1. Buy your gasoline in the evening or morning

Gas becomes denser when the temperature is colder. Gas pumps measure the volume of the gas that you pump and do not measure the density. You are getting more gas per gallon when the gas is denser. A congressional committee has estimated that US consumers will pay 2.1 billion dollars more for gas this summer because of this density difference.

In the morning's cooler air, or in the evening's cooler air, you'll be getting more fuel and better gas price economy. There can also be an added benefit. Filling your tank in the evening can help you avoid wasting fuel idling while waiting for a gas pump to open up during peak hours.

2. Avoid driving when your gas tank is close to empty

It is not a good idea to drive your car until the gas tank is almost empty. Loose dirt that may have built up in the gasoline tank over time will get sucked into the engine. This is bad for the engine and will cause a your fuel economy to get worse.

In addition to the lowered MPG if you are at empty you may have to fill your tank at the first station you come across and you may be forced to pay a high price rather than wait till you find a station with a lower price.

Keep your gas level above the quarter tank mark if at all possible. You should plan to purchase gas when your tank is somewhere between one half and one quarter full.

3. Save gas with a flick of the wrist!

If you turn the nozzle of the gas pump hose a full 180 degrees when you have finished filling up your gas tank you might end up with as much as an extra half cup of fuel. By turning the nozzle you enable the fuel left in the nozzle to flow into your tank. In some instances this could be as much as a half cup of gas. If you don't do this you will provide the next customer filling up with an added bonus.

After a number of times making yourself turn the nozzle you'll find yourself doing it without thinking. An extra half cup can add up to a lot of gas at the end of the year.

If you purchase fuel once per week and you can take advantage of the extra half cup from the nozzle each time, you would get 52 half cups of gas free each year. Over the year that would be 1.625 gallons.

Just by turning the nozzle each time you fill up you will get 1.625 gallons of gas free. If you are a two car family you could realize over 3 gallons of "free" gas a year with just a flick of the wrist.

These are just some of many different things you can do to optimize your fuel economy and gasoline purchases. Just thinking about gasoline economy and some of the things you can do to effect it will start to make saving gas a habit.

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Scott Siegel is the author of a 143 page book of industry insider secrets on saving gas and dollars at the pump (beatthegaspump.com). Visit us to discover how you can get better gas mileage. Find out how to increase gas mileage. This article is available as a unique content article with free reprint rights.