The best way to spend less money for gas is not just to improve gas mileage, but actually buy less gasoline. Public transportation divides the cost of gas across many people and trips. In addition to taking buses and trains, there are other ways to save by using less gas.

You can reduce your commute by moving closer to work or working closer to home. Not only does this save money on gas, but saves time otherwise spent commuting. You may even be able to save even more money by becoming a one-car family.

Anytime you can do several short trips in one longer trip, you will save fuel and time. Make lists to avoid having to go back. Call ahead to avoid wasted trips.

When shopping or entering a parking lot, park in the first spot you find. If you wander all over the parking lot looking for that really close parking space, you’ll use more gas. Don’t be afraid to walk a ways if it comes to that - the walk will do you good!

Once you get into town, some of your stops may be near each other. Whenever practical, try to park between some or all of them and walk.

Keep in mind that anytime you go somewhere, whether it’s by car or by public transportation, and you car isn’t running, you are getting in essence infinite miles per gallon.

Conversely, whenever your car is running and you aren’t going anywhere, such as when your engine is idling, you are getting exactly zero miles per gallon.

Combing techniques to improve gas mileage with efforts to drive less will give you the best possible savings: gas mileage improvements, and saving money on gas by buying less of it.

It’s probably a myth that goes back to the days when cars were equipped with carburetors, but many drivers believe that starting up and turning off your car repeatedly is a fast way to drain your gas tank.

But because of modern fuel-injection technology, drivers actually save gas by turning off their engine than letting their car needlessly idle, says Consumer Reports‘ Paul.

While you don’t necessarily want to be shutting down the engine every time you get stuck in traffic, but if it looks like you might be at the drive-thru for more than 30 seconds to a minute, it’s worth turning off your car.

In fact, anytime you are idling for more than 30 seconds, you can improve your gas mileage this way. When you are idling, you are getting exactly zero miles per gallon.

Gas mileage improvements are still the best way to spend less on gas. However, here’s a valuable tip to get gas for less money.

One of the ways that you can save money at the gas pump is by using a gasoline credit card. When you have a gas card you’ll be able to get 5 or 10 percent rebate back on the purchase of your gas.

This can amount to as much as $75 to $300 each year. If you have multiple drivers in your family you’ll want to make sure that every car driving person carries a gasoline credit card with them so that you can take advantage of multiple gas sales.

Many gasoline companies are joining up with other retailers to give you numerous savings at the gas pump.

You’ll be able to not only save on your gas purchase, but you’ll be able to earn points towards your next purchase with participating retailers.

The drop in gas prices has been due to the price for crude oil falling on the world market. This is wonderful for consumers - though I should add, no reason not to continue trying to improve gas mileage!

So why the “But…” in the title? Well, low gas prices are what we’re hoping for, and they have in fact lowered.

But…

The fundamental issues that sent gas prices through the stratosphere haven’t changed. In fact, they continue to worsen.

The bottom line is, demand is increasing exponentially, while supply remains static. Nothing is going to alter that fundamental problem. The whole offshore drilling craze is a farce. It will not appreciably affect supply for at least 8 years. And even once it does, it will not have an appreciable impact.

Hopefully gas prices will drop further. But they aren’t going to return to 2006 prices. Ever.

So continue making your gas mileage improvements, learn ‘conservation driving’ and hypermiling, and don’t depend on the price of gasoline coming down too much further.

The Neilsen Company: Dramatic fluctuations in gas prices are disrupting U.S. consumer spending and expected to continue, leaving consumers with less money to spend at retail, entertainment and dining out, according to a new study by The Nielsen Company. Nielsen’s research shows that in 2007, the gas share of consumers’ weekly spending ranged from 12 to 16 percent. As gas prices continue to rise, Nielsen expects consumers’ gas share of their weekly spend to rise to 19 percent. (For all tables referenced in this release, please view Full PDF Download version of release).

“With gas prices expected to hit $4 per gallon this year, consumers will be spending nearly a fifth of their household budget on gas,” said Todd Hale, senior vice president, Consumer & Shopper Insights, Nielsen Consumer Panel Services.  “That kind of increase has a direct impact on what they can afford to spend and is something retailers will need to address.”

