In this video, I interview my brother who doesn’t own a car, but still manages to commute to work everyday. He’s not like me and doesn’t work from home.

I decided to record this video since some people were pretty skeptical when I mentioned getting rid of your car as an extreme way to save money on gas.

We cover things like how to commute if you live in a place where it gets cold in the winter (my brother lives in Minnesota) and what kind of bike makes a good commuter bike.

Let me know what you think.

When I was originally thinking of recording this video, I wanted to have 8 extreme ways to save money on gas, but that was just too many. And then there tips number seven… turns out that’s illegal. Tip 6 as it turns out was a scam. And tip 5 I’d just rather not talk about, k?

So I was left with four extreme ways to save money on gas. Sure, some of them may seem insane and you may think I’m truly out of my mind by even suggesting them.

If you don’t want to watch the video, here’s the quick ‘n dirty version of what I said:

1) Work From Home - This is my solution to high gas prices. I just work from my home office. And you don’t need to start your own business to do it, many employers these days allow you to telecommute.

2) Ditch you car - If you stop driving your car think about how much you’d save, 400, 500, 600 dollars a month? Public transportation and a bicycle can do the job for more people than you’d think.

3) Hypermiling - Want to double the gas mileage of your current vehicle without wasting your money on those so called gas saving devices (they’re mostly scams anyway)? Then take note of these driving techniques. They definitely don’t teach you this in driving school.

4)Make Your Own Biodiesel - I realize that most of us have gas powered vehicles, but for those of you out there with a diesel vehicle or if you’re thinking of getting one, you can go down to your local restaurant and usually get their waste fry oil for next to nothing, and that stuff is perfectly capable of powering your vehicle if you put little bit of a fuel additive in the tank… ends up costing less than $1/gallon instead of $5/gallon for diesel.

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hypermiling save money on gas work from home

You know those weeks where you get a Friday off or a Monday for a three day weekend? Well, if you worked for the state of Utah, you’d be getting a three day weekend every week.

Utah is becoming the first state to make the four day work week mandatory (for some branches of the government).

I wrote a while ago about ways that businesses could help their employees save money on gas, and in addition to telecommuting (still the best option), letting employees work four 10 hour days instead of five 8 hour days was listed as an excellent option.

According to the governor of Utah, it’s being done to “reduce the state’s carbon footprint, increase energy efficiency, improve customer service, and provide workers more flexibility.”

The change affects about 80% of state employees, 17,000 or so.

Of course, with the mandatory change, it benefits not just the employees of the state, but also the environment. Instead of just a few people working four day work weeks, entire departments and even some buildings can be shut down, significantly reducing the amount of energy they use on a daily basis.

And it’s been reported that four day work weeks reduce the number of sicks days taken (who hasn’t had a severe case of the Monday’s?) and also reduces job turnover.

If you’d like to read more, here’s a few more stories for you to check out:
Utah Four Day Work Week Environmentally Friendly
Utah Says Good Bye To Casual Fridays

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Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

carbon footprint four day work week Gas Saving Tips utah state government

As I mentioned last week, SUVs are grinding to a halt and trade in values on SUVs is plummeting (good news if you’re in the market for a used full sized SUV). So this week I thought I’d cover some of the fuel efficient alternatives to large SUVs that still give you plenty of cargo space and a higher ride without draining your pocketbook. One nice thing about these vehicles is they’re also cheaper than the larger SUVs they’re replacing.

1) Scion xB

First up is the Scion xB. This newly redesigned vehicle has plenty of interior space and lots of little nooks and crannies where you can store stuff. This vehicle gets 28mpg on the highway and 22mpg in the city and will run you $15,750.

2) Mini Cooper Clubman

Next is the Mini Cooper Clubman which gets the best gas mileage of all the vehicles in this list. The Clubman is about 10 inches longer than a standard Mini. And if you’ve never sat in a Mini before you’ll find that it’s surprisingly spacious inside for such a little looking car. I have a friend who tips the scales at over 300lbs and says that it’s one of the most spacious vehicles for him to ride in so don’t let it’s little size fool you. The Mini Clubman gets 37mpg highway and 28mpg city and will run you $19,950.

3) Toyota Matrix

The Toyota Matrix gets 32mpg on the highway and 26mpg in the city. This vehicle also comes with available all wheel drive so you don’t have to give up ability to drive in snow with the Matrix. This car will run you $16,190-$20,660. It has a unique look that some people love and others hate so you’ll have to make that determination yourself.

4 ) Kia Rondo

If you’re a fan of ugly vehicles then the Kia Rondo is perfect for you. Seriously, this thing is hideous – it looks like a cross between a station wagon and minivan that hit every branch of the ugly tree on the way down. However, this thing is capable of hauling people around and even has available third-row seats. It gets 26mpg Highway and 19mpg in the city and will run you $16,395-$20,195.

