Consider this; during the Memorial Day weekend of 2014, gas prices were an average of $3.58 a gallon across the United States. This year? $2.35 a gallon!

According to cheapest gas station finding app GasBuddy.com, gas prices will even be lower then they previously forecasted for this summer. Their senior petroleum analyst, Patrick DeHaan, says that “Both numbers would represent the lowest summer prices in a decade”, referring to the estimated $2.45 a a gallon predicted by the Energy Information Administration and the $2.40 that GasBuddy predicted.

All around the United States drivers have been saving money over the last few months thanks to seriously lower gas prices. In fact, in a recent survey, nearly 20% of drivers reported that they were saving between $20 and $30 every time they filled their gas tanks, which can add up quite quickly.

Mr. DeHaan says that “The summer of 2015 will see the national average come in at a seasonal level we haven’t approached since 2005”,

The only bad news is that, as far as gasoline savings are concerned, the only place that most consumers will be able to reap the benefits is when they fill up their automobiles at the local gas station. As far as airline prices there won’t be much of the break because most airlines buy their fuel ahead of time.

That being said, the good feelings that most consumers have about these extra low prices that we’re seeing at the pumps of these days won’t soon fade as they are expected to stay below $2.40 through the end of Labor Day.

So, if you’re planning a trip this summer and it’s within driving distance, it’s going to be one of the cheapest summers in a decade to get there! Go ahead, pack up the family and hit the road!

Although petrol prices have recently dropped slightly over the past few months, they are still relatively high in comparison with the rest of the world, and this means that conserving petrol is essential.  Never is this more essential than in winter, when driving is more difficult and more dangerous than in the rest of the year, leading to higher use of petrol or diesel.  Here’s how to be fuel efficient this winter.

3 – Reduce Your Idling

You might think that in the dead of winter, the best course of action would be to turn your engine on and leave it running for a few minutes before you get in to heat everything up.  Unfortunately, this leads to wasted fuel and shouldn’t’ really be done.  A better way of doing things would be to clear your windows with de-icer, get in your car and turn the engine on.  If your steering wheel is cold, buy some fingerless gloves to make things easier on yourself.

2 – Lose Weight

Vehicle weight is a significant factor to the amount of fuel your car consumes.  This is particularly the case in winter, where a car may take extra time to get moving if there is less surface grip because of the weather.  To minimise these effects, you should lessen the weight in your car, either by acknowledging that perhaps it isn’t the best idea to squeeze 5 people into your car for your daily trip to and from work. You could also remove excess weight you taking things out of your boot, and by removing excess roof racks.

1 – Amend or Upgrade

A more extreme solution is to make alterations to your car to ensure it copes better against the winter weather, preventing as much fuel loss. A good example of this might be upgrade the tyres to a set with greater grip to enhance your car’s tyre to road friction, lessening waste.  An even more extreme option might be to upgrade your car entirely for a newer model which is more fuel efficient.  This doesn’t need to be a very expensive task, as there are plenty of sites that offer great deals on second hand cars that can help you beat your fuel problems.

So don’t let the winter driving woes get you down. Use these fuel efficiency tips and you’ll be ploughing through the snow in no time at all.

While the good news is that gasoline prices have been dropping over the last few weeks around the country and are now averaging approximately $3.45 a gallon, the  bad news is that gasoline prices are approximately $3.45 a gallon. What that means is that millions of people across the country are still looking for ways to cut costs when it comes to gasoline and many of them are going online looking for answers.

One of the most common questions we’ve seen is one  that relates to whether or not an automobile gets better gas mileage in the summer or in the winter. Some people believe that a car will get lower mileage in the winter months because gasoline is reformulated, something that car repair shops tend to agree with. The fact is however that, while  a car’s mileage actually does drop slightly in the winter, it has absolutely nothing to do with the  “reformulation” by oil companies of their gasoline product, it has to do with the fact that it’s colder in winter than it is in summer (duh).

The fact is, due to the cold there are a number of things that actually can lower your car’s gas mileage. The first is the tire pressure in your tires. Even if they are leak free the pressure actually drops approximately 1 pound for every 10° drop in the temperature. What that means is that if you haven’t checked your tire pressure since the last time you went to the beach, your car’s tires could already have lost significant pressure, in some cases enough to lower your mileage.

