Tag Archives: gas prices

Trade a Car Payment for the Cost of Gas?

Now that the cost of gas has reached over $4 a gallon, it puts this expense into a completely new category. The rising cost of driving has reached the cost of many other large items, including the purchase of a new car. With gas prices so high, it is time to look at your whole budget. A good friend of mine told me an interesting budget story last week. Both her and her husband live in a rural area and have to commute to work in town each day. They have different schedules, so they can’t carpool. In addition, since … Continue reading →

Frugal Living Month in Review: June 2008

What a happy month is June, filled with the renewal of spring and the promise of summer. In the last month, we have shared so many ideas for frugal living and saving money. This past month has seen some pretty big increases in food, gas and other items (look for an upcoming post about strawberries increasing more than 100 percent). Now more than ever, it is important to save money where we can. This is why I decided to do a month in review. June 2nd Frugal Living Review: May 26th Through June 1st Garage sale shopping has got to … Continue reading →

MyGallons.com Promises to Save You Money on Gas

Across the nation, gas prices continue to rise causing people everywhere to cut back on traveling or cut back on other expenses to afford the gas. There is a new service out there that promises to save you money on gas by allowing you to lock in the price. This means that no matter how much gas prices rise, you will still only pay the same rate for gas. The service operates much the same way as other suppliers of home heating oil or natural gas. You agree to prepay for so many gallons of gas ahead of time. Then … Continue reading →

Meet Your Gas Buddy

In addition to watching your gas consumption, there is another way to save money on gas. Find the cheapest gas in your city. In many major metropolitan areas, there can be a wide range of prices for a gallon of gas. How do you find the best one without wasting gas driving all over town? The best way to check prices is the Internet. This is true even for gas! If you are lucky enough, you can find your town on this website, www.gasbuddy.com. It is a website directory of more than 181 separate gas price websites maintained by neighbors … Continue reading →

Insane Fuel Surcharges Spread to Taxis

Well, I suppose we all saw this one coming… only that doesn’t lessen the sting. In what has now turned into a near weekly event with major airliners, some taxi companies are now charging more for fuel surcharges. Just yesterday taxicab drivers in south Florida were given the green light to force passengers pay a surcharge to make up for rising fuel prices. According to news reports, Miami-Dade County commissioners unanimously approved a measure allowing cab drivers to begin raising rates as a way to offset the skyrocketing price of fuel. Here what is means for all of you travelers … Continue reading →

Are You Contemplating Selling Your SUV?

If you are, you certainly aren’t alone. In a country where the average price of a gallon of unleaded fuel is $4.05, many gas guzzling SUVs are getting kicked to the curb by their owners. The only problem is once they get to the curb they often sit there for a while. Last week the General Motors plant located not far from my home announced it would be closing because of soft sales on SUVs and large trucks. Many workers there said they could see the writing on the wall, especially with the price of gas skyrocketing to record levels. … Continue reading →

Concerns about Four Day Weeks

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My last article began to examine the possibility of schools attending four days a week instead of five. In the article I began giving some pros of how schools could save money by extending the four days and dropping off a fifth. In the article I discussed how some schools had considered leaving off Fridays at the end and some had decided to begin their week with Tuesday. There were several ways that dropping off a day would save on money, fuel, and electric costs. However there are also some negative factors that school supervisors and planners must consider before … Continue reading →

Would Four Day Weeks Work?

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While listening to the news yesterday I heard a news clip that caught my attention. As I had stated in a few previous articles, the rise of gas is causing some school districts to rethink the way that they spend money. Schools all across America are trying to cut back and make their money go further. In one article I described how rumor had it that my district was considering four day weeks to save on cost. Yesterday, I heard that my district was not alone. Minnesota also has the same idea. While it was told that Fridays would be … Continue reading →

The Dangerous Practice of Hypermiling

Hypermiling is a new term that is applied to various techniques that may improve your gas milage and reduce your gas costs. With the rising cost in fuel, websites have sprung up all over the Internet with different tips and techniques. People who practice hypermiling say that they can get twice the amount of milage on their vehicles than what manufacturers of the vehicles suggest. While some of these hypermiling techniques make perfect sense and have been practiced by frugal drivers for years (such as maintaining a steady speed below 55 miles per hour), other may actually be dangerous. Here … Continue reading →

Gas Pumps Cheat Customers

With the growing price of gas these days, getting less than what you are paying for is an added insult to your budget. But, as the Associated Press (AP) reported this weekend, getting cheated at the gas pump is a pretty common occurrence. Here is what you need to know about becoming aware of the problem and getting reimbursed. Have you ever noticed that there is a slight delay in the flow of gas when you first start pumping? If the pump hesitates for a second or two before it kicks in, then chances are that you are paying for … Continue reading →