5 ) Ford Escape Hybrid

A couple years ago I helped one of my good friends drive a Ford Escape from Lincoln, Nebraska to Boston, Massachusetts so I can give you some first hand feedback on driving an Escape (and the hybrid is pretty much identical, it just gets better mileage). I’ll admit that I’m a fan of this vehicle and the 30mpg highway, 34mpg city (that’s not a typo, remember hybrids get better city mileage due to regenerative braking) certainly makes this an attractive option especially if you spend a lot of your time commuting through the city. This is an SUV, not a car, and it even comes with available all wheel drive, so if you’re not ready to give up your SUV in the name of fuel efficiency, you don’t have to. The one trade off is price – the Ford Escape Hybrid will run you $27,445-$29,215.

6 ) Saturn Vue Green Line

If you’re a fan of Saturn vehicles (or if you prefer to do the Patriotic thing and buy American), but the Ford Escape Hybrid is a little out of your budget, then the Saturn Vue Green Line might be the better option for you. It uses Chevrolet’s “mild hybrid” system and while I’m not entirely sure what the heck that means, I do know it’s a cheaper system to install in a vehicle but still boosts gas mileage. The Saturn Vue Green Line will run you $23,640 and gets 32mpg highway and 24mpg city. And you still get the higher up ride you may have become accustomed to with your SUV. So what’s the catch? Well, you gotta find one first. Saturn isn’t producing many of these vehicles right now and they’re pretty doggone hard to find. But if you do manage to find one, you know exactly what you’re going to pay for it since Saturn doesn’t negotiate on their vehicles (which means in this case they can’t charge more than sticker price.)

7 ) Mazda5

The Mazda5 is the slightly better looking cousin to the Kia Rondo as far as I’m concerned. I’d say this thing looks like a little minvan. However, it’s attractively priced at $17,995-$22,515 and gets 28mpg highway and 22mpg in the city while offering plenty of space for passengers and their stuff. It even comes with a third row of seats.

8 ) Subaru Forester

With Subaru you know you’ll be getting four wheel drive, and the Forester has been redesigned to look a less like a high riding station wagon and more like the SUVs we’ve all come to know and love. The Forester gets 27mpg highway and 20mpg in the city and comes with a price tag between $19,995 and $28,195.

So there you have it – eight alternatives to your gas guzzling SUV that will still give plenty of space to put your people or stuff but will be far more friendly to your pocketbook.

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Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

ford escape hybrid fuel efficient suv alternatives Gas Saving Tips kia rondo mazda5 mini cooper clubman saturn vue greenline scion xB subaru forester toyota matrix

Maximizing Gas Credit Card Rebates

As many of you know if you’ve been reading my blog for a while you’re certainly aware that I’m an advocate of getting a gas card as an easy way to help you save money on gas.

However, as many readers have pointed out, the gas card that I tend to recommend, the Discover Open Road Card, only gives you a 5% rebate on the first $100 you spend each month. And I’m well aware that with gas prices being what they are that just about all of us are spending more than $100/month in gas right now.

While there are several other cards out there with higher limits, none of them offer the 5% cash back at any station that the Open Road Card does.

This dilemma got me to thinking about how we can “have our cake and eat it too.” And then it became pretty clear to me how to maximize the gas rebates you get in any given month… simply get another gas card.

Here’s what I think would be the ideal situation. If you live in an area with a lot of BP stations (and a lot of us currently do), then you could also apply for a Chase BP Visa Card. This card gives you 5% cash back on all purchases made at a BP Station (10% for the first two months) and 2% cash back at all other stations.

So here is what you could do. Apply for both the Chase BP Visa and Discover Open Road Card. Then use the Chase BP Visa card for all of your fill ups at BP Stations but keep your Discover Open Road Card with you for times when another station simply has a better price or it isn’t convenient to fill up at a BP Station. This way you’ll still be earning 5% cashback on all of your gas fill ups, but you’ll still have the flexibility to fill up at any gas station.

Now for those of you who don’t live in an area with many BP Stations, then I’d recommend you combine the Discover Open Road Card with the Chase Freedom Card (3% cash back).

The one trick to pulling this off is that your credit needs to be in the good to excellent range. If you have bad credit, you’re going to have a hard time getting approved for both cards.

I’d be interested in hearing your feedback on “maximizing gas card rebates” and what you think.

And if you need to apply for the cards I mentioned above, here are the links:
Apply for the Discover Open Road Card
Apply for the Chase BP Visa Card
Apply for the Chase Freedom Card

cash back gas cards chase bp chase freedom discover open road card Gas Prices gas rebate credit cards gas rebate programs Gas Saving Tips

If you’ve been following my blog posts for a while, you’ll know that this site can help you find the cheapest gas in your area just by doing a quick search with you zip code. You’ll get a bunch of gas stations close to your home and you can easily sort them to find the gas station with the lowest prices.

