With gas prices on the rise, everyone could use some extra cash. Here we’ve compiled seven money-saving tips for your time at the gas station so you can spend more funds on summer fun and less on gas.
As of this writing, AAA reports that the average price per gallon of gas is $3.226, but it reaches up to $4.60 in some parts of the country. Numbers like this might seem daunting, but being fuel efficient doesn’t have to be hard–you just have to be mindful when you go about it. Soon, you’ll be on the road in all of your fuel-efficient glory with a few small tweaks to your car routine. Check them out below, with some cameos from our favorite celebrities on wheels.
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1. Mind the calendar
On some days of the week, it’s more affordable to buy gas than others. If you need to fill up your tank, stick to a Monday or a Tuesday–gas will be less expensive because demand is lower. Avoid Thursdays, Fridays, and weekends if you can, where the opposite is true. Plus, here’s a handy list from the app GasBuddy that details the best and worst days to buy gas in every state and it’s definitely worth a look.
2. Use an app
While back in the day we had to tool around looking for the least expensive gas, now we have apps that can help us so we don’t have to move more than a finger. Try apps like the aforementioned GasBuddy, or AAA, or GasGuru, ABC News recommends, all of which will tell you the gas stations near you where you can fill up your tank most affordably.
3. Have a productive birthday
If your big day is coming up, Yahoo Finance suggests you ask for gas gift cards! They’re easy to purchase, easy to use, and because you’ll know how much is on it, it can help you keep track of your spending, too.
4. Join the club
Loyalty programs and gas station credit cards can be really helpful in lowering the cost of gas in both the long and short term. If you have a gas station of choice, see if they have a loyalty program that offers discounted gas. Shell, for example, offers regular discounts of 5 cents per gallon, with initial discounts that are even higher. Exxon Mobil offers points, where you get six cents worth of points with every purchase. The amounts may seem small, but as with everything gas-related, it adds up over time.
There may also be grocery stores (Kroger, Stop & Shop) or membership clubs (Costco, Sam’s Club) in your area that offer discounted gas for members. Just know you may have to wait in longer lines to fuel up, ABC News shares.
5. Become a more prudent driver
Being levelheaded behind the wheel isn’t just a matter of safety, it’s also a matter of saving money. If you’re speeding or slamming on the gas, you can actually be costing yourself more money in fuel. Every time you break, you also use fuel, so stopping short can be more costly than slowly arriving at a stop. In fact, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, “aggressive driving (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking)...can lower gas mileage by roughly 15% to 30% at highway speeds and 10% to 40% in stop-and-go traffic.” Plus, the Department adds, not only do your miles per gallon go down at higher speeds, but over 50mph “it can be assumed that each 5 mph driven over 50 mph is like paying an additional $0.27 per gallon for gas.” Yikes!
6. Learn how small changes in air conditioning make a big difference
You don’t have to abandon air conditioning entirely, of course, just be smart about how you use it. Experian cites the Department of Energy statistic that “using auto air conditioning can lower fuel economy by 25% or more.” To be more efficient and cost-effective, only use your A/C after you’ve begun your ride. If you’re traveling at speeds greater than 55 mph, however, bring your windows up–having them down makes the car less aerodynamic and causes you to use more fuel—and then you can use A/C instead, AARP shares.
7. Keep up to date with car maintenance
You’d be surprised how many people forget to keep up with car maintenance and lose fuel economy in the process. Regular maintenance of oil, tire pressure and alignment, air filters, and more all help your car run as efficiently as possible, so stay up to date with your car’s needs and you’ll end up saving money on gas as well. That being said, be sure to use the gas your car actually needs–premium gas only works for a car if that’s what the car demands. As AAA shares, “premium gas doesn't boost fuel efficiency. So, it’s best to stick to the octane level recommended by your automaker.”
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21 products that are gaslighting us into thinking they’re essential when they’re not
Some things in life are actually necessary—clean water, decent healthcare, basic human decency. But then there are the things that feel like they’re gaslighting us. The things we’re told we can’t live without, even though we survived just fine before they existed. Things like "smart" fridges, lawn fertilizer services, and yes—whole body deodorant.
Recently, our sister-site Upworthy asked their Facebook audience the question: What's a product or service that feels like it's gaslighting all of us into thinking it's necessary? More than 8,000 responses poured in. The answers were passionate, funny, and surprisingly unified.
Here are 21 products, services, and systems people called out for pretending to be essential—when they might actually be optional, overpriced, or flat-out invented.
1. Whole body deodorant
"Take a shower," said Shannon H.
