What are you doing to save gas?

I recently posted some tips on saving on the rising cost of gas in Gassed up today... Ouch!  At first, I didn't take my own advice.  Kept driving as I normally do.  But my commute is pretty substantial, about twenty miles each way.  So, assuming I get about 25 mpg, I am burning nearly two gallons each day just in my commute.  At over three bucks a gallon, that's more than the proverbial "lunch out" that we regularly admonish.

An article in today's USA Today, Drivers curb use as gas goes up, quotes an energy industry analyst who says, "if everyone decided to drive 3% less the next 30 days, prices would crash."  That's pretty powerful.

So, I am making an effort.

First of all, I am more aware of HOW I drive.  I try not to go past 65 and almost certainly not past 70.  I tend to drive pretty conservatively anyway, so this wasn't too much of a stretch.  But I have noticed that my mpg has gone up to around 27 from 25-26.  That's not insignificant.  I also try not to accelerate quickly.  If the a-hole in the lane next to me doesn't want to let me in, I'll slow down and fall in line behind him.

Second, my fiancee and I carpooled yesterday.  She also has a twenty mile commute.  We work in the same building, but don't live very close to one another.  We also have very different schedules.  So carpooling is not easy.  But I am going to try to shift my schedule at least once per week so that we can carpool.  If we save six bucks per week just from carpooling once, it's well worth it.  Next challenge will be to see if we can get that to twice per week!

I'm trying to do my part.  How about you?

Comments

[my new self]

Hey, I just posted on this today as well. Guess I missed your earlier post.

Like you, I've slowed down, I might even slow down to 60 (at least on the way home). I'm also going to check/change my air filter this weekend (or next, depends on my schedule).

[supermom_in_ny]

I live in the middle of nowhere. You can check my blog and see the pictures...

I am trying to keep the driving down to a minimum, but with 7 kids and the myriad of appointments, little league and the irresponsible "I missed the bus" antic-it is not working out. I have to sit down with the kids and implement a plan that will work.

***Oh, and it cost me $7.00 in gas just to mow my lawn. Can I just live in a forest this summer?

[D]

Wow, great article...lets all try and crash the market. To bad we can't get a following.

Anyway we have 5 kids and lots of activities, it always seemed like I was running only 1 or 2 kids around at a time. So I have parked the suburban and purchased a Grand Prix for my every day driving. The Suburban only gets used now maybe 2 x's a month. I was paying $500 per month in fuel (with the 42 gallon tank) now I'm about $140 - $160 per month. LOL

[financial freedumb]

I try to get my friends to drive...haha...just kidding. I'm watching my driving style a lot too now...It's weird thinking about how much a trip to the supermarket costs now...But I guess in some ways its good...lots of people have mentioned that this is the best thing to have happened for our environment...Hmmm, but not so good for those who have to drive and our pocketbooks...

[King Asa]

You squeezed out an extra 1 MPG and are saving an esitmated $24 per month... is that really worth the thought, effort, and inconvenience that this involves? Not to me.

[lamoneyguy]

Neato, a naysayer. Well, King, I'm not telling you to do it. I'm saying what I have done. If you like, you can track my reduction in consumption and increase yours by an equal amount to offset my efforts.

Seriously, that 1 MPG is worth about another two gallons, so my monthly saving is up to $30. Is it worth the thought? Yea, thinking is not that hard. Effort? Not too much effort. Inconvenience? Arranging the carpool is not the MOST convenient way, but thanks to the carpool lane, it saves us some time.

Also, it will save us money in the long run on wear and tear on our cars. If I can save thirty bucks a month in gas over the next thirty years, invest it and get a 8% return, I'll have an extra $44,710. I'll take it.

[mapgirl]

I think if you can save gas, you should. There is talk about 'peak oil' and when we'll run out. One day, if we don't adjust to consuming less energy, I fear it'll bite us back pretty hard in the pocketbook, economy, etc.

[Dasha]

I have a stick shift Honda Civic so I get good gas mileage, but aside from keeping on top of my maintenance and driving at lower speeds I make a serious effort to consolidate all my errand running. I won't go utill I have to hit at least three places at once that are close together.

[Dale G.]

I spent about 10 minutes working with Google Maps to find a shorter route to work. Unfortunately, there are 3 obstacles between my house and my office: a canal, train tracks and a major highway. Google Maps makes some trade offs between distance, travel time and simplicity in generating directions. The route I found is a little over a mile shorter one way than either Google's suggestion or the route I was taking by combining the best of both. I'm driving about 2.2 miles less every work day as a result.