Gas prices got you down? You’re not alone. You don’t have to wait for some panderer to repeal the gas tax to save money on fuel though. Lots of great sites now offer to find the cheapest gasoline prices in your specific neighborhood before you even leave your house.

At www.gasbuddy.com you can plug in your zip code and bring up the current prices at all the gas stations in your specific area anywhere in the US or Canada. The US government has also graciously provided a website for people searching for the best gas prices locally at www.fueleconomy.gov. If you like widgets (and who doesn’t!) you can also download gas-related widgets that serve the same purpose at www.lifeclever.com.

Let’s talk a bit more seriously about this for a moment though. A May 7, 2008 New York Times article reported that gasoline prices are expected to peak in June at around $3.73 a gallon. Currently, here in West Michigan, gas prices are running right around $3.89 a gallon for regular unleaded, so the idea of gas prices ‘peaking’ at a price-point 16 cents below what I can find this very minute (with or without widgets) is a bit baffling.

Would the Times lie to us?

Not necessarily. They probably just can’t write as fast as gas prices are rising. More seriously and to the point, the NYT was just passing along what the US Department of Energy has to say about gas prices, which, as we all know, is no longer connected to any kind of reality anyone understands, including them. People are upset about gas prices? No problem! We’ll just send out a news release telling everybody prices are leveling off! (I guess they didn’t get that news release out quite fast enough, but it is the government after all.)

Anybody who has been watching the price of oil lately knows that it seems to be ticking upward to the tune of a dollar a day or so. Goldman Sachs released a report this past Friday stating that $200 a barrel oil is likely just around the corner, and where oil prices go, so go gas prices eventually. Many financial analysts are predicting $7 a gallon gasoline in the not too distant future. With world demand for oil rising at the rate of 1.2 million barrels a day, this is probably a more realistic prediction.

So apart from downloading a cool widget, how are we to cope with this kind of spike in prices?

Actually, you can take some fairly easy steps to reduce consumption and improve your vehicle’s performance, and some of them might even improve your longterm quality of life. Here are few gas-saving tips you can implement right now:

• Don’t Drive. This may seem like a no-brainer, and it’s probably something that is already starting to happen on its own, but seriously, think twice before you hop in the car to shop or do anything. Buy staple items like toilet paper, flour, rice, sugar, and so forth in bulk so you don’t have to make frequent trips to the grocery store, and plan out your errands to get as much done in a single trip as possible. Shop online and have items delivered by UPS or mail.
• Carpool or Take Public Transit to Work. In some major US cities, use of public buses and trains has increased by as much as 30% in 2008 alone. In America’s not-too-distant past, when shopping was centrally located, most people rode the bus to work and to shop: Commuting by car was the rare exception. Centralization seems to be coming back in many areas of the country. If you live in one of them take advantage of that.
• Move Closer In. If you bought a home in a far-away suburb in order to have more house for less money, now might be a good time to unload that beast if you still can, and look for something closer to your job. One of the few places real estate is actually appreciating right now is in the city. In some areas of the country, foreclosed suburban tract homes are already becoming home to squatters and meth labs, and at least one author predicts that in a very short time suburban communities will become the new US slums, and slum communities in the central cities will become hot commodities. It’s all because of gas prices.
• Slow Down. Driving fast burns more gas than driving slow. So does quick start and quick stop driving. Try to maintain a steady speed right around the legal limit, not 10 miles above it, and stay in the right lane. Let people pass you. They may or may not get there first, but you will be the one with money in your pocket.
• Park in the Shade. Gasoline is very volatile and evaporates easily; that is what makes it a good fuel for a combustion engine. It also means that it evaporates while you are not driving. Cars that are kept cool lose less gas to evaporation than cars parked in the sun.
• Walk or Ride a Bike. Think through your routine and ask yourself if you could get where you need to go on foot. Walking not only is good exercise, it makes you feel capable, whereas relying on a car you can’t afford to fuel makes you feel vulnerable. Studies have shown that half an hour a day of regular exercise like walking or bike riding not only prolongs your life and improves your health, it reduces stress and releases endorphins into your blood stream that create feelings of well-being.
• Roll Down Your Windows Under 45 MPH. Open windows create drag that wastes gas if you are driving on the highway, but for city driving your air conditioner uses more gas than you lose by opening the windows.
• Don’t Top Off Your Tank. Not only is this practice dangerous, it wastes gas every time you fill up. Within two minutes of driving off, all the gas you topped off will be evaporated without ever being burned in your car’s engine.
• Get a Cash-Back Debit or Credit Card. Lots of financial institutions offer cards now that give up to 5% back on gas purchases. If you pay off the card each month, you get the savings free. Just make sure you are not liable for annual or hidden fees.
• Maintain Your Vehicle. This is an old one, but still true. Check your tires whenever you fill up and make sure they are properly inflated. Under-inflated tires use up more gas by creating drag. Make sure your air filter is always clean, and keep your engine property tuned and maintained.
• Think Twice Before Replacing Your Car. You may be tempted to trade in your vehicle for a hybrid as soon as possible, but if your vehicle is paid in full, it will take you decades to recoup the cost of financing the new car through your gas savings. A better bet if you own a gas hog is to sell it outright and look for a used subcompact Honda or Toyota with good gas mileage that you can buy with cash. This will save you money immediately, and by the time the used car wears out, hybrids may be more affordable and available.
• Telecommute. Do you have a job that you could do from home? This might be a good time to try that out. If you drive a long way for low pay and working at home isn’t an option, research what options you do have if you change your work. A good resource and a place to start your search even if you are not a woman is available at www.womenforhire.com

Gas prices are making for challenging financial times right now, but as Columnist Paul Krugman points out, higher gas prices don’t have to signal an apocalyptic change in lifestyle. We may well be facing some big changes: a return to centralized city living, the renewal of mass transit, more telecommuting workers, and more walking and bicycling, less running around, fewer malls. But it doesn’t have to be all bad.

It might well have to be different, and soon. So get started now and beat the crowd!

Oh, and don’t forget to download those widgets!