How We Are Saving on Gas

With gas prices around $4.00 per gallon, I know this is on everyone's mind right now. And, no matter how much I hope, I really don't think we will see low gas prices again. It just seems that when the prices pass another dollar benchmark, they never seem to go back down again. I sure hope things change, but I guess I am a little skeptical about this one.

Well, we have made one drastic change that is saving us money on gas (besides driving less, I mean:-). We are now buying our gas here in Mexico. It is only about $3.00 per gallon (after doing the double conversions which can get a little tricky) even though it isn't the highest quality and you can never be absolutely certain about it. But saving about $35.00 per tank full is worth it for now. We can put an additive in every so often to help with the quality.

Apparently, we are not the only ones doing this. Someone told me the other day that they think the long lines at the border are in part due to folks coming down to fill up their gas tanks. I can't imagine the long wait in line to get back into the U.S. being worth it, but perhaps that is because I have to do it a little too often. It gets really old! Usually, the summer months bring much shorter lines, but we haven't seen that at all this year. And I have noticed that there is hardly ever anyone at the gas stations on the U.S. side of the border. So perhaps they are correct.

Here in Mexico, all the gasoline is owned and sold by the government. They drill for the oil right here in Mexico, refine the oil and sell the gasoline, thus creating a stable gas price. Usually, in the past, it has been higher than in the U.S., but now it is about 25% lower since their prices haven't changed much at all in the last year while it has skyrocketed in the U.S. I just hope that this doesn't cause a gas shortage here in Mexico, though. This has happened a few times since we have lived here where they have run out of gas at the stations and it was over a week before they got any more.

Oh well, for now it is helping us out. We will just have to see what happens. One other thing we have been doing is not exceeding 65 mph on the highway even though the speed limits in AZ and CA go up to 70 and 75mph. So I hope this is helping as well.

What are you doing to save money on gas? I would love to hear your ideas and tips.

For more frugal ideas, check out the Festival of Frugality hosted today by On Financial Success.