A couple of weeks ago, I went to the annual homeschool conference. I ended up in an afternoon session by a mom who started out with 'I am an expert at nothing and know a little about alot.' It was on the topic of saving money, and I really went in there to get a break; I had every intention of zoning out while nursing a very wiggly baby and not worrying about having to take notes. But I sat up and paid attention.
I've read 'many a' articles on ways to save. Alot of them are just plain no-brainers for me (as my cousin always says, quoting her late husband- 'Poor people's got poor ways.') And some don't even apply to me. So last night (or the wee hours of this morning) I had the bright idea to do a blog series on saving money for real people. Now, I used to have my best ideas and be my most creative in the middle of the night, but then I had kids. So while hurrying thru a sad excuse for a shower, my head was just full of ideas. I jotted them down as fast as I could until I couldn't hold my eyes open any longer. So here goes.
Lets talk MPG. Gas is all the talk right now. It's so expensive. It's still about the same price as a gallon of milk. At any rate, do you know your MPG? I've asked MANY people this over the years, and I've always been quiet surprised when people JUST DON'T KNOW. I mean smart people just DON'T KNOW!
First thing is you have to figure out the size of your gas tank. You can find that info in your owners manual, but if you don't happen to have your owner's manual handy, then you can always find that information online. Just be careful of your sources. Blogs are getting to be a big source of info on a variety of subjects, and like me, these people may or may not know what they're really talking about. So go with a reputable source. (And while you're at it, go ahead and download a PDF of your owners manual. Cars have them for a reason.)
When you know that your tank, is for example, 16 gallons, you know that filling your car til the (hopefully fully operational) gas nozzle clicks off. Most newer cars and some older ones are equipped with a trip odometer (or 2!) that you can reset each time you fill your tank up. (I repeat, you can reset this. (Imagine my mom's shock when I reset hers- if she'd have taken the time to read her manual she would have known this. If you're lucky enough to have and A & B, use one to track your mileage for your next oil change and one for each tank of gas. Not rocket science people.) You don't have to run your tank all the way out. That's actually frowned upon by most mechanics, but some people apparently still do this hence the 'fuel light' that comes on. Some cars chime at you. My car has a handy 'estimated miles til empty indicator'. )
When you stop to fill your tank up again, for example when it's half empty by the gauge- you fill it up til it clicks on it's own- don't force more gas into the tank (more on that later). Look at the pump and see 'oh it took 7.45 gallons to refill my tank, and my trip odometer said 241 miles'. So you divide the 241 miles by the 7.45 gallons you actually used. That comes up to 32.34. So that's your MPG. Now you may have a fancy computer in your car that does this for you. Still check the numbers yourself. It relies on an electrical gauge in your gas tank so it may or many not be correctly working. You never know til you check it yourself. If your numbers are the same, then maybe check it once a month, depending on how much you drive.
There are many ways to increase one's full economy. The first and foremost is to slow the heck down. My nephew has a Honda Civic, a car notorious for their MPG. He complains that his car sucks up gas, yada yada yada. Well when you accellerate rapidly, and break suddenly that destroys your fuel economy. They have done extensive studies on this.
The science is clear-
SLOW DOWN,
Don't accelerate rapidly,
Don't follow so close that you have to constantly slam or tap on your breaks. (MPG aside, it's NOT SAFE- they teach you this in Drivers Ed!)
They also say to fill your tank up first thing in the AM when the tanks have been cooling all night. I debate that one. The tanks are quite a bit underground. The frost line is at 18 inches below the surface. Anything below that is a constant temperature year/day round.
They also say that you shouldn't let your fuel level fall below half- the air in the tank will cause your gas to evaporate quicker. Again. I debate this one. Your fuel line is airtight. When you fill your tank up, there is very little air. You gas cap should be on tight (my car lets me know when mine isn't!) and when you eventually put more gas in your car, the 'whoosh' like when you open a soft drink? That's the vacuum.
There is debate about whether or not you should run your A/C. For stop and go city traffic where you aren't going over 35 MPH, if you can stand it, turn off your A/C and roll down your windows. For me, most of my driving is rural highway. I run my A/C and I've calculated my MPG with and without the A/C and their isn't a noticeable difference. Nor is there in power. But not all vehicles are created equal so this is going to be model specific.
Also, what I consider no brainers. Keep your tires PROPERLY inflated. Don't over-inflate them- causes them to wear un-evenly and faster, plus it's not safe. Keep your air filter clean. Change your oil.
Use your cruise whenever you can. Take extra weight out of your car. I laugh at this one. I have 3 carseats in my car. They aren't always occupied, but I'm sure as heck not taking them out unless someone throws up on them. Then we have the stroller, my permanent car diaper bag. My purse. My 'day bag'. The mobile diaper bag. The 'stuff I might need in my car bag'. A half gallon of water for emergencies.
Also remember the first mode of transportation is feet! If it's less than a mile, WALK. Ride your bike if you can. Really. It's doable. I rode my bike to work 3x a week until I found out I was pregnant the last time. I can't be away from home for the amount of additional time that it takes for me to ride my bike. Maybe next year.
Last but not least- Don't make trips just to get gas. Leave a few minutes early and get it on your way. :-)
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