How To Save Gas When Stocking Up On Back To School Needs
Every August the back to school ritual begins. Making lists running to the bookstore, then going to the office supply store or Wal-Mart, back to the store for what you forgot, and then back to the bookstore for the book that was out of stock the first time you were there.
As if the cost of school supplies and new clothes weren’t enough now the additional cost of gasoline has to be factored in. With the cost of gas at current prices, it becomes an additional extra cost of the back to school routine. What can you do to ease the burden.
There are some basic strategies you can put into practice that will help you control your gas cost through out this end of summer ritual. You can take command of the situation by doing the right things. Remember, you are the best gas saving device!
The first thing you need to do is organize your buying trips. The more times you drive to the store the more gas you will use. The trick is to minimize your trips. Organize where you need to go and route yourself so that you only go to each store once. Try and organize your trips to the stores so that you can get to many stores in one area with a minimum of driving. If a number of stores are located at one shopping center, then plan on visiting all of those stores on one trip.
Speaking of parking, you can save gas by parking intelligently. Studies have shown that the farther you park from the door to your destination the less fuel you will use. If you pull into the parking lot and park farther away, chances are you will immediately find a spot, be able to park quickly and even get to the store faster by walking a little farther than if you tried to park closer.
When you try to park as close as you can, you usually have to drive around the parking lot for a while looking for a close spot to park, and of course the more you drive around the more gas you use. If it is a really crowded lot, you most likely will have to wait for someone to come to their car and vacate a parking spot. In this instance you are really burning a lot of gas, idling and waiting in the lot. Whenever you are idling you are getting zero miles per gallon.
Not only are you burning more fuel, it takes you longer to get into the store when you are waiting to find a parking spot. By parking farther away not only do you save gas but you save time too.
One of the best ways to save fuel buying back to school needs is to eliminate most of the driving all together. Purchase most of your needs online. Use Amazon or Barnes and Noble online to shop for books. Shop online for clothes, shoes and other articles. Go to the online sites for office supplies to get pens, paper and notebooks etc. The more you buy online, the less you will have to drive and the more gas you will save. You will also save on the products you buy online so you may see a double savings.
By using simple strategies that minimize your gas use, you can control your gas costs even during the mad rush of back to school shopping.
