Every penny counts when filling the tank is breaking the bank

 You may have noticed a few bigger numbers at your favorite fueling station this week. As is customary this time of year, gasoline and road-fuel prices are on the upswing as the summer driving season begins in earnest on Memorial Day weekend.

So, while you’re heading down to the beach or up to the mountains, you can expect to pay around $3 per gallon for regular unleaded fuel in this area, and significantly more elsewhere, like in Pennsylvania, where they charge more and make you pump it yourself. Relative to many other spots in the United States, we’ve got a great deal going here in South Jersey. I’m sure it will be stolen from us shortly, joining our late, lamented reasonable sales tax in Drumthwacket.

Diesel fuel consumers like me are no exception. I took a short road trip on Sunday, loading up the economical Granesemobile for $2.69 per gallon. No sooner had I entered the Keystone State than I spotted the same fuel going for a neck-snapping $3.39 per gallon. A few pennies is one thing. That $.70 per gallon difference represented a $14 delta in the price of a fill-up.

Good deal or not, nobody wants to blow the egg money on a tank of fuel. There are better places to do it. So, with a little virtual legwork, I have decided to revisit a couple of fuel-related websites that can help you pay less at the pump and use less fuel during your summer travels.

www.newjerseygasprices.com

It seems like old times. Actually, it was two years ago, almost to the day, that we first talked about the Gas Buddy websites and visited our local version. We took a look at a couple of prices in and around the area, and found that we were not badly represented in the overall scheme of things.

The same holds true today, as luck would have it. On the day that I wrote this column, the least expensive unleaded regular gasoline reported in New Jersey was selling for $2.77 per gallon in Bayville. Down here in Absecon, you could tank up at a respectable $2.81 per gallon with full service.

The highest price comparison reflected well on the area, too. The most expensive gallon of gas in the state was retailing for a reported $3.49 per gallon in Summit. Down here, you would have to travel to Avalon to hit the charts at $3.09 per gallon. Keep in mind that this information is provided by motorists who have joined the site and help keep things current.

If you are planning a trip or just running errands, it only takes a minute to check the site before leaving. That way, when you need fuel, you have a good idea where to find it for a good price. I love a bargain, and I hate to pay too much for fuel, so, for me, www.newjerseygasprices.com has more than earned five gallons of spider supreme.

www.thefrugallife.com/gasolinesave.html  

There are plenty of websites out there that are ready and willing to tell you how to save gasoline. The trouble is they all have the same 10 tips that everyone knows. A savvy lot, much of the driving public is well aware that it is important to keep the tires properly inflated, and they can figure out that a car uses less fuel at 55 than it does at 70.

The gas-saving section on the Frugal Life website goes into a bit more detail. Charlotte Gorman, an academic affiliated with Texas A&M University System and noted expert on saving money, has gone the extra distance, on foot, no doubt, to provide 35 useful tips to help you save fuel now and forever.

First of all, if you have been toting around a couple of sandbags in the trunk for added winter traction, you may want to put them into the garage for the next couple of months. The same logic can make you feel better about that anemic compact spare tire. The less weight your engine has to pull, the less fuel it will use.

Gorman notes that savings from patronizing stations that offer a discount for paying cash can add up over time, and even suggests asking your favorite station if they will give you a similar deal. She promotes the virtues of keeping your car filters clean and keeping the engine in good tune. All of these will help save fuel today and continue to do so as long as you keep up with the maintenance.

The Frugal Life website is packed with good information, even if some of the hints seem a little odd. I have already incorporated a couple of Gorman’s ideas into my own fuel strategies just because they made such good sense. For giving the driving public a few tools to help save fuel and money, www.thefrugallife.com grabs a substantial discount on five penny-pinching spiders.

www.dailyfueleconomytip.com/?p=70

You can get some good information at the Daily Fuel Economy Tip website, and you can get a few laughs, too. Suggestions put up for discussion include having the government slow economic growth so that fewer people can afford to buy gasoline and raising the driving age from 18 to 21 across the country.

The website advises drivers to avoid all those additives and gadgets that promise to improve fuel economy by 20 percent. Before you talk yourself into spending $29.95 for a couple of magnets to attach to your fuel line or dump a can of snake oil into the tank, take a moment to read that page.

Additives are the first thing to hit the road. The author emphatically asserts that there are enough detergents in modern gasoline to keep your fuel line as clean as a whistle. Additionally, he goes off on conspiracy theorists, cites a well-documented test that discredits most fuel-saving scams, and sensibly mentions that the best way to save fuel is to change driving habits.

Most of us have fallen for at least one of these pitches in our driving careers. I was especially fond of fuel additives for years. Thanks to modern testing techniques, now we can put our money in the fuel tank, where it does the most good. For providing a much-needed chuckle and presenting a bit of useful information, www.dailyfueleconomytip.com picks up four conspiratorial spiders.

High fuel prices will be with us for a while, but, hopefully, not forever. Until things get back to normal, keep the tires inflated, avoid jackrabbit starts, and try to do multiple errands in one trip. If you have any fuel economy secrets to share, you can always reach me by e-mail to granese@juno.com.