Another thing affecting your mileage is the fact that, in the cold winter months, the gasoline in your tank doesn’t burn as well. Since it’s not burning completely it means that some of it is  going to waste in your cylinders and lowering your gas mileage. If you make short trips this can be more apparent because your engine doesn’t have enough time to get out of its “warm-up” mode.  Instead it’s boosting your cars idle speed and using extra gasoline, something that it will stop doing what your car is warmed up after a longer trip.

People also tend to  take more short car trips in the winter because of the fact that it’s so cold out. A walk to the grocery store that you would normally take in the summer is not going to be nearly as pleasurable if it’s 5° out.

So yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus and your mom’s car is actually using a little bit more gas in winter than in summer. The fact is however that this increase is, in most cases, less than 5% and thus relatively negligible. If you find that your car is using a lot more gas in winter it might be something besides the cold weather or lack of air in your tires. In that case, take your car to your local authorized mechanic and have it checked out so that the problem doesn’t persist and your wallet doesn’t take a hit from that extra cost.

With gas prices averaging $4.00 around the country, the average person is always looking for a new way to save money on gas and get the most mileage out of every tank. Many today are trying something new called “hypermiling”, a driving technique that many believe squeezes every last mile out of every gallon of gas.

The biggest 2 questions are simply this; what exactly does hypermiling entail and does it actually work?

First, hypermiling will is not just one tactic but several. It entails doing a number of things differently when driving, no matter the car that you have, so that your vehicle uses less gas. The question of whether or not it works is debatable and more than likely will depend on the way that you hypermile, the amount of driving that you do and the vehicle that you drive.

So let’s take a look at 5 tactics that are used in hypermiling.

Tactic #1. Coasting. One of the most important tactics involved in hypermiling is coasting. It’s actually quite simple but involves keeping an intent eye on the road and determining when you will need to stop well ahead of time. If you can do that you will be able to coast in many situations rather than using gasoline to power your vehicle forward until you come to a stop. Remember that your car, once you have it up to speed, will coast for quite some time on the gasoline that you already have used to get it  there.

Tactic #2. Putting your car in “neutral” when you are approaching a stoplight or stop sign. People that engage in hypermiling on a regular basis will tell you that this is one of the best ways to conserve gas, especially if the stoplight that you are approaching is a long one.

Tactic #3. Only filling your gas tank halfway whenever you go to the gas station. If you’ve read any tips about how to increase your gas mileage, many of them will tell you that one of the best ways is to reduce the amount of weight in your car. Well, gas weighs quite a bit and if you’re driving around with a full tank you are actually getting fewer miles per gallon. By only filling your tank half way, hypermilers believe that you will save lots of gas.

Tactic #4. Using cruise control as much as possible. While this is considered somewhat unsafe by some people, using cruise control around town can help you to stay at the same speed for longer periods of time. Most  experts agree that constantly increasing and decreasing speed wastes gas and thus being able to use cruise control, as long as you keep a constant eye on the road, is believed to reduce fuel use and thus save money on gas.

Tactic #5. Driving like an “old lady”. While this  might sound a little silly, the fact is that most older people drive much slower than the rest of us. Driving slower is indeed a great way to save gas and thus save money too. It’s also safer, less damaging to your car and, even better, will make sure that you very rarely, if ever, get a speeding ticket.

These 5 hypermiling tactics aren’t exactly “proven” by experts but, if you take the word of many people who use them, they  can save you money not only on gasoline but also on automobile maintenance. Most of them make a lot of sense and are relatively safe if you make sure that you keep your eye on the road at all times. The only way to find out if they will actually save you money is to try them out for yourself. Good luck, and happy driving.

While gas mileage has always been one of the factors that influenced a car buyer’s decision, in the last few years it has become an extremely important factor with the large jump in gasoline prices. The fact is however that no matter what the card manufacturer says about the mpg that their particular model will give you, one of the most important influencing factors for gas mileage is the one that’s completely different from automobile to automobile; the driver.

With that in mind we put together a bit of a “cheat sheet” that should help you determine which car driving tactics are the best ones to really increase your car’s mpg and save you money at the pumps, and also how to determine which car will give you the best mpg. Enjoy.

1. Driving Style and Highway Speed.

You’ve no doubt heard the phrase “your mileage may vary” and the reason that it may very is your driving style and the speed you drive your vehicle on the highway. If you really want to save as much money as possible on gas you need to accelerate up to speed smoothly, keep your eyes on the road a few cars ahead to know when you should ease off the gas and coast.

