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Win a $50 Gas Card on Patch

Share how you're saving gas and enter today.

 

Editor's Note: We selected our winner and will announce the results after the holiday weekend. Thanks for all of your great tips and comments.

With gas around $3.50 a gallon, and the long Memorial Day holiday weekend right around the corner, it’s getting tough to fill the tank.

Patch feels your pain and we want to help, even if it’s just a little bit. So we’re giving away a $50 gas card in the hopes that we can make life better for one lucky person.

Entering this contest is easy. All you have to do is post a comment below this article to tell us about one thing you’re doing differently to save money on gas (or to save on other things so you can afford gas). There’s no need to write a lot. Just a sentence or two will do!

We’ll conduct a random drawing from among the comments entered by noon on May 25.

* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia who are 18 and older. * To enter, post a comment on this story.* All entries must be received by May 25, 2012, 12:00pm Eastern Time.* You may enter once.* 1 winner will be selected in a random drawing.* One (1) Grand Prize Winner will receive a $50 gift card.* Click 

Matthew Mistretta May 23, 2012 at 03:40 pm
A lot of essentials can be purchased for much cheaper online with free shipping, eliminating the need for multiple trips to the store. This not only saves gas and wear and tear on your vehicle, but also the hassle of dealing with traffic and crowds.
Alex May 23, 2012 at 05:31 pm
I stay real close to home
Krista Jones May 23, 2012 at 06:16 pm
traded in SUV for a Prius!!
enough said....
Dawn Christian May 23, 2012 at 08:43 pm
With the hot weather here we don't use the AC in the car. I also make my kids carpool with friends when they want to hang out!!
Erica Harper May 24, 2012 at 09:29 am
Love to do family trips and long drives but, we have cut back on those. We instead go to the local parks they we have a spend time as a family. We keep looking for a gator but have not seen one yet!
Lori Ellis May 24, 2012 at 10:53 am
Lots of great ideas here! I have a job that requires quite a bit of driving, but when I am doing personal errands I plan my route to get as much done on one trip and without unnecessary detours. I also recently saw an article where gas is actually a few cents cheaper mid-week so I try to make my fill up day on Wednesday!
Toni McCafferty May 24, 2012 at 11:31 am
Our family tries to walk or bike if we are going somewhere close to our area/neighborhood. My husband and I also try and carpool as much as possible!
Donna Chen May 24, 2012 at 11:59 am
I have always made a conscious effort to live close to work, and I currently have a 1.5 mile drive at my current job. If I didn't, then I would take public transportation. If it is a walkable destination, then I walk! And I always plan my errands accordingly so that I don't make additional trips in the car. I only have to fill up the tank once every 5-6 weeks!
Karlise Guzman May 24, 2012 at 12:02 pm
(Sorry if this is a repeat post, 1st didn't go thru)
I map out my errands so I avoid going back and forth across town. If I need to hit the produce stand, I try to do the library on the same run as they are both on the same route.
Don Anderson May 24, 2012 at 12:03 pm
Have been in the workforce for 33 years. Love the freedom of having my own car every day. However, since August have started using the bus. Was strange at first not having my freedom (my car available), but to and from work, with a busload of folks, is certainly saving on the weekly commute bill.
Laurel Riffey May 24, 2012 at 12:40 pm
One way we save gas is by walking to school. It's almost a mile, but it's great exercise for me and my daughter. I also plan my errands close together and if I need something across town I wait until I have more to do there.
PATSIE TUZZO May 24, 2012 at 01:25 pm
You know that big black thing that we paid all the money for, I believe its called a
TV, well we started watching it instead of going to the mall. So we are saving a lot of money on gas.......
Dena Fields May 24, 2012 at 01:52 pm
We found out that we really needed to cut down on the driving as the money spent on gas when we did the math was up WAY to too much!
With this said, here are some things we have done... My husband works from home at least one day a week and this saves us a huge amount of gas. I try to map out my day to make less trips and to go out once if posisble. I have learned to pack water, snacks, books, electronics, etc SO the 3 kids we have will be entertained as they wait around for their siblings etc . We now know when we leave- grab what yah need! Believe it or not this realy has saved us tons! At this point ever penny is being counted so we truly are glad we've made these changes!
Alexandra Fernandez May 24, 2012 at 01:56 pm
One way iam saving gas is by walking to stores that are closer to my house,also we dont go out to eat anymore and make home meal food. I also dont do much family outting ,I stay home with my son and play board games and do alot more walking.We notice we been saving more by doing those things plus my walking has made me lose more weight : )
