The following is a sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.
According to The Motley Fool, American drivers use around 656 gallons of fuel each year, per person! Therefore, a family could conceivably use well over 1,000 gallons of fuel each year.
After doing the math, that same family would be spending several hundred dollars per month on fuel alone.
Since we RV full-time, we spend a good chunk of change on fuel each month. Our RV gets 6-7 miles per gallon; our Jeep, which doesn’t do much better, gets about 13-15 miles per gallon.
Depending on the month, we spend anywhere from $100 to over $1,000 on fuel. We don’t drive very far during some months, but other months can consist of long hauls across the country. We recently drove across Arizona, Utah, Colorado, Kansas and Missouri to see family.
On that trip alone, we drove around 3,000 miles and spent around $1,500 in fuel!
If you’re like me, then you’re always looking for ways to save money on fuel.
Plus, if you’re an RV-er or live on the road somehow (maybe tent-camping in your car), then fuel is probably one of your biggest expenses, if not your biggest. Saving a couple of dollars here and there is much better than just wasting them. They might even get you a few miles further down the road. (Pun intended!) 🙂
Below are my tips!
Combine your errands.
I’m the type of person who combines all my errands. If I need one thing, then I will wait until there are more things on my list to do or get before going out.
This saves me from spending both time and money, when it feels wasteful.
To do this, I pretty much always have a constant shopping list saved on my cell phone. When I’m out and about, I can always check this list and find exactly what I need, in the moment, instead of driving all over the place. And let’s be honest, some things can wait. Why waste time running around when you can just hold off on the shopping until it’s more convenient for you?
I have found that this habit saves me money on fuel expenses and helps me be save on valuable time. A small task can take you anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour, and I just really dislike wasting any time.
However, I know not everyone is like this. I know many people who will go out of their way to get one small item, even if they don’t need it right away. This seems so wasteful in my mind – it wastes fuel, money and precious time.
If you’re looking for a way to save money on fuel, then this could help you. If something can wait, save yourself time and money by combining errands and getting multiple things done at the same time.
Join the Fuel Rewards program.
Do you want to start saving money on fuel in a fast and easy way? How does 5 cents per gallon when you fill up sound? How about 25 cents per gallon?!
With Shell and the Fuel Rewards® program, you instantly save 5 cents per gallon on every fill every day for your first 6 months.
I realize that won’t make you rich, but any little savings count. Plus, it’s an easy way to save money on something that you buy every week. You may as well put that extra money back in your pocket!
If you’re anything like me, then 5 cents a gallon is something that you would not want to waste. It’s so easy too – I consider it a no-brainer.
PLUS, if you sign up by May 27, 2018, you’ll save an extra 25 cents per gallon on your second fill, as a Gold Status Fuel Rewards member.
That wasn’t autocorrect: you really save 25 cents a gallon!
And, all you need to do is sign up to receive your free Fuel Rewards card. Next time you’re at a Shell gas station, use your Fuel Rewards card at the pump or inside the store to earn more savings. It’s that simple!
Another great benefit is that you don’t have to save up points to use later, unlike other rewards programs. You can see savings right then and there at the gas pump.
Sign up here: https://www.fuelrewards.com/fuelrewards/welcome.html?RefId=16bcf69021bd4ec28f0d2b5ff2466bec
Ride your bike more often.
If you have errands to complete, then ride your bike. It’s a great way to save money, as you don’t need to worry about fueling up. And you can take advantage of the pretty spring and summer months by getting in a good workout. Enjoy the weather while completing an errand all at the same time.
Remember to bring a bike lock with you so that your bike is safe! Also, wear a helmet and use any other safety precautions that you deem necessary.
We try to ride our bikes as often as possible. We even have bike racks and nice little bags that fit right over them for when we bring groceries and stuff home. There are tons of benefits to simply riding our bikes when completing our errands. It’s a great way to stay in shape, save on fuel money and have a smaller impact on the environment. We think of that as a win-win.
Drive a fuel-efficient vehicle.
The fuel efficiency of your vehicle goes a long way. Our RV only gets around 6-7 miles per gallon, and our Jeep isn’t much better at 13-15 mpg. Saving a good chunk of change when driving depends on the fuel efficiency of your vehicle. If you’re thinking of buying a new vehicle, then this should be your top priority.
Due to how fuel inefficient our vehicle is, we tend to drive less to minimize our impact. However, that’s not always possible. It’s usually much better just to get something that is more fuel efficient from the get-go.
Just think about how much money you could save if you chose a vehicle that could get 10-20 miles per gallon of fuel further!
Thankfully, we do tow our Jeep behind our RV instead of driving both at the same time, which is helpful in saving on fuel. In the end though, I would like to one day have a more fuel-efficient vehicle so that we aren’t spending thousands of dollars on fuel each year.
What are you doing to save money on fuel? Have you signed up for the Fuel Rewards® program yet?
Terri says
I was just telling my husband that we need to do a better of job of tracking how much money we spend on gas per month. Our car only gets 17 miles per gallon! Not fuel efficient at all! Combining trips has been my saving grace. I keep a dry erase board on my refrigerator and jot down the things I need as they come up. Once i get to atleast 5-7 items I allow myself to go to the store to get what I need. It definitely helps save money on gas. We’re also thinking of making the sacrifice on being a one car family and selling our other car. But that’s a whole different story.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
Yes, it definitely helps to save on gas!
Troy Bombardia @ Bull Markets says
I have a question. Do you drive your Jeep and RV everywhere you go? As in either you or your husband drives one vehicle, and the other person drives the other?
Just asking because I’d imagine driving an RV through a city to be quite difficult.
Michelle Schroeder-Gardner says
We tow the Jeep behind the RV. After we park the RV then we use the Jeep as our transportation. Does that make sense?
SG says
For me, I am transport a foldable bike in my car boot, every morning I would drive my car to work, for short distance errands I would be using the foldable bike instead of the car.
Krish says
Nice post and useful to save money on fuel.
Addy Brown says
Although gas prices have largely stabilized in recent years, you might still notice a lot of price variability. Drivers often think finding the cheapest price around is the key to savings.
Mrs. Kiwi says
We’ve been working to bike more places, and last week we even biked to the car parts store to get all the supplies to change the oil on one of our cars. It felt like a FIRE win.
Sophie Kim says
My family spends a lot of money on gas on daily basis. It’d be nice if we too start saving money on it too.
Gene Szaj says
Other money-saving ideas:
1.) Always drive downhill (wouldn’t that be nice!)
2.) Become a member of Good Sam Club and sign-up for the Pilot Rewards Program – saves you two or three cents per gallon every time – no limits
3.) Drive a steady 60 mph instead of 70+ – significant difference in mpg
4.) Make sure you use a credit card that gives you “cash back”. In my case, using a Sam’s Club credit card for just about everything (and paying it off each and every month) resulted in my getting a statement credit for $632. That buys a lot of gas!
5.) Make sure your vehicle tires are pressurized up to specs. Too low – that will hurt gas mileage over time.
6.) It’s usually best to keep all your vehicle windows closed – with the A/C running as necessary. Many tests have been done on this.
Hope these help!
Holly says
I actually combined errands today. I made about 10 stops and it took less than 3 hours. I went alone because if I had my daughter with me that time could EASILY double. Maybe I should do this more often!