Smooth and efficient driving is great but when you’re on the highway you can save even more money by keeping your car at a reasonable speed. The reason is that, above approximately 45 mph, the air resistance that your car faces to go forward uses up a tremendous amount of gas. Once you hit 65 miles an hour you’re already using approximately 25% more gas per mile to move your car forward.  Basically, speeding is one of the worst offenders when it comes to gasoline waste.

1. Switching a low mpg vehicle for a higher one saves you more money than switching a high mpg vehicle for a higher one.

If this one sounds a little confusing don’t be embarrassed because most Americans get it completely backwards as well. Here’s the thing; if you have a gas guzzler that gets 10 miles to the gallon and you switch to a newer car that gets 20 mpg you’re going to save approximately 10 gallons of gas every hundred miles. On the other hand, if you have a car that already gets 33 mpg and you switch to a hybrid that gets 50 mpg you’re only going to save about 1 gallon every hundred miles. Get the picture? Sure, that hybrid is going to save you a lot of gas money but not as much as you might think if your car is already getting great mileage.

1. Today’s new car, no matter the model, gets better gas mileage than the exact same model from 10 years ago.

A few years back the federal regulations for average fuel economy finally kicked into effect and car manufacturers were forced to make drastic changes in their vehicles to produce higher MPG. Over the next 12 years gas mileage (at least for new U.S. cars) must rise to an average of nearly 55 mpg by the year 2025, a number that will translate to approximately 42 mpg on your new cars window sticker. Indeed, the gas mileage of today’s new cars has never been higher and even though the 42 mpg number is still lower than some of the top hybrid cars, it applies to all motor vehicles including pickup trucks.

1. The mileage of your car gets in the “real world” and its EPA rating are usually quite different.

As we mentioned earlier, your mileage may vary and, with most cars, it usually does. The difference between the EPA number and your real-world results however can vary quite a bit between different brands and models. For example, Honda has one of the best EPA combined ratings and is slightly ahead of Toyota but both are far better than Ford, even when you compare their 2013 hybrids as well as their Eco-Boost models.

The best way to determine the actual mpg that your car will deliver is to compare the window sticker number two the rating for your particular model on Fuelly.com and also on the EPA’s FuelEconomy.gov site. This can make a huge difference as, for example, if the card you are buying is rated at 30 mpg but only gives you 24 in the real world, every two years you’ll be spending an extra $1000 if you pay $4 a gallon for gasoline.

Hopefully our cheat sheet has given you a better idea of what you can do to not only save money on gas but also determine which car will give you the best mpg. With gas prices high and not looking to go down anytime soon (or ever) the make and model of car you purchase can have a huge impact on your budget so make sure you choose wisely.

In people who are truly love their cars and the freedom that they give but, with gas prices nearing ridiculous levels, everyone is feeling the pinch at the pumps these days. It’s for this reason that, yet again, we’re bringing you some excellent tips on how to save money on gasoline. Start using them today and start saving money on gas immediately. Enjoy.

1. Tracking your mileage in real time is the new way to figure out exactly what kind of mpg your car is getting. We’re not talking about comparing one tankful to the next one actually seeing your gas mileage as you go to make sure that you are getting the most out of every gallon. If your car was made after 1995 a fuel economy computer will do the trick. Cars made before then will need a vacuum gauge. Either way, both will give you the instant feedback that you need to use up to 10% less gasoline on every trip.
2. You may not think that you’re using gas when you use your brakes but, in reality, the more breaking that you have to do the less advantage you take of your cars momentum, something you’ve already paid for in gasoline used. Learning how to not use your brakes and instead use your car’s momentum to its fullest can actually increase your mileage immensely.
3. In order to be able to take advantage of tip # 2 means that you’re going to need to stay as alert as possible while driving. The more alert you are the better that you can anticipate traffic lights, turns and stops. If you drive the same route every day, it would make sense to memorize as much as possible about said lights, turns and stops so that you can better cruise through them using less of your brakes and needing to accelerate less often.
4. To save even more gas, drive your car as if you’re driving a bicycle. Sound kind of dumb? It actually makes a lot of sense. For example, when you’re headed uphill you should maintain your speed rather than increase it. Even though you might lose a few mph is on the way up you’ll get them back on the way down. Look at it this way; anything that is harder to do on a bicycle like going up hills, accelerating very fast and so forth uses more gas when you do it with your car.
5. Many people are improving their cars on their own with things like grill blocks, smooth wheel covers, and changing them to run solely on electric power. While we can’t vouch for the validity of any single change, it’s been shown that some of them are quite effective in improving fuel economy.
6. This one is a bit controversial but inflating your tires  to the maximum pressure that’s listed on the sidewalk will decrease your rolling resistance and increase your gas mileage. If you are keen on using this template, you’ll need to check your tire pressure at least once a week.
7. One excellent tip is to use the right vehicle for the job. Frankly, if you have the choice between a gas guzzling SUV and a gas sipping hybrid  (both of which we are assuming that you already have in your garage) you definitely should take the hybrid to work, to the store or anywhere else that you don’t need the extra size, power and gas wasting engine of your SUV.
8. We’ve mentioned this one many times but it begs repeating; plan your trips so that, instead of making three or four small trips a day, you make one large trip and get all of your errands done at the same time. For example, if you have to pick up the kids from school you can roll the trip into a grocery store trip, we stopped at the post office and any other smaller chips that you need to make that day.
9. Speaking of planning in your trips, you should also plan your route so that you drive the least amount of miles necessary to get everything done. Not only that, you can also plan a trip that will lead you passed fewer stoplights, stop signs and so forth. For the average consumer, even this small savings of 1/10 of a gallon of gas every day can add up to over $130 worth of gas savings in a year.
10. Finally, avoid driving during rush-hour. Unless there’s an absolute necessity to drive during the peak morning and afternoon drive hours, avoid rush-hour like the plague and you’ll save gas and time as well.

