can put on your engine that a mechanic can install that takes approx 4 hours, to greatly increase gas mileage..Does this sound correct?
Posted by: BrianR at 05/10/2008 12:29:46 AM
...I'm for opening it up to everything in the free markets and have the markets/consumers decide what energy source they want to use for their cars.
Posted by: Karolee at 06/11/2008 09:26:22 PM
I add a caplet into my minivan and consistantly gain 4 miles per gallon. This saves me about $8.00 per fill up after the price of the caplet. It's EPA registered...
Posted by: Mike at 06/12/2008 10:19:24 PM
The reward card is a great idea, I did a quick search on google and a site like findgascards.com offers a lot of cards that allow you to save on gas. Just make sure you pay them off on time in FULL :)
Posted by: Nomen at 06/17/2008 08:58:57 AM
To our Australian friend. Your minimum wage is twice as high as ours and more small fuel efficient cars are allowed there. While roundabouts are common in your country, we have stop signs and stop lights to waste our gas. We also have the problem that many of us live up to 50 miles from our work places. Car pooling and mass transit aren't yet practical for most of us. While there are many good comments here, conservation needs a little more emphasis. Trips and shopping for sale items can often be combined with a little advance planning...
Posted by: Corb at 06/17/2008 07:41:57 PM
The advertised Citi Dividend Platinum Select card only gets you 5% cash back for the first 90 days. After that, you only get 2% back. Discover Card has a gas-card variation that always gets you 5% cash back up to the first $100 per month that you spend on gas. Unfortunately that's only 2 fill-ups a month. The best and ONLY way to permanently save on gas is to quit using it. To get off of our gas addiction we must find alternatives. Drilling in more places for oil is a short-sighted, non-solution.
Posted by: Sal at 08/30/2008 09:36:12 PM
A Site To Share... www.howmuchenergydoesmycaruse.com
Posted by: Collin at 10/06/2008 03:31:55 PM
Another good tip is to go to www.gasbuddy.com in order to find the cheapest gas in your town. Also try www.savegas4you.com in order to find some new innovations in saving gas.
Posted by: Forexgeathy at 07/13/2009 06:31:39 PM
I have the same opinion as yours on this. What you said is true.
Posted by: jack at 10/24/2009 02:37:17 AM
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