Are rising gas prices raising your blood pressure?

If you're like me, this latest round of rising gas prices has made you angry. Not just a little...but A LOT. The frustrating thing about the rising cost of gas is that outside of buying a new hybrid or one of those limited range EVs,  you're kind of stuck. You WANT to be able to fight back and do something to make a difference, but MOSTLY, you just have to deal with it. It might mean cutting back on things you enjoy, finding ways to incorporate all of your errands into one trip, or eliminating those leisurely Sunday afternoon drives. But there is some hope...

Here are a few things you CAN do to help raise your MPG (miles per gallon) while you're on the road and to save you money by hunting for the best gas prices.

 1. Use your cruise control. CC is the most efficient way to drive because your car's computer can deliver the precise amount of fuel your car needs at any given moment.

 2. Check your car's tires. Under inflated tires are not safe and put a huge dent into fuel economy.

 3. Don't tailgate. You're constantly braking and accelerating if you're on another car's bumper. Plus, it's not safe.

 4. Avoid extended idling. If you're waiting outside a store, or if you have to idle more than 1 minute without driving, turn your engine off and restart it when you're ready to go again. It'll save you fuel. This applies to diesel engines too...it doesn't make sense to "keep the diesel running constantly" like a long haul trucker does. Plus, it adds more pollutants into the air.

 5. Don't take off from a stop with brisk acceleration. Pretend there is an egg between your foot and the gas pedal. Accelerate SLOWLY, trying to not "break" the imaginary egg. This is a great little trick to help curb you of the bad habit of "jackrabbit" starts.

 6. Find the absolute lowest gas prices in your area. You can do this by utilizing this website:

GASBUDDY.COM

Gasbuddy allows you to check the lowest and also the highest gas prices (even diesel) in different towns and zip codes. I have found this site to be invaluable and it has saved me a lot of money on gas over the years.

 Good luck and let me know if any of these tips save you some money at the gas pump.

Will Johnson

[photo courtesy of cdsessums' photostream]