Discovering how to live a glorious life on less
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With gas prices on the rise, you may be looking for ways to save on fuel. Discover a few top recommendations we’ve received to help make every dollar at the pump stretch its furthest.
If you want to save money on gas, here are a few simple ways to get started:
Scope out the best price at the pump and get cash back on each fill up. One of my favorite cash back apps, Checkout 51, offers you great deals not only on groceries and prescriptions, but gas too! Pull up the gas tab and you’ll see the price of gas in your area and the amount per gallon in cash back you’ll get. We typically get ~$0.10-$0.15 per gallon, sometimes up to $0.25, in cash back through this app and can withdraw it by either PayPal or check once a $20 balance in cash back is hit.
Be a more relaxed driver. This one might take some practice, but is another great way to save on the number of trips you’ll need to make to the pump. In fact, the US Department of Energy indicates that if you ‘hit the breaks’ on aggressive driving – hard breaking, quick accelerating and speeding – you can reduce your gas mileage by 15-30% at highway speeds and 10-40% in stop-and-go traffic. That’s an equivalent gas savings of $0.36-$0.44 per gallon. Need some help, newer cars have a helpful gas mileage feature on their dashboard console.
Not sure what speed you should go? The most fuel efficient speeds have been found to be between 55 and 65 mph.
Check Your Tires. It may not seem like routinely checking your tires would impact your gas use; however, maintaining proper tire pressure will make an impact on the frequency of your fill ups. Underinflated tires can actually increase consumption by up to 3%.
Clean out your car. If your family is like mine, it doesn’t take very long for things to accumulate inside our vehicle. Those items not only clutter up the inside, but add to to overall weight of the vehicle. The more weight, the harder your car has to work and thus the more gas it has to use. Get rid of the heavy stuff just sitting there.
Park further away. No one likes parking further away. Especially in Michigan, in winter. But if you are able to find a spot more quickly by parking a little further away, do it! Not only will this use less fuel than if you spend your time circling around a parking lot or a street looking for a spot, but walking a little further is good for your body too.
Carpool when you can. This one may not be realistic for every family – I know its not for mine; however, it is when I think about some of the work trips that I take. When possible, I try to carpool with others from my office if we have a meeting outside the office we need to attend together.
Work from home if you can. Again, this one might not be realistic for everyone; but if your work allows you to work from home even just occasionally, this can help you save on gas too.
Join a Fuel Rewards Program. Another way to save a little money on gas fill ups is to join a fuel rewards program. Many gas stations offer them. For example, we save $0.05 per gallon at Marathon gas stations through their fuel rewards program. If you shop at a certain brand of gas stations more often than others, this can be another way to save a little more when you fill up on gas.
Hope this helps you save a few bucks at the pump. Have any additional ways you save? Share them in the comments.
Whether you live in Michigan or are planning your next winter trip here, you and your family can hit the slopes for reduced rates if you have a fourth or fifth grader in your family thanks to the Cold is Cool passport program.
The Michigan Snowsports Industries Association (MSIA) has brought back its Cold is Cool Ski & Ride Passport App for families with fourth and fifth graders. Families can download the app for $25 and get up to three free lift tickets or trail passes at 29 different participating ski areas – including Mid-Michigan’s very own Snow Snake Ski & Golf in Harrison, MI – for their fourth and fifth grade children.
In addition to the lift tickets donated by the participating ski areas, the Cold is Cool Passport includes a coupon for 20% off a helmet purchase and $20 off the purchase of $100 at participating ski shops across the state. Some ski areas have also included coupons for equipment rental and free or discounted lessons.
Our family just recently traveled to Orlando, FL and if you are looking to plan your next visit to the family-friendly Florida city, we have a few tips to help you do so more affordably.
Visit Universal Studios City Walk at night or Disney Springs for FREE!
Did you know that you can visit the Universal Studios City Walk for free in the evenings? Or Disney Springs at no cost? Even parking is free! This is a fun way to get a taste of either park. We enjoyed taking in all the sites and window shopping while there.
Use your reciprocal membership at the Sea Life Aquarium and get 50% off
If you’ve been reading our blog for awhile, you are probably already aware that we are big fans of reciprocal memberships. These truly are the best way to get the biggest bang for your buck no matter where you go. If you have a zoo membership, check to see if it gives you access to the Sea Life aquarium through a reciprocal membership. If so, you’ll get 50% off the admission price.
PLUS, we were even able to apply it to the already discounted two-attraction deal that was being offered. We got into both the Sea Life Aquarium and Madam Tussaud’s wax museum for under $25 a person.
Stay at a hotel or an Air BNB location with a kitchen and save on meals
Orlando has a wide variety of accommodations to choose from, but we highly recommend selecting a location that includes a kitchen or kitchenette. We chose to stay at a Air BNB rental that was big enough for our family and Aaron’s parents who traveled with us. We were so grateful that it included a full kitchen so that we could pick up groceries for breakfasts and lunches. This saved us a ton of money and our guts (at least for those of us 30 and up!) thanked us for it too.
Download restaurant apps to get exclusive app savings and coupons
When you do go out to eat, be sure to look for restaurant apps you can download to your phone. We saved half off at Uno’s Pizzeria and got exclusive savings at Popeye’s too. Mind you, we ate at plenty of local restaurants too, but mixed it up a little bit with a few most cost-effective options as well.
Use the Checkout 51 cash back app to save on gas
Although we flew to Orlando, we had to drive to the airport and utilized a rental car to get around to all our excursions. To save on gas, we used one of our favorite apps – Checkout 51. Its pretty common for us to get anywhere from $0.05 to $0.15 off per gallon through this app.
Pack reusable $1 water bottles to fill up at the parks
We traveled to Florida in June, so it was pretty hot when we visited the Magic Kingdom. Instead of relying on in-park purchases to stay hydrated, we packed reusable water bottles we picked up for a dollar at a nearby store. Yes, you CAN take water bottles into Disney World parks but they have to be empty at time of entry. Fill them up at water fountains throughout the park (usually located near the restrooms) to stay hydrated all day long.
Shop for souvenirs off-site
Another great tip – shop for souvenirs off-site. Our kids had fun identifying items they liked at the in-park stores; however, we found the prices to be quiet high. So instead, we took the kids to a few souvenir shops off-site and saved a ton! For example, we found autograph books for only $1.97 and Minnie purses for only $8.97. Way cheaper than what we saw in the parks!
Look for more affordable tourist stops – like Old Town Orlando
One of our favorite stops was at Old Town Orlando. Our kids were able to ride a few rides and we enjoyed walking through the old town shops. Parking was free and you only have to pay for the attractions you want. Our kids rode go-karts, a roller coaster and some smaller carnival rides. Compared to some of the amusement parks, this might be a fun, more cost-friendly alternative if you’re looking for something the family will enjoy.
Visit the Orlando Science Museum for FREE with, you guessed it, a reciprocal museum membership!
Although it may seem like EVERYTHING in Orlando costs money, we are happy to report that with another type of reciprocal membership, you can get into the Science Museum at no cost if you have a museum membership.
If you are traveling to Orlando, we hope you have a fantastic time no matter your budget! Hopefully, these tips will help you keep things a little more affordable as you travel.
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