Half Full
When noting I had to get some gas today, I mentioned to Melissa that I thought a good way to pass along the message that prices were high was to intentionally buy less per visit. I normally fill up with about 13 gallons, so I cut down to 6 gallons. I don't have tons of commuting to do, so potentially doubling my station visits isn't a huge deal. I only pay at the pump, never going inside. More credit card transactions per unit volume should theoretically cost gas stations something, right?
It seems this isn't an isolated idea; while she was waiting on me Melissa noted several other pumps showing last purchases in the 5-6 gallon range. So who else reading this is rationing their gas purchasing similarly?
Comments
The best thing to do to save gas (when you can't cut down your driving) is watch your acceleration. My car's got a rather powerful engine, so it's difficult to be frugal with the gas pedal, but I've found that I can increase my mileage from 21mpg to 29mpg just be improving my driving habits, and increasing speed slowly.
Posted by: Xerxes Rens | July 12, 2006 10:28 AM
What are you driving these days? I try to be frugal with the gas pedal on my Stratus ES (V6), but with some of the antiquated on-ramps we have around here it's sometimes not possible to gently accelerate onto the highway without risking an accident. However, the majority of my driving is non-highway and I don't have a very long commute. That's probably the main reason that most weeks I could afford to half-fill the tank.
Posted by: aharden | July 17, 2006 12:10 PM
If you really want to screw the gas station with credit card costs, why not make several purchases every stop, say, maybe one per gallon? :)
Posted by: Xerxes Rens | July 17, 2006 2:27 PM
Heh... not really trying to "screw" anybody in the gas distribution chain more than they're screwing us with propped up prices in the midst of windfall profits. A limited-time rise in prices after Katrina might have been understandable had it not been used to push us over the $3/gal psychological price point.
Posted by: aharden | July 17, 2006 3:26 PM
I like to buy my gas from Citgo, and completely boycott Exxon/Mobil. I'm not certain Hugo Chavez is as evil as George Bush tells me he is.
Posted by: Xerxes Rens | July 19, 2006 2:00 PM