6 Tips to Finding Cheaper Gas
Here are 6 ways to get more gas for your money.
Since it doesn’t look like gas prices are going down anytime in the near future, I would like to share some easy places to look for gas savings. You may be able to save hundreds of dollars in a year just by looking for ways to get more gas for your dollar.
- Check online. There are quite a few websites that now post gas prices. Sites like Gasbuddy.com can be a good source of information. You may not get the exact up to the minute price that a certain station is charging, but you should be able to find the cheapest station in your area. You may be surprised at the differences between gas stations an area. For example: I learned that gas prices in the next town over from where I live typically sells gas for 10 cents less than my town.
- Avoid Highway Robbery. The closer a gas station is to a highway ramp, the more they tend to charge for their gas. You are paying for the convenience of being able to just zip on and off the highway. If the gas station also provides repair services, you will probably pay even more at the pump. Avoiding stations close to a highway ramp, will keep more money in your wallet.
- Wholesale Clubs. The big club stores -- Costco, Sam's Club, BJ's Wholesale Club -- typically offer some of the lowest gas prices in town. There is usually a line however, and you have to have a membership to the store but if you tend to shop at a wholesale club anyway, you may find the gas savings worthwhile.
- Credit Card Rebates. I don’t normally recommend that someone get a credit card but there are some credit cards that give you a rebate for your gas purchases. The rebates can run anywhere from 2-10%. A 10 percent savings on a $4 a gallon of gas comes to 40 cents per gallon. Not too shabby.
- Visit the Ghetto. The not-so-nice part of town can have some of the cheapest gas stations around. The lower overhead is probably the reason. Land is less expensive on the other side of the tracks, therefore gas can be more economical.
- Use Less. There are plenty of ways to use less gas; combine trips, petition the boss to work from home a few days a week, walk or ride a bike, find a way to improve your gas mileage. Do something, get creative. The sad thing is that even though everyone is complaining about gas prices, we are using more gas now than we ever were.
Using one or more of these tips could help you to hold onto more of your money every time you go to the gas pump. Check around for other ideas, I know that there are more out there. I'm sure there is something else that you would rather be spending your money on other than fuel.