How can I save on gas?

May 29, 2008 4:18 PM

How can I save on gas? I am a very social person. I like to visit with friends and family, but with the price of gas / fuel, it's becoming very difficult. I spend time on the phone, but it's not the same as visiting face to face : ) Any suggestions are welcome.
posted by VictoriaSavi to Travel & Transportation (17 answers total)

Public transport.
posted by fire&wings at 4:25 PM on May 29, 2008

Exactly how close are you to them? The first thing that comes to mind is walking or biking but that may not be plausible for certain distances. Maybe meeting them somewhere inbetween for lunch or shopping so that you can essentially split the transportation costs with them? Inviting them over to your place for games/movies/dinner/etc. so that you can trade their transportation cost with your entertainment cost?
posted by woolylambkin at 4:27 PM on May 29, 2008

Welcome to Peak Oil! If peak oil really is here, everything we used to enjoy doing is going to be more expensive from here on out.

I suggest: hike or bike to close friends. Meet half way for friends you can't reach by bike or take the bus/ subway to meet them. Skype video chat for far friends.
posted by sharkfu at 4:36 PM on May 29, 2008 [1 favorite]

Trade in your car for a fuel efficient vehicle. I have a Toyota Echo, and they're fairly cheap, and get 18+ kmpl (about 40mpg??) in the 2002 model. I'm sure there's other economy cars with good mileage.

Also, pay attention to the WTI spot price of crude. Retail gasoline tends to reflect the price changes with a day or two lag. I expect to see some stations offering $1.24 tomorrow (1.29+ the last few days). You won't gain a lot, but you'll miss the occaisions where you don't buy, and the next day gas is up.
posted by nobeagle at 4:38 PM on May 29, 2008

Response by poster: I like to bike, but I want to meet with people who are spread over California.
posted by VictoriaSavi at 4:41 PM on May 29, 2008

Two things spring to mind.

Biking, as mentioned by others.

Video calls, either on a 3g mobile or using a computer and a webcam.
posted by krisjohn at 4:42 PM on May 29, 2008

Do your friends know each other? Could you carpool to visit with them? Then you could split the cost of the gas.
posted by martinX's bellbottoms at 4:54 PM on May 29, 2008

Sometimes visits can be streamlined. Suppose your friend Sue, your parents, and a mall are all in the same town 30 miles away. Go shopping at the mall, then have dinner with your parents, sleep over, have brunch with Sue, drive home.

Another form of streamlining would be to have and go to more parties but fewer one-on-one outings, so as to see more friends at once for each driving trip.
posted by xo at 4:57 PM on May 29, 2008

Have a group meet in a central location?
Skype?
posted by the littlest brussels sprout at 5:06 PM on May 29, 2008

Get a diesel car, convert with something like the greasecar kit, collect used vegetable oil from restaurants and filter it (or find somebody else who does) and you could drive for $1 a gallon or less.
posted by tonci at 5:08 PM on May 29, 2008

This may sound crazy, but you could see if you can remove some of the weight in your car. I have a friend who took out the back seats of his VW Jetta, and apparently noticed an increase in gas mileage. Also, there is no shortage of gas mileage improvement tips online. For example, drive conservatively, make sure your tires are properly inflated, combine your day-to-day errands, and if you really have a gas guzzler just consider getting a better vehicle for the way you use your vehicle.

Also, you can look elsewhere to save money. Not a great answer, I guess, but if being able to drive has something to do with your happiness, try to make up the difference elsewhere where it won't hurt as much. Like, when you meet with your friends, have dinner at their house instead of going out to eat. You may already be doing this, but it seems worth mentioning.
posted by belau at 6:13 PM on May 29, 2008 [1 favorite]

Check to see if any of the colleges in your area have a rideshare board. There are also rideshare websites, but I don't know anything about them, and therefore can't recommend one over the other.
posted by freshwater_pr0n at 6:50 PM on May 29, 2008

drive the speed limit. really.
posted by nadawi at 7:51 PM on May 29, 2008 [1 favorite]

There are some good deals on plane and rail tickets right now that it sometimes makes it cheaper to travel that way instead of by car. Some friends of mine just flew RT to Chicago for $99 each. You could always watch for deals on tickets and then rent or borrow a car or take public transportation once you arrive.
posted by pluckysparrow at 8:23 PM on May 29, 2008

I was really surprised by how much gas I started saving when I started driving the speed limit. Like, you know those silly 55 mph signs on highways that everyone goes 70 on? I now just get in the right lane with the trucks and go 55. And the gas gauge just seems to sit in the same place for days. It's amazing. Of course, I also drive an Accord. I also use a gas price tracker to find the cheapest when it's time to fill up.
posted by frobozz at 9:42 PM on May 29, 2008

Motorcycles get much better gas mileage than cars (sounds like 2-3x according to people here -- 50+mpg). You're in California, the summer is here: what better time to ride?
posted by philomathoholic at 1:23 AM on May 30, 2008

Get a costco membership. I typically pay 10-20 cents less per gallon than most of the other stations in the area.

Nthing driving the speed limit.
posted by phredgreen at 2:55 AM on May 30, 2008