Rising fuel prices

[mountainborn]

As Summer approaches and fuel prices begin to soar, they become a part of our trip planning. One thing for sure is that when you fill up at what you think is the best price, you will immediately drive past a station that is several cents per gallon cheaper. In this case it is certain that having knowledge is the power to save.

Here is a simple tool that we use currently:

http://autos.msn.com/everyday/GasStationsBeta.aspx

We have tried several other programs and for various reasons they seem to come up short of being the solution. Some are difficult to navigate and others are mostly dated information. The MSN program is easy and you can drag the map to the area where you want the prices for and they will appear.

We run a laptop while going down the road so it is easier to see, but I also have the program on my cell phone.

I guess that one of the things that appeals to me the most about this program, is that by using it, often times, I can save enough to pay for a simple meal out on the road. And usually, if time is a factor, simple meals are our choice.

[SeaDawg]

Thanks for the link. As the info is based on previous day's credit card sales, it's probably more accurate (pricewise) than gasbuddy.com (info from local members). However, for my local neighborhood, there were no listings for the warehouse club gas stations, or for Exxon/Mobil, and some of the others on the MSN service. Perhaps these vendors don't share that information with MSN's data provider.

 

We've taken to noting gas prices and station services in our trip log book for the frequently used highways. It is so aggravating to fill up and find the same brand gas at the next exit for five to seven cents less a gallon!

 

Sherry

[mountainborn]

You know that's right ! At .07 less per gallon, on 20 gallons, that's $1.40 that someone could save just by checking the local prices on their cell phone !

In that same situation, our extra capacity might allow us to take on 80 gallons at the savings of .07 cents per gallon for a total savings of $5.60, just for using the cell phone ! SWEET ! Ya' gotta' just love it when technology comes through for us with a savings. The service is free on the internet. Our only cost is the time it takes to look.