If you are paying cash, don’t fill it up 100%, instead stop at 98% or 99%!
Let me explain why: If it is going to cost you $65 to fill up your car, you should stop at $64.75 or $64.90 etc. Why? Assuming you are paying with cash, this will get you a few cents back. When you add it all up, it will mean hundreds of dollars in spare change in the long term. Deposit it in your piggy bank for a nice future return.
Think about it: $0.20, $0.35 or even $0.50 cents doesn’t give you much gas. In other words, the difference in gas between $64.75 and $65 -assuming a liter costs $1-is only 0.25 of a liter which is virtually nothing.
On the other hand, this spare change left-over can mean a lot in the long term for your savings.
If you have one fill-up (or even top-up) per week or so, you are looking at 50-60 per year. If you spare a few cents for every one of these stops at the gas station, you are looking at well over $50-75 per year. And if you drive for a living, this could translate in close to $100 or more in spare change. Not bad at all for little or no effort and no effect on your gas mileage.
Done alone, it may not mean much, but as we often preach, it all adds up, especially when done in conjunction with other money saving strategies. Remember, it is important to diversify your sources of savings and this is just one of many.