Fuel Consumption help

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With gasoline prices steadily on the rise, many commuters are finding it more and more difficult to justify spending their hard-earned money on the high cost of fuel rather than other necessities, including food and electricity. With that in mind, here are five simple steps that you can take to help stretch your dollar a little bit farther when it comes to your car’s fuel consumption.

Carpool. If you have school-aged children, try sharing driving duties with other mothers in your neighborhood. This is especially beneficial if you can switch days. Maybe you’d drive the kids on Mondays and Wednesdays, and the other women would cover the rest of the week. This will save you money on gas and make riding to school for the kids a lot of fun because they will be going with their pals. Commuters on their way to work can do the same, sharing the duty and costs of driving amongst themselves.

Buy a smaller car. If you own an SUV or another large vehicle, your gas mileage per gallon will be less than if you were to own a smaller car. As a general rule, larger vehicles just normally use more gasoline. If you want to save money on the cost of fuel, buying a smaller car is a good start.

Purchase a hybrid car. These cars are fairly new on the market and are still quite expensive, but many find the benefits outweigh the high cost when they figure in their savings on fuel. Hybrid cars usually get better gas mileage per gallon and this results in big savings for the owner.

Turn off the ignition. If you are stuck in traffic that is moving about an inch per minute, then just put the car in park and turn the ignition off. While sitting in traffic, you are just using more and more gasoline and aren’t really getting anywhere. Rather than waste, try to save money by not leaving your car running in parking lots or your driveway.

If you need to stop by the store and will just be gone for a minute, take the time to turn the ignition off. In addition to saving on gasoline, you will be ensuring that your car isn’t stolen by turning off the ignition and taking your keys inside the store with you. Many people would be surprised to know how many shoppers actually leave their cars running while in the store.

Walk. If you live near a store, walk instead of driving. This will save not only in the price of your car’s gasoline but also in the general everyday wear and tear that your car receives by being out on the road. No to mention, walking is good exercise and is generally safe for most people. So why not walk off some of those pesky winter pounds and save some money on gasoline in the process.

The aforementioned ways are five of the most popular to help you save some extra money where fuel is concerned. Some of the more obvious ways are to stock up when gasoline is decreasing in price. If you get $10 or $15 worth of gasoline every few days, you may get a good price one day and a terrible cost per gallon during the next trip.

However, if you fill up your car’s gasoline tank while prices are still low, you will be sure to get the best deal possible. Not only that, but you may also end up saving some time at the gas pump when all of the other consumers are waiting in line to fill up before the prices go even higher.