And I know that I use it myself pretty frequently and find it pretty darn accurate, however, it certainly does have it’s limitations. After all, if you’re travelling it’s pretty much useless. Even if you have a cell phone with internet access (like an iPhone), you probably don’t know what zip code you’re in. Usually, you just have to stop at the closest gas station or if you’re at a stop along the Insterstate, you may have three of four choices, but cheaper gas may just be one more exit down and you won’t know until you get there.

And if you’re like me, you hate paying more than you need to for gas.

I just took a trip to Colorado with some friends to do a little whitewater rafting and we never knew if we were paying more for gas than we had to. Sometimes we did okay, and other times we paid more than we needed to.

However, this is now a problem that nobody need suffer with anymore.

You can get real time gas price information on TomTom Go 720/920 and newer models like the 930. I personally use an older model of TomTom’s GPS devices and I can say that they’re excellent GPS units. And this gas price perk is one that has certainly got me thinking about an upgrade.

If you’re coming up on an exit, you’ll be able to not only see where the gas stations are, but you’ll be able to see just how much each gas station is charging for gas.

There is a small annual fee of $15 on this device which I think most people would find to be worth it if they do a lot of driving especially since gas stations along the Interstate can vary in price by 20 cents or more from one gas station to another (especially from one exit to another).

The gas price info is provided by the OPIS (Oil Price Information Service) and IPIX and covers more than 100,000 gas stations across the country.

And the information is updated every four hours so you’re likely to get up to date information most of the time.

You can learn more about the TomTom Go 930 by clicking here.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

finding the cheapest gas while traveling Gas Saving Tips real time gas prices tomtom go tomtom go 930

A few weeks ago when I was interviewed on the radio the guys asked me how to get twice the gas mileage out of your car, and I told them it wasn’t possible. Well, as it turns out I was wrong. And no, in this case you don’t need to use any funny additives or devices in your vehicle.

Instead, you do what has been coined “hypermiling.” The best hypermilers are able to double the gas mileage that their cars are supposed to get by driving quite conservatively most of the time.

CNN just ran a news story on this very topic and you can watch a video with the person who “invented” hypermiling, Wayne Gerdes. This guy manages to get up over 50mpg from a Honda Accord - not a hybrid - just a regular old Accord.

And he does it by taking a lot of the gas saving advice you’ll find on this site and taking it to extremes. For example, Wayne hates to use the brake peddle and only uses it if he absolutely. Otherwise, you’ll find him slowly coasting up to stoplights, timing them just perfectly so he doesn’t need to apply the brake. And while he’s coasting he also shuts off the engine to conserve fuel. He parks at the top of hills and doesn’t use his air conditioner (and he also keeps his windows up most of the time). It’s a pretty extreme way of driving but if you’re serious about saving money on gas, then I’d definitely recommend you give it a try. Remember, you don’t need to be nearly as extreme as Wayne to start saving money on gas.

You can learn more about Wayne Gerdis and hypermiling by visiting what I think is his website - Hypermiling.com.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

better mileage double your gas mileage Gas Saving Tips hypermiling wayne gerdis

Whenever I tell anyone that I hope my next vehicle is a VW Jetta TDI, they all ask me two questions - 1) what the is it and 2) why would you want to drive a diesel when diesel prices are ridiculous.

Let’s start number one. The VW Jetta TDI is simply a diesel powered Volkswagon Jetta that gets more than 50mpg with a diesel engine - no complicated hybrid technology involved.

And for number 2… with diesel prices reaching $5/gallon why in the heck would anyone want to buy a diesel powered vehicle anymore? Well, first of all, it’s twice the gas mileage that most vehicles get and is even better mileage than the Toyota Prius gets. Also, diesel vehicles have proven that they tend to last a long time, typically easily reaching 200,000 - 300,000 miles. And if anything ever needs servicing on diesel vehicle it’s certainly going to cost less since most mechanics are quite familiar with diesel technology - the same can’t be said for hybrid technology.

Of course, the coolest thing about diesels is their ability to run on far cheaper fuel - vegetable oil. Instead of paying $4 or $5/gallon you can actually get your costs down to as low 46 cents per gallon for fuel.

Filling up the tank for less than $10? You can count me in. Now can you see why I want one?

And this can make getting that diesel powered truck a far more attractive option. Yesterday I was talking about how SUV and truck sales have plummeted with diesel trucks dropping $5000 in value or more. To me that screams opportunity. I could get myself a diesel truck (which always get better gas mileage than their conventional gasoline counterparts anyway) for far less than I could have a few months ago and start running the vehicle on vegetable oil and still pay far less in fuel costs than those Prius owners. Not only that, I wouldn’t be burning any fossil fuels so it’s far more enviromentally friendly.

