5 Gas-Saving myths that i was tricked into believing ;)

I came across these twice in the past few days - once on a pf site which i can't remember for the life of me, and the other in this month's Money Magazine - so I'm taking it as a sign to share :) Some of these i've fell for, and others are brand spankin' new (and interesting) to me.

While i usually don't know what to believe out there, I'm sure these "experts" know what they're talking about. That's actually a pretty cool job if you think about it - going around proving myths aren't true! I wonder how much you get paid for that? They probably just go around asking experts in certain fields for their opinion....that makes more sense, but it's not as fun to think about ;)

Anyways, it's always good to separate a little fact from fiction, so here are the truths behind some of those gas-saving myths:

1. Gas up in the morning
I'll have to admit i've never heard this one before, but it has something to do with fluids being more dense in colder temperatures. So if you fill 'er up early on, you'll get more "gas molecules" for your money. Apparently the temperature of the gasoline straight out of the nozzel doesn't fluctuate much though, so it really doesn't matter. Oh well, it was a good try!

2. Change your air filter
Now THIS one i hear alllll the time! In fact, i heard it 2 weeks ago when changing out my oil at one of those Lube Centers (which i LOVE btw, you're in and out in 15 mins if you can beat the lines, and they check everything!) While changing your filter is good to do every now and then, the myth-busters say it doesn't help on gas. "Modern engines have sensors that adjust the fuel-air mixture as an increasingly clogged filter chokes off the oxygen supply". Huh. Interesting...unless you have an older car eh?

3. Use premium fuel
Same goes with this bad boy, your engine sensors can detect the lower-octane fuel and adjust accordingly. This only applies if the manual says premium gas is "recommended". If it says it's required - then you should DEFINITELY stick to that.

4. Put in an additive
A definite nope on this one unfortunately...and I'll be the first to admit i've tried a number of them out there! The idea of it is just so quick and easy, ya know? Oh well, guess we'll have to kiss those secret sauces away for now...at least it'll save a few bucks not putting it in anymore ;)

5. Avoid the AC
If you're driving in town, then it works! (hooray). BUT, if you're speeding along the highway, you might as well forget it. Keeping the windows down affects your mileage just as much because it causes aerodynamic drag...so you might as well choose your fav. option at that point - either way it just sucks. It also sucks that one of my boys told me this a few years ago and i just laughed it off....oops.

And there you have it, 5 myths all cleared up for ya! While it's no fair there aren't any secrets out there, at least you can concentrate on other ways to save on gas now - driving smoother, no heavy stop and go action, carpooling, riding public transportation, etc.

And who knows, I bet someone's devising a little somethin' somethin' as we speak to help alleviate our gas crisis!

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Holy Cow, these gas prices are no joke!

I know there's been a 345,456,77.15 articles out there on this whole gas fiasco, but it wasn't until last night's fill up that it actually hit me...

These gas prices are ridiculous! I could have bought a used computer instead! (okay, so that's a little exaggeration...but great googly moogly just the same.)

Care to take a guess how much it cost me to fill up my SUV? And keep in mind, I have a Toyota Highlander which is quite respectable in it's class for consumption: $60.56 - for less than 16 gallons!

I know it's not the end of the world, some people are spending over $4.50/gallon. But it's just that i kinda blocked the whole gas thing out, and was doing SO good at not letting it get to me :( Needless to say, selling the car will be back on the consideration list again.

Wanna know the saddest part about this? The other day when i was going through my old planner (from back in the college days) i found a "receipts" pouch and took a stroll back memory lane. I nearly fell over at what i saw: Gas per gallon back then - $1.02.

W-O-W.

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Gas at 33 cents - Can your conscience handle it?

This happened a few months ago, but it popped in my head this morning and I thought you might find it pretty interesting. With gas prices these days, it's no wonder people go rabid with this stuff!

From "Error sparks mad dash over 33-cent gas" on MSNBC.com:

"Dozens of drivers made a mad rush for cheap gas after a station employee accidentally changed the price to 33 cents a gallon. An employee closing Trig's Minocqua Shell for the night meant to drop the price of gas by 1 cent."

Forty-two people bought 586 gallons of gas in an hour and 45 minutes. Talk about some good news traveling fast! As sexy as it sounds, however, would you consider it dishonest? I could see how the first person could have filled up w/out much attention, but when your tank tops out at $5 bucks, you HAVE to know something's up. But do you say something?

The article goes on and talks about how the station owner was pretty upset (rightfully so), and that the customers were dishonest. "They knew there was a problem, and they took advantage of an employee's mistake and I think that's terrible."

I'm no goody-goody, but i have to side w/ him. It's an obvious mistake that not only hurts the station, but could possibly have the employee fired. Some might even consider it a form of theft. In all honesty, I'd tell the station manager. That's not to say that i wouldn't fill up FIRST and THEN tell him, cuz i probably would, but without a doubt i'd bring it up.

I know this because that's exactly what i did a few months ago while down in Richmond. The gas was SUPPOSED to be $2.96, but as i was filling up i noticed that it was actually set at only $2.69! Not as extreme as 33 cents/gallon, but that's still a good $6 saved in the end.

So I filled up the rest of my tank (i knew i would!), and then i walked over and alerted the station manager. Who knows how long it was going on before i got there, but i can tell you one thing - that guy was THANKFUL!

$hit, even the look on his face was worth the honesty :) And you know what? It felt great afterwards. Sure i didn't tell him before i filled up, not that i had known yet, but that's one good deed that prevented a lot of heart ache in the end.

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