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Gas-Saving Tips When You Really Need Them
Jun 11 2008 by Courtney Messenbaugh
6/11/08
Change a Little, Save A Little, Live a Little
No doubt you’ve heard about it, read about it and experienced it each time you’ve filled up your car: Gas prices are higher than ever. How can we change our behavior without sacrificing any of the essentials — like entertaining the kids, doing the grocery shopping and continuing to be the hot mamas we were born to be?
The Federal Highway Administration recently released data showing that Americans drove 4.3 percent less in March 2008 than March 2007. This equals 11 billion fewer miles driven, but after taking a straw poll among my friends, I’ve determined that my cronies and I are not at all responsible for this decline. We all seem to be driving just as much as before. This got me thinking (beware the pregnant mind), then researching, then thinking again (gasp!). Conclusion: We need to alter our behavior. But how?
If you want to go the “expert” route, there are websites galore offering numerous tips about how to save on gas costs. Google “gas-saving tips” and roughly 556,000 pages show up. Good luck with that.
Another option is simply taking the advice I offer below. I may not be an expert, but I’m a woman, a mother, a wife, a sister, a daughter, a friend and a force majeur (like you!). Who you gonna trust here? So, without further ado, I offer you the following tips:
1) Walk. Just think, if you dust off the stroller, insert your child and walk to the park you usually drive to, you’re creating a new adventure for your kiddo and getting the added benefit of raising your heart rate and toning your hot mama legs. For a double whammy, pack the kids in the stroller and walk to the grocery store. This way, you not only save on gas and tone your bod, you’ll also save money on groceries — quickly realizing you can only carry so much.
2) Be a more sensible driver. For goodness sake, there is no need to be so aggressive on the road. Those jerky stops and starts you're making because you're in a hurry or frustrated with other drivers not only make you a bit jerky too, they lower your gas mileage by up to 33 percent on the highway and 5 percent around town (according to the U.S. Department of Energy). While you're at it, slow down. Gas mileage decreases at speeds over 60 mph. Trust me, with these tips, you'll save gas and be a safer driver for you and your family.
3) Carpool. Pick up a girlfriend who has a kiddo in the same age range as yours (so what if it takes a few extra minutes to install another car seat?) and run your errands together. This gives both you and your child someone your own size to talk to and turns mundane “to-dos” into something fun. Also, your friend can hang in the car with the kids while you run in for the quickie dry-cleaning pickup, and vice versa. Errands, fun, friends, fuel savings — everybody wins.
Don’t let fuel prices get you down. There are plenty of ways to alter your behavior and have more fun than ever. If you have tips of your own to share, please do so in the comments section below. Happy motoring!
User Comments
Thanks Troy - I agree. We’re all so stressed out and going at mach 5 all the time that slowing down and being less aggressive really is better for our wallets and our health.
thanks for the tips. let me include the hypermiling techniques on increasing fuel economy...
Excellent tips! In my case, I’ve reduced my speed limit, and drive exclusively in the slow lane. I find my stress level is down and I seem to get to work around the same time as I did when I was driving in the fast lane.