Every time I turn on the television or radio I am reminded by a friendly sounding voice or informative news anchor that gas prices are increasing across the country and consumers are going to take a hit in the pocketbook. I hear this and think of how I just spent my entire day in my car scurrying about to take care of errands that need to be done and running the kids to all the sports and activities they are involved. Sometime’s I toy with the idea of taking up residence in my car. Lucky for us there are experts out there with a few tips to stretch our gas money.

Speeding, rapid acceleration and braking in the car are all factors that lead to wasted gas dollars. So besides not driving, (which we do as little as possible because it is better for the environment) let’s focus on driving more efficiently. Here are a few tips to try and see if you can make your gas dollar burn a little slower.

Tips

1. Observe the posted speed limits. It has been studied and gas mileage decreases at speeds over 60 MPH.

2. Remove excess weight from the car. This is especially effective if you drive a smaller vehicle. For every extra 100 pounds in the car it can reduce MPG (miles per gallon) up to 2% when traveling.

3. Don’t sit idle. When a car is idling it can burn up to a half of a gallon of gas for every one hour it idles. So remember to turn off the car when your waiting.

4. Use the cruise control and overdrive gears of the car. Maintaining a consistent speed when driving will save you gas money and using the overdrive gears slows the engine speed of the car down reduce the amount of gasoline that is needed.