How to Save Money on Gas

Long time, no type.  Loyal readers may recall that I did the same thing last January. There becomes less to post about as I shift back to money saving from money spending.  So let's talk about some money saving ideas.

This morning, I have gasoline on my mind.  Ours is pushing $3.00 a gallon.  It hasn't yet broken past that magical mark, but I know it's a matter of time.  Gone are the days when you can scrape up your quarters, throw $5 in your tank, and cruise all night.  Now the $15 Visa card I got from Free Ride didn't get my car to half a tank, and it was gone in a few days of running everywhere.

So, how can we save money on gas?

Consume Less

There are the obvious answers--drive less, combine your trips, keep your tires properly inflated.  We also limit our out of town activities.  I try not to go "to town" unless I also have to work.   Some other hints:

• Slow down.  In most cases, you use more fuel the faster you go, and you also will find yourself having to brake more often.
• Smooth out your driving.  This goes along with slowing down, just drive a nice steady speed and avoid jack rabbit starts.  This is hard on your fuel economy AND your vehicle. 
• Along with keeping your tires properly inflated, make sure you keep your vehicle properly serviced.  A car in need of a tune-up or oil change will not run as efficiently as one in proper running order. 
• With winter, avoid the temptation to start your vehicle really early.  A minute or two go the engine to warm while you scrape your windshield is adequate to warm up the engine.  Idling for 10 minutes or more is wasteful.

Grocery Store Discounts

This is in my area, but I know there are similar programs throughout the state, and similar programs with different stores outside of the area.

• We are able to get a 3 cent per gallon discount at Kum & Go printed on the receipts at Fareway.  
• The Ames area HyVee stores have added some fuel pumps, and I've seen the same in other towns.  Here, you will receive a discount on gas if you present your grocery store receipt.  The discount seems to vary, but I've heard from people that they've gotten up to 10 cents off per gallon.
• Sams Club also offers gas discounts to their members, as do many other club stores.

Random Tips

• You can go to sites like GasBuddy or any number of price tracking web sites.  Many of these will even send texts to your mobile phone with updates.  In larger cities, there are many more choices for gas stations, so maybe this works well.  In my town, I'd have to drive to the other side of town in order to get cheaper gas, thus negating any savings.
• Buy your gas on Thursday mornings.  Gas is best purchased in the coolest part of the day, and the best day to buy is Thursday, before the prices go up for the weekend.
• Kum and Go has printable coupons, though it's rare that they have one for gas.
• Casey's also has printable coupons, though theirs are mostly for food items.
• My personal money saving tip is to avoid going in to pay for the gas (except Sunday, see below), because it keeps me from picking up a drink or snack. 
• I also purchase gas from Kum & Go on Sundays, because they give a free paper when you purchase gas.  That's a savings of $1.50 off the price of the paper, not to mention all the coupons to help me save on my grocery bills.

What have my readers got?  Do you know a great gas saving tip, or where to buy cheap gas, or how to get the best discounts?   Add your hints in comments, and I'll add them into the post.  Have another request for a money saving post?  I'm always taking requests.

FREE Download of Entire Reading Program!

What an awesome freebie!

Funnix is a two year, complete reading program. It's normally $249, and it is FREE for the entire month of January! It looks like this can even be downloaded for schools to use.  I heard about this from a friend, who heard about it from Money Saving Mom, just to give credit where credit is due. 

You'll sign up on the link, then they email you the information on how to download the program.

OK, it took me an hour to upload, but I wanted to make sure it was legit before posting about it.  It looks like a really cute program, and I'm thinking it must be worth free.  Give it a try.

Mani/Pedi for $30 in Ames

The Groupon for our area today is a manicure and pedicure at Finesse Salon and Spa in Ames for only $30. If you haven't used Groupon before, it is legitimate. They use the power of group buying in order to get their members some huge savings. This deal will be good for one day, and they also have a $49 deal for a weekday stay at the Hotel Frederick in Boonville.

If you haven't signed up before, I'd love for you to use my referral link to register.

In the same vent, Living Social also has a great deal today!  $35 for 4 "adult" beverages and 4 plates of Tapas at Sbrocco Wine Bar in Des Moines.  You can save $1 if you like them on Facebook.  What a great day that would be, go and get pampered, then top it off with some delicious food and beverages.  Here is the signup for LivingSocial if you haven't already registered.

Two Good Local Coupons

These are only for the Ames area, though I think the Younkers coupon could work in any store. 

• If you want a chance to check out Reiman Gardens (they're still open in the winter) now may be the time.  This coupon is good through August 31, 2011, and may be good for multiple prints.
• Younkers has a 20% off coupon, good through January 29.  Again, it's a PDF file, so you should be able to do a few prints.

These and others are available at the Ames Chamber of Commerce website.

Some Freebies

I'm hoping to get back to regular blogging now that I'm back to my regular schedule. If you love freebies, you may already know this. There are two major discount chains that offer free samples of items. One I don't shop at or mention, but TARGET has some samples pretty regularly.

Today, it's only free dog and cat food samples, but you may as well give it a try. I've found most free samples come with some good coupons as well.

This inspires me to go and seek out some more freebies:

• Here's a cool looking one, totally useless to me.  I don't use Sephora (too expensive) or an iPhone (ditto) but if you download an app, you can get a free skin.
• Free sticker to remind emergency responders to rescue your pet as well.
• Free surfing stickers. 
• Free air pressure test kit.
• Here's a free DVD on preserving rivers.
• And you can get free travel DVDs or brochures from National Geographic.

You can click the freebie link on my tag cloud and see some other freebies I've posted.  The thing with freebies is that sometimes they are all gone so fast that you don't get a chance to sign up, but sometimes they will come back in stock or they have a million available that they are still sending.  It's always worth a try.

Some more, and I think this will be all for the day:

• A free cookbook starring Jiffy Mix.  Be sure to give them your real email, because you will need to verify your order.
• Another free cookbook.
• Free skiing DVD
• Free New Testament Bible.
• Free bag of kitty litter. 
• Free sample of shampoo.
• Free sample of Redken for Men shampoo.
• Free cup of Yoplait yogurt.

 Please comment and let me know your favorite types of freebies!  I love the free samples of shampoo and deodorant.  They're perfect for packing in the toiletry bag for trips.