Happy frugal friday! With it practically being summer, I think all of us have seen the insane gas prices out there. I remember when I was in high school and could score gas for $.96/gallon. Then it slowly crept it’s way above the $1 mark and when I would drive from FL to WV, I would get excited about going to Georgia since their gas seemed to be under $1 still. I would kill for gas to be that cheap. Here are some tips to save money on gas this summer:
*See if your grocery store has a fuel program
Bi-Lo has their FuelPerks program which gives you $.05 off a gallon of gas for every $50 you spend. It doesn’t sound like a lot but this definitely adds up after awhile plus they run special promotions like Buy $10 worth of Pedigree dog products and get $.10 off of gas. The points don’t expire for months and they have select gas stations where you can redeem your FuelPerks. I looked at my Bi-Lo fuelperks savings and saw that I had $.15 off a gallon of gas and some of that was expiring soon, so it was time to fill up!
I looked up what gas stations I could go to redeem and saw there were some in South Carolina. The border is about ten minutes away and their gas tends to be $.20 cheaper by the gallon so I waited until I was below a quarter of a tank to get the most bang for my buck!
I was starting to get a little nervous since I never let my gas get this low but soon enough, I was at the BP in Fort Mill, SC and it was time to break out my Bi-Lo BonusCard!
Regular gas was $3.45 which is about $.24 cheaper than Charlotte. 
I swiped my Bi-Lo card and filled the tank up to the max to cash in on my FuelPerks.
I hate to spend $34 to fill up my car but I live in a city where I have to drive to get around so if I’m going to fill up, I’m going to try to do so for the least amount possible!
*Walk
If you’re able to, walk to businesses in your area like the grocery store, drug store, restaurants, bars, coffee shops. etc. Not only is this good for your gas tank and wallet, it’s terrific for your health!
I saw this coupon for Einsteins Bagels the other day and decided to walk there instead of driving.
And they ended up giving me a regular bagel, boo Einsteins. Oh well, a coffee and bagel for $2.99 was a decent deal.
*Run all your errands in one trip
I do this to save money on gas instead of making a trip, coming home, then going out again. This saves money on gas and saves you a lot of time!
*Use A/C only on the highways
I never thought about this but it does make sense. I don’t like A/C in the car but use it in the summer months for vanity reasons alone. I am not one who deals well with greasy skin and frizzy hair. From Wikihow “At lower speeds, open the windows. This increased the drag and reduces fuel efficiency, but not as much as the AC at low speeds (35-40 mph). Even better, at any speed, turn on the vent when it is cool outside or open windows just a few inches. The air con – when used a lot – is known to use up about 8% of the fuel you put into your car.”
*Ride your public transportation!
I never thought I would be a bus gal but I was for three years. I started riding the bus back in 2007 when gas prices were on the up and up. I moved 20 miles from work and drove an SUV and was not patient with traffic or wasting money on gas just to go to work. My employer at the time has a discount plan with Charlotte Area Transportation where you could get weekly and monthly passes on the cheap. I did this and saved a ton of money (not to mention got in some good people watching time)
*Buy a gas efficient car
I drove an SUV for 10 years but it was eating away at my checking account due to upkeep and gas. I got about 20 miles to the gallon and it was a gas guzzler with a capital G. I traded in my car with the Cash For Clunkers program two summers again and got a more fuel efficient car, a Toyota Corolla. Now, I only fill up every few weeks as opposed to every week when I had an SUV. I like my new car but still kinda miss riding high in my SUV.
*Drive at a more consistent speed
*Replace your air filter
*Decrease your speed when driving on the highway
Oi, I have a problem with this. I have a huge leadfoot and tend to go a good 10-15 miles about the speed limit when traveling. This definitely needs to stop, especially since I am without job and really not in a hurry to be anywhere From Drive Smarter Challenge: “Speeding costs! Gas mileage usually decreases rapidly above 60 mph. Each five miles per hour over 60 mph is like paying an additional 24 cents per gallon for gas.”
What are your tips for saving money on gas?
Simply Shaka 