Well, as it turned out, it was in the same city that my husband works. So, he dropped me off for work and after playing with the kids for awhile, he ventured off for some free gas. He got there at about 8:30 am.

The Redlands Police Department kept things in great order from what I hear. Each car got a piece of paper with a number on it that went in the windshield. My husband was number 38. Then, when they got to number 200, the line was cut off with a police car.

My husband only waited 2 1/2 hours to get his gas and it exactly filled our tank. The only other thing he would have been doing during this time was practicing an instrument, so there was really no time lost. While he waited he got to meet the morning DJ Jeff Pope. We love to listen to him and Evelyn every morning during our commute.

On the other hand, there are some people who taking frugality to a new level and lack a little common sense. Rumor has it that there was someone at this event that drove about 75 miles to come and get free gas. If I do a little calculating and say they get 25 miles per gallon, that means they spent 6 gallons to drive there and back (assuming no traffic). And again, for the sake of simplicity, we’ll say gas is $4 a gallon (I think it was a little over at the time). That means that it cost $24 for this trip, leaving them with only $16 in free gas. I guess that’s still not a bad deal. Oh wait, I forgot to mention one thing. THEY WERE HOLDING THE SAME EVENT IN THE CITY THIS PERSON CAME FROM!

So please, while it is WONDERFUL to be frugal and get free gas, please think it through before you take part in an event like this. Please don’t wait 12 hours in line (like someone else did) and please don’t drive half way across creation and waste your time and free gas.

There are many people who will drive an extra distance to save a few cents a gallon. No offense, but doesn’t anybody realize they probably aren’t saving anything in the long run? The savings is spent on extra gas to go out of their way.

I want to recommend keeping your eyes open as you drive your normal route each day. If you can find a gas station that is a few cents cheaper and not out of your way, then you really will save some money. I was quite surprised the other day as I was driving to work and I came across a different location of my usual gas station and the price was over .20¢ a gallon less than what I had just paid the day before. Pumping 10 gallons of gas at this new station would save me $2.00 and over time that will really add up!

There is one very distinct time that I do not want you in front of me taking your time accelerating and that is when you’re merging onto the freeway.  When you’re entering the freeway, please press the gas pedal down all the way and GO with the flow of traffic.  Not doing so is very dangerous for you and anyone behind you.

Just this morning I was trying to get on the freeway and the guy in front of me was doing about 35 mph.  I’m stuck, the lane is ending and all I see in my rear view mirror is a car bearing down on me at 75 mph.  Can’t change lanes so I have to close my eyes and wish for the best.  Luckily the car behind me was able to change lanes so I was safe, but the guy in front of me was completely clueless and finally sped up to a whopping 40 mph.  Needless to say, I knew I had to come home and write this so I could clarify myself.

So here is one time I do not want you to try to save money, gas or anything else.  Waste your gas and keep yourself from getting killed.

And now for my next tip:  how to proceed at a four way stop.  Ok, only kidding, but I really would LOVE to teach some people how to drive.

This is a situation that I’ve had to mull over for the past couple of weeks. I’m currently working full-time and really want to work part-time for many reasons. Given our financial situation, it didn’t seem feasible until I considered these three things.

1. Distance to drive. This one factor weighs the heaviest because it has the biggest repercussions. A longer commute not only uses more gas, but it also puts more wear & tear on my car. I have more of a chance of getting stuck in traffic, which lengthens my drive time even more and causes me to lose valuable time that I could be spending with my family. In my situation, I’m currently driving 55 miles (2 hours with no traffic) round trip. The new job would only be 37 miles (1 hour 15 mins) round trip. My car gets approximately 30 mpg and the price of gas is around $3.15 a gallon. Savings per week: $9.45 (not including wear & tear which would make this figure much higher)
2. Childcare. I already get a very good deal on my childcare, but if I can cut my childcare expenses in half by going from an 8 hour day to a 4 hour day – I’m going to save a lot of money. Savings per week: $50.00
3. Benefits. At my current job, I have to pay 50% of my health insurance cost and still have a $50 copay. I have no vision and no dental insurance. The cost of this is $220 a month to cover just my husband and I. My children qualify for a state program, thank goodness! The part time job offers medical, dental, vision and life insurance. On top of that, it offers paid holidays, sick leave, and vacation. The health benefits should be around $100 a month saving me $120 a month. How nice to get more and pay less. Add in the paid holidays, sick leave and vacation and that’s worth about $75 a week. Savings: $105 a week

Next, I have to look at how much my income will change. I currently earn $400 a week and that will change to $185.20 a week, so I will lose $214.80 off the bat. However, if we add back in the money I’m going to save, I’m actually only going to lose $50.35 a week. In addition, each day I will gain back 45 minutes in commute time and 4 hours I would normally be working – which gives me 23 hours and 45 minutes a week to spend how I’d like. That’s almost an entire day!

