We are all familiar with the concept of miles per gallon, quite simply this is how far your vehicle will travel on a gallon of gas. If your vehicle travels further on a gallon of gas it costs you less money.

I would also like you to consider another point of view when thinking about MPG and that is the COST of MPG. This is what you spend to travel X number of miles.

This guide has been written to help you save money at the gas pump by increasing your MPG and lowering your Cost of MPG. Oh yeah, the better your mpg the less impact you're having on planet earth!

The focus of this article is miles per gallon or MPG.

1. Check Your Tire Pressure. You can lose 10 psi in your tires in cold weather. Higher pressure means less rolling resistance which adds up to better MPG

2. Turn Off Your Engine. The if you're going to be idling for more than Thirty seconds you'll save gas by shutting off your engine.

Myth: You need to idle an engine for several minutes to warm it up in cold weather. In cold weather it takes no more than 30 seconds to circulate oil through the engine and the only way to warm up lubricants in other moving parts is to drive the vehicle.

3. Check Your "Check Engine Light." Check engine lights stay on when your engine, transmission or emission controls are not operating correctly. Problems in these systems can lead to poor gas mileage and higher exhaust emissions.

4. Do Not Buy Premium Gasoline unless specified by the manufacturer of your vehicle. Premium fuel is not a better or more powerful level of gasoline. It simply has more resistance to pinging or pre-ignition. Some drivers say that they buy Premium fuel once in a while because they heard it's good for their car. Not only is this not good for your car it is a waste of money. Check your owners manual for the required octane rating of your vehicle and stick with that.

5. Be Aware Of The Cost Of Gasoline. Note if it is cheaper at home or at your commuting destination. The cost of gasoline at Warehouse shopping clubs is always competitive and appears to increase later than local market spikes. The best deals on gasoline can be researched on the Internet:

6. Use A Credit Or Gas Card that gives you rebates on your purchases, if you drive a lot this could really add up at the end of the year.

7. Driving The Egg. Drive your vehicle as if you had an egg between your foot and the gas pedal. Gentle acceleration, smarter timing with traffic and lights, logically planning trips to avoid traffic and construction all lead to better mpg.

8. Don't Drive. Sounds basic but think about the ways you can live your life with less driving. Car pooling to work is a time proven method for saving fuel, now consider car pooling to dinner, golf, skiing, shopping and everywhere else you currently drive. Walk more. Plan your errands and ask yourself "Do I REALLY need to go there today?" Try the bus!

9. De-winterize Your Vehicle This Spring. Remove snow tires, bags of sand in the trunk, ski rack on roof.

10 Short Trips can be especially hard on your pocketbook. Trips of less than five miles generally do not allow your engine to reach its peak operating temperature, especially in cold weather. That means fuel consumption and exhaust emissions will be significantly higher when covering the same distance with a warm engine. In other words, avoid short trips whenever possible.

11. Don't Waste Your Money On Fuel Saving Gadgets. Gas saving gimmicks such as magnets, clothes pins and air flow twisters do not work.  There may be an increase in mpg after installing some of these gadgets because the driver wants it to work! They drove differently, they became aware. See "Driving the Egg" above. Note: Many alleged gas saving additives and devices are sold with the message "registered or approved with the EPA." This only means that the EPA has accepted paperwork filed by the mfg and has decided that the additive/gimmick was no more harmful to the environment than gasoline.

12. Hybrid Vehicles. Great concept, most odrivers love them-some report less than expected mpg though. You should conduct extensive research online before making your purchase.

• 62 Ways To Beat The Gas Pump! Download the zip file.
  
• How to Make Your Car Go Further with Less Gas! Download the zip file.