So have I piqued your interest yet?

Well, if you think it’s worth a try, here’s what I’d recommend you do. You don’t need to go out and do a complicated biodiesel conversion to get started. Instead, you can get this really cool product called the “Diesel Secret” which is a fuel additive you add to the oil you’re going to use as fuel. You don’t need to perform any conversions on your vehicle. You just put in the fuel additive and run the oil through a filter and you’re all set. When it’s all said and done it takes just a little more time than normal to fill up your vehicle, but you end up only paying $.46/gallon or so and many people have reported that it actually makes their diesel engine run better than it did on regular diesel they purchased at the pump.

You can learn more about the Diesel Secret fuel additive here. If you are thinking about buying a diesel or you already own one, I’d definitely recommend taking a look at it.

Alternative Fuel Vehicles cheap diesel diesel diesel conversion diesel prices diesel trucks Fuel Technology Gas Saving Tips save money on diesel

A lot of people personally ask me what I do to save money on gas? Do I drive hybrid? Do I have a bunch of gizmos in my car that make it consume less gas? Is my engine powered by hamsters?

No. No. And No.

I think a lot of people try to make saving money on gas a lot more complicated than it needs to be. Sure, a Toyota Prius hybrid is going to get a lot better gas mileage than a Chevy Suburban, but for a lot of people that just isn’t a practical switch. (assuming that if you drive a Suburban you actually have a need for a vehicle that size.)

With gas prices what they currently are (almost $4/gallon here) I spend about $80/month on gasoline.

I go through about 1 tank of gas a month unless I’m travelling that month. For me, the reason I’m able to go through so little gas is that I work from home so I don’t have any commute. And honestly, if this is something you can do or if it’s even a remote possibility, then I’d recommend checking it out. It’s something that I really enjoy.

Many businesses, maybe even your current employer, already have telecommuting programs so it’s not like you need to go out and do something dramatically different, but if you do want to have your own home based business, then I’d say go for it.

That doesn’t mean I don’t drive anywhere. I play volleyball twice a week, flag football, and floor hockey so I do have to drive to those. In the summer when it’s nice out and not raining, I like to take my motorcycle which gets 50mpg, a big change from my 22mpg van.

I also try to plan my driving so I don’t have to drive more than necessary. If I’m going to the grocery store, I make sure that I’m stocked up on everything so I don’t need to go back for another week. If I do need groceries before then, there is a smaller store about 7 blocks from my house that I walk to.

So to recap:
• I work from home (biggest way I save money on gas)
• I drive a motorcycle when the weather permits
• I walk or ride my bike when I can
• I plan my trips carefully to avoid excess driving
• I drive conservatively, accelerating slowly and anticipating when I’ll need to stop
• I use a gas card when I do fill up.

So think about what things you can start doing right now to start saving money on gas – I think you’ll find that it’s easier than you thought.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

Gas Saving Tips home based business spend less on gas work from home

So I was recently featured on 1620thegame and was asked to share my best gas saving tips.

You can listen the the entire 7 minute segment here:

powered by ODEO

You can also download the mp3 of the podcast at http://odeo.com/show/19188473/4/download/GaryRuplinger.mp3

But if you’d just rather get some of my best tips to save money on gas, then here are my top tips to save money on gas:

1) Stop driving like you’re running from the cops. Driving like it’s a NASCAR tryout results in NASCAR like gas mileage. Slow down, take corners slower, slow down sooner, and accelerate more slowly.

2) Get That Junk Outta Ya Trunk. I’m not saying you gotta go have liposuction, but if you’ve got all kinds of extra stuff sitting in the trunk of your car, get it outta there.

3) Get a gas card. This is a super simple way to save up to twenty cents per gallon on gas. I’ve put together a list of my favorite gas cards here. Get one, they’re free.

4) Use a gas price checker. The price of gas at gas stations can vary by as much as twenty cents per gallon and prices change on a daily basis. Use a little program like this one to help you find the cheapest gas in your area just by sticking in your zip code.

5) Stop Idling. If you’re at a railroad crossing waiting for a train. Turn off your engine. If you stop at McDonald’s for some fast food, go inside instead of using the drive thru.

6) Keep your tires inflated. It’s estimated that up to 80% of people have underinflated tires and this is causing you to spend more money than necessary on gas.

Did you enjoy this post? If so, why not subscribe to my RSS feed and be notified every time I make a new blog post.

Need an easy way to start saving money on gas right now? I recommend you get a gas card. They’re free, and the savings can really add up. Check out my gas cards page to find out which ones are recommended and which ones aren’t worth the plastic they’re printed on.

Have you signed up to get my free money saving report, “62 ways to save money on gas” yet? If not, click here to get it absolutely FREE!

Gas Saving Tips save money on gas