Have you noticed the recent increase in gasoline prices? It’s outrageous! More than $.42 cents higher than this time last year! There are plenty of ways to save money on gas, like stop driving but there are easy ways to save money if you do a little planning. I plan to save at least $44 in gasoline in March. Want to know how? Read on!
1. Use Grocery Store and Gas Discount Programs
I saved $571.25 last year by using Giant Eagle’s Fuel Perks. A lot of grocery stores offers similar programs like Acme, Kroger, PriceChopper, ShopandStop, etc. For the month of March, I will easily spend $500 in groceries for my family of 4, giving me $1 off per gallon of gas, which equals $30 for 30 gallons. Plus, Giant Eagle offers additional 10 cents and sometimes 20 cents off when you purchase particular items. I normally do this too and stock up on those items. I’ll easily get another $6 or more off gas in March. This is a total of $36 just for doing my grocery shopping!
2. Fuel up at the warehouse
I’m a member of Sam’s Club and find their gasoline prices always better than other gas stations. Sometimes 10 cents a gallon cheaper! That will save me at least $3-6 in the month of March by fueling up at Sam’s Club. Other clubs like Costco and BJ’s Wholesale Club have discounted gas too. Sometimes, you can use an affiliated credit card to get a double-dip discount like Costco-branded TrueEarnings American Express card gives customers3% cash back on up to $3,000 in gas per year.
3. Find a gas reward credit card
I get rewards back on everything I purchase with my credit card. In fact, I just deposited a $250 check today from my Mastercard. By using my rewards credit card at the pump, I’ll get about $3 back in the month of March. Chase Freedom Visa, which offers 5 percent back on gasoline purchases.
4. Use your smartphone or internet
If you do a little searching before you go out or use your smartphone, you can save money by going to the lowest price gas station on your trip. If you are like me, you know the spots that typically offer the lower prices but you can’t always count on it and when you are traveling outside your circle, you never know where the best price will be. Check out GasBuddy.com, it will tell you the gas prices all around your location. My mom and brother have been using this site for years. I’ve gotta try it, I know I’d save money with it for sure – maybe even in the month of March!
5. Stock up on discount gift cards
You can save money on all kinds of things when you buy discounted gift cards. It takes a little planning but worth it. GiftCardGranny.com offers gift cards at less than card value. You can get gas station gift cards for Sunoco, Chevron, Shell, Exxon, and more. When I am not shopping near a Sam’s Club, my gas station of choice is Sunoco! It is the brand I grew up on, where my dad always chose. Right now, you can get a $100 Sunoco gift card for $99, that’s $1 off. So, I’ll save $1-2 this month, just by purchasing a gift card. Sometimes they run deals too, offering up to 8% off gift card face value!
6. Travel with cash
I never travel with cash, however it is a good idea because some gas station will give cash-paying customers a discount.
I received the basis of this post from Andrea Woroch, a consumer and money-saving expert for Kinoli Inc. For more savings tips visit AndreaWoroch.com.
So, saving $44 in gasoline for a month is pretty easy. I’m sure if I implemented all of the above ways to save money at the pump, I could save more.
How do you save money on gasoline?
