Stupid ways people try to save money on gas
Posted
Jul 25 2008, 03:49 PM
by
Karen Datko
Rating:
We've read about how more people are running out of gas on their way to wherever. Were they short on money for gas, or were they employing one of Punny Money's "5 incredibly stupid ways people are trying to save money on gas"?
The fact is, with gas at more than $4 a gallon, auto clubs all over the country are reporting an increase in calls from stranded travelers. Some truly didn't have enough money for gas. "A select few morons are even running out of fuel on purpose -- just to get that free gallon of gas their automotive club or roadside-assistance program provides to get them going again," writes Nick at Punny Money. He's right.
The Freeway Service Patrol in California says some people are abusing its help. The patrol provides a free gallon of gas to stranded drivers who were running on empty.
Central Penn Auto Club spokeswoman Cindy Brough told The Patriot-News in Harrisburg, Pa., that some stranded travelers expect a free tank of gas when they make a service call. But if you have only a basic AAA membership, you've got to pay for the gas that's delivered.
Among Nick's other stupid ways to save money on gas (click here to read his entire post and see his stickman cartoon):
Refilling as often as possible. This may be based on the erroneous belief that you'll save by keeping the gas in your tank from evaporating. Or, Nick says, maybe "it doesn't seem so bad when you're buying $5 or $10 worth of gas every other day instead of buying $50 worth of gas once a week."
Buying stuff to get free gas cards. "For example," Nick says, "buy $100 worth of jeans, get a $20 gas card. If you didn't actually need those $100 worth of jeans (or if you overpaid for them), then you just turned $4-a-gallon gas into $20-a-gallon gas."