We hope that these tips have given you some new ideas for saving gas and money at the gas pumps this summer. If you have any questions about fuel saving ideas, money-saving tips or finances in general, please let us know and we’ll get back to you with answers and solutions ASAP.

As the price of gas rises ever higher and the average person’s worry about the environmental effects of car pollution rise with them, millions of drivers have been searching for the best ways to maximize their car’s use of fuel. When a person uses certain driving techniques and tricks to get as many miles out of a gallon of gas as they can they call it Hypermiling.  Seeing as Hypermiling has been shown in recent tests to increase a car’s fuel efficiency by up to 35%, the trend (and the tactics behind it) is gaining popularity fast.

If you’d like to use hypermiling to increase your cars fuel efficiency and get the most miles out of your tank you’re going to need a car that’s in excellent condition. As for your tires, checking their pressure regularly and making sure that they’re balanced as well as properly aligned is vital and will reduce the energy (i.e. the gas) that’s needed to make your car go forward.

But that’s just the start. One of the keys to hypermiling is using your brake pedals as infrequently as you possibly can. The fact is, when any car is at a stop it is getting 0 miles per gallon.  If you’re really keen on maximizing your car’s fuel economy, you need to keep a keen eye on the road and know what’s coming so that you can take your foot off the gas and use your cars forward inertia to bring you to the red light. Many people put their car in neutral when this is happening, even further decreasing the amount of gas that your engine will use.

Another key to hypermiling is to allow your car a moment to gain a slight bit of forward momentum after you’ve been at a stop and before you put your foot on the accelerator and give it gas. Unless you are on a hill facing up, your car should roll forward slightly and, since it takes a lot less energy to move a car that’s already moving than it does to move one from a stopped position, this pause will help you to maximize your car’s engine efficiency.

Independent testing on both of these tactics, including coasting to a stop and momentarily pausing before hitting the gas from stop, actually showed a decrease of 35.4% in fuel consumption using a Ford Land Rover and a 27% decrease when using a Ford Mustang, no small numbers indeed.

If you’re an aggressive driver you’ll need to learn how to relax if you want to take advantage of hypermiling. When you’re cutting across crowded freeway lanes to get a little extra headroom or you quickly approach slower drivers from behind and then have to slow down for them, you will not only destroy your brakes but also decrease your fuel efficiency immensely. The fact is, driving with a bit more ‘cushion’ between you and the car in front of you will enable you to use your car’s gas and brake pedals less, something that will not only save you money on gas but also may even stop traffic jams.

Although many people are just being introduced to this new type of driving, hypermiling is actually a term for a practice that’s been around since the mid-1930s. During that time the Mobile Oil Corporation sponsored a driving event called the Mobile Economy Run as a way to show people how to maximize their car’s fuel economy and mileage in everyday driving situations. It was during  World War 2 that hypermiling came into vogue again as gas rationing was put into effect during the war.

After the war the United States started manufacturing some of the largest, most luxurious cars on the planet, cars that had no interest in saving someone money on gas. The tactics used in hypermiling fell out of fashion for a number of decades but came back again during the 70s and of course again today.