Ok, so you don’t see how I’ve saved money yet, do you? The saved money is going to come with the extra 23 hours and 45 minutes I’m saving. That’s almost 24 hours I get to spend with my boys (goodbye mommy guilt). Almost 24 hours I can spend planning meals instead of eating out. Almost 24 hours to use my talents to earn money online (blogging, eBay, etc.). When all is said and done, I will probably be able to make MORE money this way than by working full time. Beyond that, I will have a new found sense of freedom and peace.

So – I took a leap of faith and accepted the new job. I’m starting in about two weeks and hopefully my theory is correct.

1. Keep the air conditioner/heater turned down.
2. Use less water by installing a low flow shower head.
3. Air dry clothes when I can (especially large blankets & jeans which take forever to dry).
4. Keep my dryer filter clean and my change my furnace filter regularly.
5. Turn off lights/appliances when I’m not using them (just today I had go around after my husband and kids and turn off SEVEN lights).
6. Keep the tires on my car inflated to the proper level.
7. Use the air conditioner in my car sparingly.
8. Keep my car tuned up.
9. Use the cruise control whenever possible.
10. Try not to let my car idle anymore than I have to.
11. Shop at the Dollar Store BEFORE I shop anywhere else.
12. Catch movies on video rather than in the theater.
13. Buy books from thrift stores for a buck.
14. Get magazines from retailers who give me an extra 10% off.
15. Order fast food off the dollar menu.
16. Make my grocery list based on which foods are on sale that week.
17. Make my own snack packs by putting cookies and chips into small snack bags.
18. Make lunches out of leftovers from the night before.
19. Drink water instead of soda (ok, I wish I could do this more, but I’m an ADDICT).
20. Eat fruits and veggies that are in season.
21. Save Starbucks for special occasions
22. Split a meal with my kids when we eat out.
23. Clean everything with vinegar and water (the stuff is amazing!).
24. Recycle all of our plastic, glass and aluminum.
25. Regift anything that I receive and don’t need.

I’ve been a member of My Points for almost 10 years (and I cross my heart and hope to die that they are legit). They send emails to you at your preferred frequency and you click a button at the bottom of the email to say that you’ve read the email. From there, you receive 5 or 10 points just for reading the email and many times you’ll receive even more points for taking advantage of the offer in the email.

Very very simple and does not consume much time. After you’ve accumulated enough points, you can redeem them for gift cards to various merchants, restaurants, gas stations, etc. It used to take a couple of weeks before you would receive your card, but during my last redemption about a week ago, it only took 2 days to receive my $25 gift card for Walmart!

So, as you can see – I did indeed get something for nothing…ok, almost nothing.

Check it out here: Join MyPoints NOW!

1. Check your tire pressure and make sure it is at the proper level. Most tires will have the proper pressure (listed as PSI) written on the tire itself. Otherwise, you can check the owner’s manual or look for a sticker inside of one of the door frames. If your tires are cool, leave the tires a couple of pounds low to allow for expansion when they heat up.
2. Have the oil changed regularly. Most manufacturers recommend an interval range from 3000 miles to 7000 miles or 3 to 6 months. Also, when you have your oil changed, make sure you are using the proper weight oil. If in doubt, ask your mechanic (there are too many factors that can influence the brand/weight of oil to use).
3. Change your air filter regularly. This is a very inexpensive maintenance item and should be changed as often as the manufacturer recommends. **A heads up to those of us here in fire prone areas – change your air filter more often because smoke and soot will clog it up!
4. Drive the speed limit. Just 5 or 10 miles over the speed limit can really add up! Just watch out for the impatient drivers who may be behind you wanting to do 90mph on the freeway.
5. Accelerate slowly. Not only will you save a ton of gas, but you’ll avoid giving yourself and your passengers whiplash.
6. Use cruise control. In conjunction with #4 and #5, using the cruise control while on the freeway makes sense. For safety’s sake, only use it when you are in free flowing traffic.
7. Don’t let your car run idle. If you know you’re going to need to be idle for more than one minute, turn the engine off. There’s also no reason to “warm up” your vehicle in the morning. 30 to 45 seconds should do just fine.
8. Tighten your gas cap. Most caps will click 3 times – otherwise, you’re letting your liquid gold gasoline vaporize into thin air (literally).
9. Empty your trunk. Excess weight of items being stored in the trunk can significantly decrease your gas mileage.