5 Easy Ways Montanan's Can Save On Gas. Are You Already Doing It?

We have heard about gas prices, we have experienced the hike in prices, and we are all suffering a bit. Like my coworker said the other day, "there could be a solution".

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Until there is some sort of valid solution, there are other things you can do to save a little at a time, at least help you get the best gas mileage possible for your vehicle. Let's face it, there are a lot of people in the state, that do not have the most "gas friendly" forms of transportation.

1. Clean it up. This may sound weird, but all that extra crap and clutter you have in your car/truck will actually worsen your gas mileage. So if you are driving around with extra tools, bike racks, cargo boxes, whatever it may be, don't. Unless you are using them obviously. The lighter the better and the less things to resist wind, the better.

Photo by SaiKrishna Saketh Yellapragada on Unsplash

2. Check your tire pressure. That little light that has been on for a while...you know the one I am talking about that you have be avoiding, give it some love. Having the right tire pressure will help you, because when you don't, fuel consumption can increase by 2-3%.

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

3. Regular maintenance. Quit putting off that oil change you have been procrastinating. Have them check your filters and plugs. Clean parts will always help with the overall longevity of your vehicle and help with getting you more miles out of your tank.

4. Don't idle too much. It actually takes more gas idling than it does to start and stop your vehicle. Hence the reason for the "start-stop" feature on many vehicles now.

Photo by CHUTTERSNAP on Unsplash

5. Quit break checking (plus it's annoying) and keep in mind that when a light turns red, you are not a race car driver. All of these sudden, and slightly agitating things, will eat at your gas tank. Keep a consistent speed, use cruise control when you can, after about 50 mph your vehicle starts to lose its fuel efficiency.

These are just some easy tips for you to use while we see this crazy soar in gas prices. Every penny saved counts right? If it didn't before, it does now.

LOOK: See how much gasoline cost the year you started driving

To find out more about how has the price of gas changed throughout the years, Stacker ran the numbers on the cost of a gallon of gasoline for each of the last 84 years. Using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (released in April 2020), we analyzed the average price for a gallon of unleaded regular gasoline from 1976 to 2020 along with the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for unleaded regular gasoline from 1937 to 1976, including the absolute and inflation-adjusted prices for each year.

Read on to explore the cost of gas over time and rediscover just how much a gallon was when you first started driving.

LOOK: Here are 25 ways you could start saving money today

These money-saving tips—from finding discounts to simple changes to your daily habits—can come in handy whether you have a specific savings goal, want to stash away cash for retirement, or just want to pinch pennies. It’s never too late to be more financially savvy. Read on to learn more about how you can start saving now. [From: 25 ways you could be saving money today]