The pump stole my money! Tips on gas prices.

Managing money is a tricky thing to do. I know this for a fact because with every dollar that I earn, it goes toward food, supplies, the occasional DVD (darn those cheap DVDs at Walmart!) and the most costly endeavor out there...filling up the wagon! I'm not going to lie. The car I own is not as good on gas as it should be (Jeep Wranglers were made to go anywhere, not save gas). For everyone that owns one of those special fuel electric hybrids out there, there is no problem with going anywhere since the car can get 30+ miles to the gallon or more. But for those of us who have those monstrous SUVs out there that say "I own the road.", then chances are, you won't own the road when the car has to get filled up frequently at the same rate when a regular person eats three meals a day. And with how much you're taking out of your wallet (credit and debit cards included), its almost as if the gas pump is saying to you everytime you're about to put the nozzle to the car "All right! This is a holdup! Give me the money or you get no gas!" (I'm also imagining a gas pump pressing the nozzle up against a person's back in the process, which is a bizarre surreal image now that I think about it). But the point is, gas prices are going up and there's not much that we can do about it. But, there are a few fuel saving tips that we can do to help us save a little money in our pockets and use it for more important things (no, online gambling is NOT one of them!):

1. See which gas station is the cheapest

By driving around in your local area, you can see all of the gas stations and deduce which one has the cheapest gas offered to the general public. Do this when you're just randomly driving around and write down all of the prices that you can (but not while driving! That's too dangerous!). Also notice certain patterns that gas stations have when they raise prices. This is one way to help you save some moolah.

2. Fill up your car on the weekend

This may sounf a little crazy, but it makes sense. When do gas prices seem to go up? (Jeopardy music plays). If you don't know by now, gas prices go up during the weekdays from Monday thru Friday because of all of the trading, buying, selling and all of the other businness that goes on at the New York Stock Exchange. On the weekends, the prices stay the same because the NYSE does not function and they stay balanced. But for those of you who have to fill up the tank before the weekend comes, then it can't be avoided. But for those who wait and are patient, then they can fill it up without the gas price changing at the last minute (it hasn't happened to me yet, and hopefully never will. I can imagine the person changing the sign and giving me this awkward smiling grin to mock me).

3. Drive less

This tip says it all and is self explanatory. Drive less. Now for the people out there who like to go on some sort of "road trips", then the car is going to be using up a lot of that gas. Soif you can, reduce the amount of time driving and start saving (no roadtrips to Florida or California please!).

4. Spend less money on trivial things

When you spend money on snack foods, electronics or DVDs (once again! I have to beat the habit!), it takes away from the money you can put forward toward gas. So to keep yourself from feeling short changed at the pump, make sure that you do not spend all of that hard earned money on things that are less important that filling up your car (though it is okay to splurge once in a while).

5. Get your car checked out every now and then

Even though we do oil changes every 3,000 miles, we should still check on our cars to make sure that they are up-to-date and are more fuel efficient. This choice is optional because it can be expensive to give cars tune-ups (beware Volkswagen and Volvo fans!).

Those are the best tips I can give to people who want to save gas. Although the gas prices are at an average of around $2.70 a gallon, you know that those penny pinchers will up the ante and the gas prices will reach over $3 a gallon. But with the advice I've given, you can be prepared for whatever comes your way. See you later!