Kim McFarland doesn't travel nearly as much as she used to.

"We used to just go up to North Georgia and drive around, just to relax," the 36-year-old Cumming resident said in a recent interview with her boyfriend, Tom Vizzini, 49. "But with the price of gas, it's just not worth it."

Chandler Brown/cmbrown@ajc.com (ENLARGE)

To save money, Tom Vizzini and Kim McFarland of Cumming have parked their RV and limit trips in their other vehicles.

To save money, their 34-foot RV sits idle in front of McFarland's wood frame house near Lake Lanier. McFarland and Vizzini work from home, so their cars — his a '99 Jeep CJ, hers a '95 Mustang convertible — go largely unused.

"I consolidate trips. I don't just run to Publix anymore. I wait until I need to go to the grocery store, the dry cleaners and Ace Hardware all in one trip," McFarland said. "It's just two miles, but that's a dollar round-trip."

Vizzini, who lives on the lake, installed a battery on his boat to run the refrigerator and plans to do the same on the RV.

"Until [gas] prices fall, we're doing what we can to conserve and save money," he said.

31 ways to save

• Want to save on food? Ask your neighbors 
• Frequent diner saves with coupons by e-mail 
• Shopper works grocery sales 
• Teenage flash for less 
• Fun, cheap getaway as close as a state park or two 
• Borrowing from library cuts costs for avid readers 
• Gamble pays off in lower expenses 
• Exerciser not waiting for DVD to come out 
• Coupons bite into cost of dining out 
• Find it for a fraction of the original price 
• Purge baby items at consignment shops 
• Brazil beckons for savings-smart traveler 
• Old sol  and 'common sense'  cut electric bill 
• Cost-cutting is par for the course 
• Rack up with sales, off-season garments 
• Shopper charts the best prices 
• Public swimming pool refreshing, affordable 
• More-efficient ride picks up cash flow 
• Clean Air deal sweetens switch to a car pool plan 
• Personal trainer trims costs and fees 
• Mom shops early for school needs 
• 'Kids eat free' nights stretch family's budget 
• RVers cut back, consolidate trips 
• Teacher Web sites offer ideas, freebies 
• Mom 'not too proud' to snag a bargain 
• Cheese plates, movies fit budget 
• Take a walk to library; watch a movie for free 
• Volunteer shows way to free theater seats 
• Catch Braves in action for mere peanuts 
• Portrait of thriftiness in designer-wear garb 
• Businessman finds cheap gas via phone 
• Shopper takes bite out of grocery bill 
• Have your own way to save? Please share it with us
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