“How did we ever manage all those years without it!! 😂😵💫” added Karen R.
Others noted it may help people with medical conditions—but for the average person, it's definitely a marketing creation.
2. Health insurance
It topped the list. Erica L. explained: “My doctor prescribes, the pharmacist issues meds, nurses care for people, surgeons do surgery—Health Insurance stands between health care and patients and says no, exclusively on whether they think it’s financially effective to treat you.”
Important note: Health insurance can provide life-saving access for many—but what people are frustrated by here is the profit-first system, not care itself.
3. The wedding industry
Multiple people slammed the high cost of modern weddings.
JoElla B. put it plainly: “We spend too much time and money planning one day, and not enough thought on how to blend two lives in a mutually beneficial one.”
Others called out expensive dresses, venues, and pressure to perform for social media.
4. Bottled water
Carole D. said: “Water in plastic bottles! Get a cup!”
While bottled water has value in emergencies, it’s often just filtered tap water—sold for profit in plastic.
5. Baby product overload
“Most baby products,” wrote Kelli O. “They really aren’t as needy and complicated as companies want us to think.”
6. Fabric softener
“It’s bad for clothes, bad for the Earth, bad for the wallet, and totally unnecessary,” said Gail H.
Some experts agree—many softeners contain chemicals that can reduce fabric lifespan and irritate skin.
7. Smart appliances
“Adding ‘phone controls’ to every appliance instead of making them last as long as they used to,” wrote Sherry S.
When your fridge needs a software update, something’s gone off the rails.
8. Makeup and anti-aging products
“Anything anti-aging,” said Melissa T., “Please just let me age into the gargoyle I was meant to become.”
Others questioned products designed to “fix” eyelashes, eyebrows, pores, and graying hair.
April S. added, “Products that women are convinced they MUST have in order to be ‘beautiful’ and therefore ‘loved.’”
9. Cosmetic surgery
Ron P. called out the industry as a whole. And while body autonomy matters, many commenters questioned whether insecurities are being commodified and sold back to us.
10. Ticketmaster and “convenience fees”
“Let’s go back to waiting in line at a record store,” wrote Nicole C.
Zaida B. added: “Convenience fee for online purchases—then charging $10 more at the actual event.”
11. Engagement rings
James P. didn’t mince words: “Engagement rings.”
The diamond industry has long been criticized for manufactured scarcity and marketing-fueled necessity.
12. Lawn chemicals and services
“Plant native grasses and you don’t have the pests or need for constant watering,” wrote Jamie B.
Environmental groups have raised similar concerns over runoff and unnecessary pesticide use.
13. AI and generative tech
“This stuff squeezes the lifeblood and individuality out of the human experience,” said Teresa L.
Saskia D. and others echoed skepticism about its necessity, even as many of us are being pushed to use it.
14. Funeral services
Amy W. shared: “My parents both have already paid to have themselves cremated and are very adamant that they do not want anything big done for them. In their words, ‘I won’t care, I’m dead.’”
Of course, some families find comfort in tradition—but the cost and pressure can feel overwhelming and predatory.
15. Rinse and repeat
Amy D. nailed it: “It’s just to sell more. Not even sure you need it at all.”
16. Credit Card Surcharges
Shawn S. took aim at the extra fees popping up at checkout: “That is the cost of doing business and shouldn’t be the burden of the purchaser.”
Many questioned why customers are increasingly being asked to pay extra simply for the convenience of using a card.
17. Constant phone upgrades
“Apple are notorious for releasing the same shit every year,” said Steph S.
Diana H. added, “Needing to upgrade our phones so frequently.”
Built-in obsolescence and marketing cycles drive most of the demand.
18. Vitamins and supplements
“If I took every supplement they say I NEED I wouldn’t need food. Nor could I afford it,” said Tausha L.
19. Fake pockets on women’s pants
Jessica W. said, “I have to buy men’s pants for work because women’s pants would just get torn up too fast!”
Form over function, and then they charge more for it.
20. Disposable everything
“The ‘convenience’ of disposable everything,” said Rick R.
It’s killing the planet—and draining wallets.
21. Tipping
“I’m sick of supplementing for corporations that refuse to pay a living wage,” wrote Susan V.
Tipping culture has evolved into something far removed from its original intent, and for many, it now feels like a burden shifted onto the customer.
The bigger picture
People aren’t saying all these things should vanish tomorrow. But when we start seeing convenience sold as necessity, and insecurity turned into billion-dollar markets, it's worth asking: who benefits from all of this?
And more importantly—who pays?
This article originally appeared earlier this year.