Julio macahuachi May 24, 2012 at 02:56 pm
The girlfriend and I carpool to work now to save on gas
Alessandra Da Pra May 24, 2012 at 02:56 pm
Michele: "easy! i keep lots of items in the car... and others volunteer to drive! ouch....
(but i always offer to remove them.) also, i lost a wheel cover over a bayshore drive on a stormy day going over branches and so as my friends have cooler cars with all 4 covers, it is usually their idea to take their car! :)"
Ciara May 24, 2012 at 03:48 pm
Instead of trying to "save" money, I decided to "make" more money.. I realized that I would never be able to save my way to wealth.. and in order to not be held bondage to the almighty dollar, I have pursued my own business.. so far, everything is going great! If anyone else has a similiar mindset..I would be willing to help.. feel free to contact me via my website.. www.AubinGlobal.com
D May 24, 2012 at 04:17 pm
Since losing my job saving money on gas has become even more important. First and I guess most obvious is driving less. I walk or bike so much more now. I combine errands into one trip. If I need something or to go somewhere I try to get more than one thing done in one trip. I carpool and my neighbor and I now ask tell each other when we are going to the grocery store to see if one of us may need something. When driving I make sure I don't ride the brake and don't brake often. I coast up to the traffic lights rather than quickly brakeing for each light. I try to drive "smoothly" rather than accelerating and decelerating often. I check my cars air filter, make sure my car is tuned up , and the tires are aligned. Making sure your gas cap isnt broken helps too. I dont idle and turn off the car if my car will not be driving for more than 30 seconds. I park and go into the bank rather than ideling outside in a line of cars. I removed excess weight from the trunk and drive the speed limit. I rarely use my air conditioner , which I must admit is my least favorite gas saving option! All these things have really worked and I have definately used much less gas.
CC May 24, 2012 at 07:36 pm
taking the auto train up north this summer rather than driving the whole way! An adventure for the kiddos and savings for us.
rocio May 24, 2012 at 08:30 pm
we've been taking the bus to and from work
David C May 24, 2012 at 11:02 pm
I drive using cruise control whenever possible. It really does help save gas
Alessandra Da Pra May 25, 2012 at 02:17 am
Susie Cooke: "Carpool. Plan my trips. Ride my bike more. And now I designate two days a week as "no drive days." My car stays parked on those days each week."
Raymond Clark May 25, 2012 at 03:00 am
I tend to shop at Winnie Dixie and get points for my gas card. I do also car pooling with my roommate to work. We do that often now and it saves us a lot of money!
Taylor Gaines May 25, 2012 at 03:20 am
I try to limit myself to driving to school and back in order to save $. It usually works out because school is like 5 minutes from my house.
Mima May 25, 2012 at 01:10 pm
Shop for groceries on my way home from work. I pass the store every day
Chris May 25, 2012 at 01:33 pm
We only use a scooter now for all of our transportation. It gets 100 miles to the gallon. And since the cargo bin is small, our grocery bill is less too now!
Bob Clark May 25, 2012 at 02:38 pm
We sold one of our two cars. A little hard to re-adjust, but mostly a matter of better planning, which hasn't really been as hard as we'd imagined. Lots of $ saved. Air's a little cleaner. It feels right and good.
David Rice May 25, 2012 at 05:40 pm
Pump slow. This minimizes vapors created while you are pumping. Gas hoses from the pump are corrugated, the corrugations act as a return path for vapor recovery from gas that has already been metered. If you pump fast, the agitated gasoline contains more vapor which is being sucked back into the underground tank giving you less gas for your money.
Also fill up in the morning. When the gas is cool, it contains less vapors and is more dense. Service stations don't have temperature compensation so a gallon in the afternoon is often times not really a gallon.
B Ch May 25, 2012 at 05:43 pm
Sold my Camry and down sized to a Kawasaki used Ninja. Gas is now $18 every 7 days and $72 a month compared to $55 every 5-6 days and $220 a month. Now I'm saving $148 a month and insurance is lower.
Enjoy the cycle life but be safe, and don't let the gas station signs fool you. Always carry cash to get the best deal. B Ch
Lauren Tice May 25, 2012 at 07:24 pm
I try to plan my errands all within the same area and go after work instead of from home on the weekends :-)

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Betty Phelps May 30, 2013 at 05:01 pm
Went to the links for storm surge and flood maps and attempted to "Know My Zone" but wasRead More not successul...couldn't find a thing! Betty Phelps, Land O' Lakes
Sherri Lonon (Editor) May 30, 2013 at 06:18 pm
Hi Betty, the http://map.floridadisaster.org/gator/map.html?config=config_evac_zone.xml link has theRead More zones for the state. Land O' Lakes is pretty high and dry on the map.