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Home > Smart Spending > Archives > 2008 > September
September 2008
How To Fool The Fueling-Up System
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Remember when we used to gripe about gas prices? Lately, the only numbers we’ve noticed at the pump are the ones rolling up gallon after gallon as they replenish our tank. North of four bucks per? Who cares?
When (if?) normalcy returns, we’ll start paying attention again to those digits after the dollar sign. I stumbled across some tips on how to buy smartly, many of which are old hat to me. A few fresh ones are shared here:
*Wednesday mornings is the optimum time to fill ‘er up. Prices tend to rise as the weekend approaches, then settle down by mid-week.
*Stations adjust their prices in the morning, often around 10 o’clock.
*Some stations jack up their prices more steeply than others. Scout out the ones whose bumps are least painful.
*Stations at exit ramps off highways often charge more than the norm because they can lure long-distance travelers.
Now, one continuous theme you’ll find in this blog is how to make frugality fun. I like to monitor price per gallon at stations in my ‘hood or along my normal routes. Rather than cast my loyalty with one, I turn into the lowest-priced place.
I also track the wildly shifting price of a barrel of oil on the open market. If it’s dipped significantly, I will patiently wait to fill my tank because the retail cost of fuel will trend downward. Should it escalate, I’ll either put in the max pronto or, if I feel like gambling, quench my tank’s thirst only when necessary with a sip here and there until it declines again.
Besides saving pocket change, the strategy also provides the satisfaction that you are beating the system. And, leaves you enough left over to buy a Big Gulp.
Do you have any suggestions for getting the best bang out of your oil buck? What is your threshold on the price of a gallon? At what figure do you say, “This is too much?” And, have you dropped from, say, mid-grade to regular, like I have for my Audi? Any problems result?
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About The Blogger
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The world’s second wealthiest man calls home a place he bought for $32,000, drove a Volkswagen Beetle for years and regards fine dining as a cheeseburger washed down with Cherry Cokes. I wanna be like Warren Buffett, sort of. I own an Audi and occasionally splurge on a scrumptious meal. Those are exceptions to the rule. For the most part, I strive to live frugally. To me, saving money is fun, which allows for the occasional spending binge and provides a warm blanket of financial security.
My overall devotion to chintziness has enabled me to put two kids through school, with a third entering the pipeline, and avoid (for the time being, anyway) a full-time job. I still enjoy the good things in life — bet you haven’t attended 51 Springsteen concerts in 10 states — but am perfectly content to remain in the same modest house for 22 years and don clothes that lag a few years behind the current fashions.
Buffett is my man, even if I’ve sworn off burgers. (Cherry Cokes, too, though they tantalize my taste buds.) If cheapskatin’ works for a super-rich dude, then why shouldn’t it wear well on the rest of us?
No, not like a cheap suit.
