*Note: This was written by a Yahoo! contributor. Do you have a personal finance story that you'd like to share? Sign up with the Yahoo! Contributor Network to start publishing your own finance articles.
I've accepted it.
It doesn't matter how many angry letters I write or how many times I utter a four-letter word about the cost at the pump on a given day. Gas prices are beyond my control, and it does no good to drive all over Houston in the hope of saving a few cents. Since I can't lower gas prices, I'm lowering my gas consumption.
Driving Fewer Miles
It's not easy. There are places I absolutely have to go, like the grocery store, and places I absolutely want to go, like to my parents' house for Christmas. But I've found a certain freedom in applying careful consideration to every trip made in the car.
The good news is that, when I eliminate certain trips in the car, I eliminate other costs as well. For example, a couple nights ago I was hit by a craving for a Sonic milkshake. Sonic is only about a mile from our residence, negligible in terms of gas consumption, but I decided to forgo the shake in favor of a scoop of ice cream from the freezer. Not only did I save gas, but I saved the couple dollars I would have spent on the Sonic dessert.
Frequent Tune-Ups
I'm pretty regular about oil changes and tire rotations and the like, but lots of other factors affect gas consumption. Failing to maintain my vehicle's engine will result in reduced fuel economy. I'm fortunate enough to have a friend who is also a mechanic, and I take my family's cars to him every three months for check-ups.
Avoiding Traffic
It's not as though I needed another excuse to avoid Houston traffic, but there it is. Gas consumption increases the longer I sit in the parking lot of I-10 during rush hour, so I avoid it wherever possible. If I have to drive across town at an inopportune time, I plot a route that excludes freeways. It might mean more miles driven, but less time idling on the highway where gas is just evaporating into thin air.
Turning Off Luxuries
Whenever I can tolerate it, I turn off my car's air conditioning. Although the A/C might not have an appreciable impact on gas consumption, I'm not willing to risk it. If it's too hot for lowered windows to keep me comfortable, I use air conditioning on its lowest setting. Furthermore, I never lower my windows at the same time I'm running the air conditioning. Lowered windows increases drag on the vehicle, especially on highways, and decreases fuel economy. So it's one or the other.
Killing the Engine
One of our neighbors sits in his car for half an hour several times a day, talking on his cell phone. I don't know why he doesn't just go inside his home to chat, but I see him out there all the time. And while he's conducting his conversation, his big SUV is running. This is a bad idea if you're trying to lower gas consumption. I turn off my vehicle as soon as I'm able, for the same reason I avoid traffic. Idling for long periods of time will waste gas.
There are no comments yet