Life-improving Ways to Save Gas and Money

Everyone’s looking for different ways to save gas and has already heard what they can do with their actual car or driving technique. These ways to save are a bit more obscure; they’re lifestyle changes that can not only save you gas money, but save you money in other areas and possibly improve your quality of life.

Avoid rush hour

Try leaving earlier than usual or finding an alternate route to work. For extremists or people who would have a very hard time dodging morning traffic, you can take part of your morning routine with you–get to work early, park outside, and eat your breakfast or do your make-up in the car.

Have a garden

Just one of the trip-related suggestions on this list, this is one of the more bizarre suggestions. If you’re a cook who uses a lot of vegetables and herbs, you may be able to save on trips to the supermarket, and therefore, gas money, by having your own garden. It’s also an enjoyable hobby and a nice way know where your food is coming from, have access to the freshest goods, and save grocery money.

Shop for gas

Use sites like Gasbuddy.com and Gaspricewatch.com to watch for low prices in your area.

Consider at-home entertainment

Movie theatres, miniature golf courses, bowling alleys, etc., always lure us out of our houses. You don’t always have to go out for fun. Rent a movie (or watch free videos on-line to save even more money!), play some board games, have dinner at home. Not only will you save gas and money, you can have a bonding experience with your friends and family.

Delivery

If they are willing to deliver, let them use their gas.

Plan your trips

If needed, invest money in a GPS or hit MapQuest.com before trips. Knowing where you’re going can save you many miles. And remember, it’s not just finding the shortest route–sometimes it’s better to find routes with less traffic. Time management is also important. If you plan your time right, you won’t have to speed to avoid being late.

Kick your family out of the car

But not in a mean way, of course. If Becky’s school is only a block away, perhaps she could walk to school instead of piling into the family car with everyone else. Besides, she could find a walking buddy to bond with and get some good exercise.

Don’t drive

If you’re going to make Becky do it, you should do it too. When you can, bike or walk to close destinations. Everyone can benefit from exercise and it also gives you time to relax and enjoy your surroundings.

Shop smart

Plan your shopping trips. Make lists and try to only go once or twice a week. Buy things your family always needs wholesale and further decrease your trips. Go to malls, plazas, or “supercenters” so you can get more when you go.

Lose weight

Clean out your car. Excess weight uses more gas, so take out what you don’t need. If CDs or a CD-changer are adding extra weight to your load, get an mp3 player or download songs to your phone. Since these devices will probably store more music anyway, it’ll also reduce car clutter.

Lose even more weight

You might want to clean yourself out, too. Approximately 127 million adults in the United States are overweight. Sixty million are obese, and nine million are extremely obese. If you’re one of these 196 million, losing weight can save you gas money, improve your health and maybe even save your life.

Public transportation

Sometimes you’ll find some trips would be cheaper if you used public transportation, especially if you’re making personal trips. You’ll also be helping cut down on gas emissions, which will make you feel great, too.

Park smart

Many drive around parking lots looking for an “ideal” spot so they can avoid walking a “long” way to their actual destination. Park at the first spot you find and just deal with the walking. You waste gas circling the lot and besides, walking is good for you. Also, stay in the shade. Parking in a hot spot can cause some gas to evaporate in your tank!

Reduce your commute

Get a job closer to your house or move closer to work. If you don’t have a long way to travel, you’ll definitely save on gas bucks.

More about walking

Many of the tips have talked about the benefits of walking versus driving. But you don’t always have to choose to just drive or just walk. Sometimes you can drive to a destination and then walk to your next stop if it’s close by. It’s one of the simplest ways to save gas.

These are just some of the many ways you can improve your life and save money. Continue searching the web for other gas saving tips, including those that deal with car maintenance, driving methods, etc. Don’t worry, there is still hope!