Higher Gas Prices Means More Trips to the Pump
According to government statistics, the price of regular gas in 2007 ranged from a low of $2.11 per gallon to $3.21 per gallon.  Nielsen’s research shows that higher gas prices create a modest change in the number of average weekly gas trips, with consumers averaging 1.3 trips to the gas pumps per week, up from 1.24 trips when gas prices were at their lowest ($2.11 per gallon). (See chart “Average Weekly Gas Trips vs. Gas Price” in Full PDF Download).

“The increase in gas trip frequency as gas prices rise suggests that some consumers are seeking to limit the amount of money spent each time they’re at the pump,” said Hale.

Big Chunk of the Budget
Though consumers may be making more trips to the pumps each week to limit the amount they spend per trip, they are not able to limit the amount they spend on gas each week.  Nielsen’s study shows that the amount of money consumers spent on gas each week increased dramatically as a result of higher gas prices.   Per trip spending rose significantly, up 40 percent from $24.42 per trip when gas was at its lowest price, to $34.11 when gas prices hit their peak.   With consumers making more than one trip to the gas pump each week, overall weekly gas spending rose from $32.02 to $46.72 per household – a 46 percent increase. (See chart “Highest and Lowest Gas Spending Per Occasion” in Full PDF Download).

“Consumers tell us they are combining errands and trips, eating out less and doing more things at home to counterbalance rising gas prices,” said Hale.  “Nevertheless, the amount of money spent on gas each week is still taking a huge bite out of consumers’ budgets.”

More Buyers at Convenience Store Pumps
With more than 146,000 U.S. locations, convenience stores are the preferred stop for consumers, attracting nine times more gas buyers than warehouse clubs or grocery stores.  Warehouse clubs, however, see a higher level of gas spending per trip. (See charts “Convenience/Gas Is The Preferred Gas Stop For U.S. Households” and “Warehouse Clubs Capture Higher Level of Gas Spending Per Trip” in Full PDF Download).

“If we take a look at the size of automobiles in a typical warehouse club parking lot we can understand why warehouse clubs grab more money spent on gas per trip,” said Hale.  “Generally, you’ll see more affluent consumers driving SUVs and luxury cars, leading to higher per trip spending on gas.”

Incentives for Gas Purchases
Retailers, especially warehouse clubs and some grocers, are offering low gas prices or gas discounts based on in-store purchases as a way to ease gas cost strain and build shopper loyalty.  Convenience store retailers can make the most of consumers’ frequent gas trips with loyalty programs and value price offerings to enhance in-store sales.  Some convenience stores are attracting consumers with a stronger focus on their food service business and capturing meals that might otherwise go to fast-food and casual dining restaurants.

“Today’s consumers are looking for value and convenience and this year, the impact of rising gas prices is something all retailers will need to address through assortment, pricing and promotional strategies,” said Hale.

Read the full report HERE.

In fact, the recommended gasoline for most cars is regular octane, and in most cases, using a higher octane gasoline than your owner’s manual recommends will give you absolutely no benefit whatsoever. It certainly won’t make your car perform better, go faster, get better mileage or run cleaner.

Octane is a meaurement of the temperature at which gasoline combusts, or burns. But in almost every case, every grade of gasoline will combust efficiently.

The difference in grade, from “regular” to “super” or “high-test” can be huge, as much as 50 cents per gallon from 87 to 92.

Using the lowest octane available will almost always result in getting the same gas mileage, but at a much lower cost.

If your engine “knocks” or “pings”, this is usually a sign of incomplete combustion. In some cases, a higher octane can resolve the problem, but you should then have your engine checked by a mechanic.

As soon as the problem is resolved, go back to a lower octane, less expensive grade.

Choosing the least expensive gas available can save a lot of money.

If you are renting a car, always use the lowest grade available, and when you return the car, fill the tank with the least expensive grade as well.

Smaller is Better

If you’re renting a car, smaller is better. As an example, a midsize car such as the Chevrolet Aveo with a four-cylinder engine gets 28 mpg and costs about $46.20 to drive 500 miles. A larger, heavier eight-cylinder Jeep Grand Cherokee gets 17 mpg and costs $76.25 to travel the same distance. Drive the smaller car and you’ll save more than $30 per trip.

Price-shop Your Gas

Gasbuddy.com and gaswatch.com can help you find the cheapest gas prices wherever you happen to be. You should consider buying off-brand gasoline, which is most often the same as what’s sold at brand-name gas stations. And whenever possible, opt for the lower octane regular over premium gasoline. Experts say most car engines run just fine with regular, and switching can save you approximately 20 to 30 cents a gallon.

