#2 Find the cheapest gas stations.
Right now I know where 3 of the cheapest gas stations are in town and NO, they aren't 'off-brand' gas stations by any means. They regularly beat the competition by 5-15 cents per gallon and on average I save $1-1.50 for every fill-up; sometimes over $2. I wouldn't recommend going too far out of your way, but a mile or two is still worth it. I got lucky and found three that happen to be spread around town and are right on my regular routes.
That's another tip for saving money; going out of your way for a coupon or sale means you're spending extra gas to save and are probably buying something you wouldn't have bought if you didn't have coupon....BE SMARTER THAN THE RETAILERS!!! For example, I've heard people say they're going to get something they 'need' (that's another rant) because it's on sale or they have a coupon for 10% off (yet another rant) and they drive 20 miles to get there (40 miles round trip). Unless you've got several other errands to run, you just negated your coupon by spending your 'saved money' on gas ($6-8 for 2 gallons) getting to your destination. Oh, and don't forget to add in all that other junk you just bought that you didn't go for in the first place (I'm real guilty of that one when I visit WallyWorld - that place is the worst consumer trap out there if you're not on guard!)
To help you find some cheap stations, you can use an iPhone App that tells you where to find the cheapest gas station in your area OR look it up online; they update prices often.
Here are a couple:
http://www.gasbuddy.com/
http://www.gaspricewatch.com/
I just used the 'gasbuddy' site and looked up one of my 3 cheap stations. The average in my town is $3.35 right now and my station is selling it for only $3.21. That's 14 cents PER GALLON cheaper!!! That's over $2 saved for 15 gallons.
If you need help making this more real to you, from now on when you get gas, go in and give the cashier an extra $2 just for the heck of it (or just chuck it out the window as you pull out of the station).
Sometimes things like gas/hot water/electricity/a drafty window are hard to put into perspective when they seem so intangible or disconnected on the money end each time we pay a bill or fill the tank.
Right now I know where 3 of the cheapest gas stations are in town and NO, they aren't 'off-brand' gas stations by any means. They regularly beat the competition by 5-15 cents per gallon and on average I save $1-1.50 for every fill-up; sometimes over $2. I wouldn't recommend going too far out of your way, but a mile or two is still worth it. I got lucky and found three that happen to be spread around town and are right on my regular routes.
That's another tip for saving money; going out of your way for a coupon or sale means you're spending extra gas to save and are probably buying something you wouldn't have bought if you didn't have coupon....BE SMARTER THAN THE RETAILERS!!! For example, I've heard people say they're going to get something they 'need' (that's another rant) because it's on sale or they have a coupon for 10% off (yet another rant) and they drive 20 miles to get there (40 miles round trip). Unless you've got several other errands to run, you just negated your coupon by spending your 'saved money' on gas ($6-8 for 2 gallons) getting to your destination. Oh, and don't forget to add in all that other junk you just bought that you didn't go for in the first place (I'm real guilty of that one when I visit WallyWorld - that place is the worst consumer trap out there if you're not on guard!)
To help you find some cheap stations, you can use an iPhone App that tells you where to find the cheapest gas station in your area OR look it up online; they update prices often.
Here are a couple:
http://www.gasbuddy.com/
http://www.gaspricewatch.com/
I just used the 'gasbuddy' site and looked up one of my 3 cheap stations. The average in my town is $3.35 right now and my station is selling it for only $3.21. That's 14 cents PER GALLON cheaper!!! That's over $2 saved for 15 gallons.
If you need help making this more real to you, from now on when you get gas, go in and give the cashier an extra $2 just for the heck of it (or just chuck it out the window as you pull out of the station).
Sometimes things like gas/hot water/electricity/a drafty window are hard to put into perspective when they seem so intangible or disconnected on the money end each time we pay a bill or fill the tank.
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