click image to enlarge

Old Fashioned Tips for Saving Money on Fuel Prices - For whatever reason, due to supply and demand and the result of speculators speculating wildly, fuel prices are at an all-time high. And since our country simply doesn’t have a well developed mass transportation system in place, save for some of the larger cities, owning and driving a car is a necessity for most Americans.

A little bit of money saved on fuel prices here, a little bit there, it adds up quickly.

First, and most obvious, drive a fuel-efficient car. Get yourself a sedan or maybe even a hybrid if you’re willing to spend a little more up front.

You shouldn’t drive like a maniac, even if your car gets 50 mpg on the highway. Don’t peel away from the intersection when the stoplight turns green. The harder you press the gas pedal, the more gas is consumed. Get your foot off the pedal and let momentum propel your car forward. That’s gas saved, and money earned back from fuel prices.

Don’t buy premium gas unless you absolutely have to. Premium gas, unless you’re driving a high-end car, is a complete waste of money on fuel prices. If you’re looking to shave a little bit off your weekly gas bill, odds are you aren’t driving a car that benefits all that much from premium gas.

Drive the speed limit. Not only is it safer, you also burn less gas driving slowly than you do driving fast. This is pure physics. As you drive faster, there’s more air your vehicle has to push out of the way, which leads to more resistance, increased drag and the force pulling your car backward and decreased fuel efficiency. It’s a waste, and that’s something you don’t want.

Try to minimize excess weight. Get rid of any junk you’ve got tied to your roof. Roof racks increase the drag on your car, thereby reducing fuel efficiency. Search the interior for unnecessary weight.

So those are just a few ways to keep your gas bill as low as possible. You can easily save a large amount of money on fuel prices each month by cutting your gas expenditures. More people are buying fuel efficient and hybrid cars, but for generations Americans have been accustomed to having bigger and more prestigious, vehicles to haul themselves around, and they now want to save money on fuel prices.