So, until scientists figure out a fuel that is abundant as saltwater and will power your automobile for practically nothing, it looks like hypermiling is going to be around for a bit longer. With savings that can add up to an extra 50 to 100 miles per tank of gas, hypermiling tactics are a great way to lower your gasoline expenses.

One of the cold hard facts of driving today will is that gas prices are going higher and they probably won’t ever be coming back down. Most people can wrap their head around this fact quite well and indeed the average person is doing everything they can to save as much money on gasoline as possible. Maintaining their cars, getting rid of all the junk in the trunk to lighten up the load and combining lots of small trips into bigger ones are all great ideas and all helpful. Simply put, at nearly 4 dollars a gallon nationwide anything that you can do to lower your gasoline usage is going to help you out in the finance department.

Here’s the thing though;  some of the tips that have been being passed around on the Internet haven’t exactly been put to the test in the ‘real world’. The fact is, just because somebody online says that  something will save you money on gasoline doesn’t exactly make it true. While there aren’t many tips floating around that will actually do the opposite and cost you more at the pump, there are some that, while they sound good, really don’t do anything to save you any extra money by lowering your gas consumption. We put this blog together to highlight 4 tips that, while they sound like they will help you save money, actually don’t save you very much because they don’t lower your gas mileage enough to make that much of a difference. (Sorry.) Enjoy.

One tip that we’ve heard for quite some time is that you should buy your gas early in the morning. The reason for this is, as the advocates of this ‘tip’ will tell you, that since the gasoline will be colder in the morning it will also be denser and you will get more when you fill up your tank. While physically it is true that any liquid while take up less space when it is colder, the simple fact is that gasoline is stored in large tanks underground at most gas stations. These tanks keep the gasoline at a pretty stable temperature no matter what time of the day is and so purchasing your fuel in the morning, in the afternoon, or after a 2 AM snack run probably isn’t going to make any type of noticeable difference in how much you get. Of course, with gas prices rising so quickly it might be desirable to purchase your gas in the morning only because, by the time you’re ready to go home and the afternoon, the price might have gone up again. (Yes, that’s us being facetious.)

There is one interesting tidbit floating around the Internet that says that if you over-inflate your tires you will save money on gasoline. The logic behind this isn’t as sound as some people might think however. While it is very true that underinflated tires can decrease your gas mileage the simple fact is that over inflating them to decrease the amount of rubber that’s hitting the road will not only not save you anything but also is slightly dangerous and will also cause your tires to wear down at a faster rate. With tires being  one of the most expensive parts to replace on your car we feel it’s safe to say that keeping your tires at the recommended psi is a much better idea in terms of saving money than over-inflating them to try and save a few bucks.

This next ‘tip’ will really cause a lot of debate between, well, practically everyone. It’s about whether or not you should turn off your air-conditioning and open your car’s windows to save gas. There are many people that will tell you that your car’s air conditioning uses quite a bit of extra gas and that, as often as you can handle it, you should turn the air conditioning off and open the windows.  On the other hand, there are many that will tell you that opening the windows increases your cars drag and thus increases the amount of gasoline it uses. The fact is that, when tested, it was found that most cars had almost exactly the same mileage when driven using the air-conditioning as when driven using no air conditioning and leaving the windows open. Since everyone will agree that sitting in a hot car in the middle of summer is not a lot of fun, using your cars A/C  to keep cool and comfy is a much better idea than trying to save a few pennies on gasoline by turning it off.

One last tip that has got quite a bit of mileage (pun intended) is one that actually made it onto the Discovery Channel’s show MythBusters. This one has to do with pickup trucks and whether or not to leave the tailgate up or down. The tip that has been circulated around the Internet is that, if you leave the tailgate down, your pickup truck will have lower wind resistance and thus use less gas. The nice folks on MythBusters actually tested this theory and found that exactly the opposite was true  and that keeping the tailgate up actually was a better idea. They also found that putting a cover on the bed of your pickup truck did very little to change its fuel efficiency so, if you’re planning on making that investment, you might want to consider it further.

In the end there are quite a few things that you can do to lower the amount of gasoline that you use and save money at the pumps. Carpooling, driving your car less, driving a hybrid car and so forth are all great ideas to be sure. Just remember that, even though a gasoline saving ‘tip’ might sound like a good idea, it’s always best to do your own research and find out for yourself if it really helps.

We hope you enjoyed this blog today and that it opened your eyes to some facts about all of those gas saving tips you’ve been hearing about. Please come back and see us again soon  as we’re always here with more tips, more advice and more common sense info about all things financial. See you then.