Here's my secret tips on how to save money at the pump.  Gas is expensive today, so everyone wants to save a few bucks.  My advice is gained from 30+ years of driving, and 10 years of employment in the field of transportation planning.  Plus, did I tell you I'm almost always broke?  That's incentive enough to develop a strategy.

First of all, let's be realistic.  These secret tips won't create an overnight miracle in your life.  However, you might save from 10% to 20% off your transporation costs by following my advice.  Maybe more, maybe less.  Whatever you save, it will add up over time.  You do plan on living a long time, don't you?  Here's my favorite ways to save money at the pump:

1. Shop around for gas; don't limit yourself to the most convenient gas station.  Where I live, gas prices range from 20- to 30-cents per gallon from station to station, often within the same town.  If you keep track of the cheapest stations, you'll see significant and immediate savings on your gas bill.
2. Squeeze the last drop out of each fill-up.  After your fuel tank is full, turn off the pump.  Then, with the nozzle still in the fuel tank, lift the nozzle hose above the nozzle.  This will allow the remaining dribble of gas to come out of the hose into your tank.  It's not much, but this extra nip helps.
3. Carpool whenever possible.  This is one of the quickest ways to lower expenses, especially when commuting to work.  Many cities offer special services to help match people with appropriate carpools.  The bottom line is a 50% reduction in many transporation costs.  You can either alternate driving with carpoolers, thus reducing wear and tear on your personal vehicle, or your can request reimbursement for expenses from carpoolers who ride with you.
4. Keep your car as light as possible, since weight costs fuel.  If you don't need it, don't leave it in your car.  Empty out trunks, back seats, even glove boxes of excess junk.  Also, consider driving around locally with only a partially full tank of gas.  A gallon of gas weighs about seven pounds.  If you don't need a full tank of gas, don't fill it all the way.  Otherwise, you'll use up gas just hauling your extra gas around.
5. Maintain proper tire inflation, and you'll increase fuel efficiency.  When tires are underinflated, they create excess drag which burns up more gas.  Improper tire pressure also wears out tires faster, which is another transportation expense.  A tire pressure guage might be the best investment you make with your car.
6. Avoid rapid starts and stops.  Stomping on the accelerator wastes gas, while stomping on the brakes wastes momentum.  Strive for steady accelerations and decelerations.  Do what you must for safety, but don't use a lead foot just to save a few minutes of time.
7. Drive with the windows rolled up.  It makes a car more aerodynamic, which helps to increase fuel efficiency.
8. Avoid antenna balls or flags or anything which creates drag on your car.  If you want to save money, you probably shouldn't use your car as advertising.
9. Use maps whenever going to unknown locations.  Getting lost not only creates frustration, but also burns up expensive fuel.  Don't be shy about calling locations for directions.  Do your leg work with a phone and a map, rather than using a one ton car.
10. Multi-task on your vehicle trips, to accomplish as much as possible.  When a car is cold, is gets poor gas mileage.  Once your car is warmed up, it gets better gas mileage.  When you have to do errands, do several at once on a single vehicle trip.  You'll burn up more gas if you take your trips separately over several days.
11. Utilize transporation alternatives whenever possible, like walking, bicycling, bus, vanpool or train.  For some circumstances, it's cheaper to not take your own car.  To expand your options, consider multi-modal transportation connections, like busses and trolleys which accept bicycles.  Some people ride their bikes to busses, then put the bike on the bus, to give them more transportation flexibility.
12. Consider an alternative work schedule if your job permits, which reduces your number of commuting days.  For example, some people work four ten-hour days for a forty hour week, the 4/40 schedule.  Others do a 9/80 schedule, which means reporting to work nine days over a two week period instead of ten days.  Studies have shown that these schedules actually improve productivity, so more and more employers are offering it.
13. Try telecommuting to work if your job permits.  In other words, stay home some days and stay connected to work via phone and computer.  Certain jobs are flexible enough to be accomplished from any location.

Well, that's it for my secrets.  You didn't think this was going to be easy did you?  Well, maybe a few things are easy, but the rest takes some effort.  If you want to save money, you can do it!  This is just a few of your options.  Let me know if you have any more good ideas, and I'll keep this Guide updated.

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