Like most people, I have become very concerned about the cost to fill up my gas tank, especially with all the driving I do as a REALTOR.  So a couple of months ago I decided to see how I could cut my driving expenses without cutting back on driving.

 

The first thing I tried was comparing brand name gas, like Valero or Shell, to more generic gas like what you get at the grocery store station.  At first it seemed like the brand name gas was getting me better mileage.  But as I continued studying this, what it really came down to was driving habits, not the gas.

 

I have never been a lead-foot, but I did like to drive the speed limit or a bit over.  So my new experiment was cutting my top speed down.  Driving 620 west of Austin the speed limit is either 60 or 50 depending on where you are.  I decided to drive 50 regardless of the speed limit unless I was hindering traffic.  I did the same thing on Highway 71, driving 55 instead of 65.  Even with the normal amount of in town driving, these little reductions in speed consistently improved my gas mileage.

 

I drive a Ford Escape and prior to my little experiment had been getting around 18 mpg.  After slowing down, I was consistently getting 21 mpg or better if I did a lot of highway driving.  My cost per mile at $4/gallon went from a little over 22 cents per mile to 19 cents per mile.  I drive around 20,000 miles per year.  If the price of gas holds steady, which is unlikely, I will save over $630 per year by slowing down. 

 

It may sound like much, but it will come to over $50 per month.  Think about what you can do with an extra 50 bucks a month and go ahead, I dare you – slow down!