If you purchased the “2008 ULTIMATE Gas Saver Guide“, you can use the included “Gas Calc” software to see whether driving a bit to a lower cost-per-gallon station will save you even more money - or cost more.

You should also be using one of the cash-back credit cards for your fuel purchases to get another 5 percent off the cost.

Lighten Your Load

Speeding, rapid acceleration, and hard braking are big gas guzzlers. Drive at or below the speed limit, and if you can, avoid two-lane roads with lots of traffic lights. Try to ease up on filling the trunk and overhead roof rack. A loaded roof rack can decrease a car’s fuel efficiency by 5 percent.

Map Out Your Route

Whether you’re the driver or the navigator, arm yourself with a GPS navigation system or the proper maps so that you’re not relying on vague directions from locals or gas-station attendants, which can get you lost or driving in circles.

You can usually get free maps by contacting the Department of Transportation in the state you’re traveling in. Members of AAA can obtain maps through the mail; for nonmembers, the club offers free directions and maps through its TripTiks feature (aaa.com). Mapquest.com and expedia.com also provide routing information at no cost.

Keep a log of your gas mileage and spending. It’s hard to know if you’re improving your gas mileage if you don’t keep track of it. Click here to print out a free gas mileage log.

Both Senator John McCain and Senator Hillary Clinton had proposed a “Gas Tax Holiday”, suspending the federal excise tax on gasoline between Memorial Day and Labor Day 2008.

But what exactly does that mean?

It means that the federal government would agree to drop it’s tax during that period. How much tax? Approximately 18.5 cents per gallon gallon for regular unleaded gasoline and 24.4 cents a gallon for diesel. It doesn’t sound like much, and in fact, would probably be even less by the time it reaches the pump

It’s estimated that the proposed “Gas Tax Holiday” would save consumers roughly a total of $30 over the three month period it would be in effect.

There is also some doubt that even that much would reach consumers pockets. Unless the oil companies reduced prices, the tax benefit would simply end up in their pockets, becoming in effect a tax loophole for them.

Nor would this tax ‘break’ have any impact on supply and demand, the real culprits behind the rapidly rising cost of gas. In fact, critics argue that it is simply political pandering, offering essentially meaningless gimmicks that sound good but do nothing either to solve the underlying problems, or even provide any real relief.

We at Gas For Less Money strongly back Senator Barack Obama’s stance calling for massive increases in funding for alternative energy and leadership that has the political will to promote real conservation,

Have you ever wondered if it’s actually worth driving across town for a lower price per gallon on gasoline? Whether it’s worth driving a few extra miles to save a few cents per gallon?

“Gas Calc” is a software program that will tell you exactly that!

This nifty software asks you to input the price at the close station, then the price per gallon at the further station, approximately how far you would have to drive, and then calculates how much you would save - or lose - by going across town to a cheaper gas station.

Next time your friend tells you they found a cheaper gas station - or next time you’re tempted to call them, you can use this gas calculator software to figure out if it’s really worth it!

The “Gas Calc” gas price calculator software is included FREE with the
2008 ULTIMATE Gas Saver Guide.

Why are gas prices so high? The answer to that question gives the answer to the first question: supply & demand. Supply - the amount of oil we pull from the ground, and the amount we refine into gasoline - remains fairly constant. But demand is growing at an alarming rate.

Here is the short and long answer of why gas prices are so high:

Unfortunately, that situation isn’t going to change for the better. In fact, it is expected that demand will continue to rise! As a result, most experts predict that gas prices will also continue to rise.

There are three possible answers:

• We increase supply. This one isn’t particularly realistic.
• We lower demand. We actually can have an impact here, but it would be very small. Most of the increasing demand comes from rapidly industrializing nations like China, India, and Brazil.
• We find alternatives to oil. Yes, but still years away (however, it is possible to use the “water4gas” modifications that allow you to run your car on water and gasoline).
• We improve gas mileage. This is the only real, practical, immediate solution.

Every gas mileage improvement translates into paying less money for gas at the pump. A 25% gas mileage improvement is equivalent to paying 25% less per gallon.

There are literally thousands of websites and resources available online to help you make gas mileage improvements.

One of the best, the newly released “2008 ULTIMATE Gas Saver Guide” can realistically improve your mileage by as much as 50%, letting you in effect cut the price you pay for gas in half!