15 Ways to Deal with High Gas Prices

The price of gas is already high and it's probably just going to keep climbing with time. If you don't want to keep contributing to the problem (and having your savings eaten away in the process) then you should start thinking now about making some serious life changes that will reduce the amount of money that you spend on fueling up your car. The major key is to reduce the amount of gas that you are using by opting for alternatives to driving. However, you can also choose smarter cars and smarter fuel sources to increase the amount of driving time you get from your gas tank.

Here are fifteen basic ways to lower the monthly amount that you're spending on gas:

1. Get a bike and use it at least five days a week.

2. Get a gas rewards card. These credit cards give you up to 6% cash back on your gas purchases if you use them in a smart way.

3. Invest in a car with better gas mileage.

4. Walk to any destinations that are less than one mile away.

5. Combine all of your errands into one trip (daily if need be but weekly is better). Map out the trip to make sure you do as little driving as possible.

6. Take the bus. That means the city bus in your town and it also means the Greyhound when traveling.

7. Learn about alternative fuels. You can run a car on cooking oil.

8. Cap yourself. Decide that you're only going to spend $X on gas each month. You'll find creative ways to use less gas if you think that you have to.

9. Carpool everywhere that you can. There shouldn't be an empty seat in the car. Offer to drive others and make them pitch in for gas when you do.

10. Move to a city where you don't need a car. In San Francisco, you never need to buy gas.

11. Go down to one car in your household and split the cost of gas.

12. Be nice to your car. Cars get better gas mileage when they're in good condition.

13. Do one no-car day per week. Stay home, walk, take public transportation or whatever you need to do.

14. Use online services that will seek out the cheapest gas for you by zip code.

15. Get political. Stay aware of the global issues that are driving up gas prices and vote accordingly to stop the problem.

You don't have to spend as much money as you're spending on gas right now. You can cut a few corners here and there. You can spend a chunk of change to move to a car-free city or buy a car with better gas mileage to save costs over time. And you can take advantage of gas rewards to get some of your gas money back. Start doing these things now so that you can get in good habits before the price of fuel really gets out of control!