One of the best programs around is Giant Eagle’s GetGo fuelperks. With every $50 spent in either the grocery store or gas st while using your Giant Eagle Advantage, you earn 10¢ off per gallon which is redeemable at any participating GetGo station. If you have a big family, one trip alone to the grocery store will probably earn you at least 40¢ off per gallon on your next fill up. That would be a savings of approximately $6 on a fill-up with current gas prices in the mid $3.60s in a vehicle with a 15-gallon tank.

Saving a little bit of money on gas is nice, but it is even better when you can get a lot of gas for cheap or even free! Giant Eagle designed the program so that a customer can get up to 30 gallons per transaction with the fuelperks discount, even when you have achieved enough points to get free gas. But here is the dilemma: your car does not hold 30 gallons of gas and the store clerks will not let you fill two cars at the pump because it is against company policies… How do you get all 30 gallons at the discounted price now?? BRING GAS CANS!! You can then take the gas home in government-authorized containers and fill up that second vehicle without the hassel of taking it all the way up to the gas station, just to be told you cannot fill it up at the same time as the other. Also, it saves you from having to fill up that second vehicle at higher gas prices as well.

Getting the full 30 gallons is a great idea even if you have only one vehicle because that is at least 2-3 weeks worth of gas for most people. Why waste your money getting more expensive gas on your next fill-up when you can easily store your next tank of gas in the garage for the time being? Think about it, if you get your gas for free and take all 30 gallons at one shot, that is like getting almost a whole month’s-worth of gas for free! How can you turn that down??

 So, the next time you go to the gas station to redeem your perks, think about how you can save yourself more money in the long-run by purchasing some extra gas in the short term.

For more details on Giant Eagle’s savings program, visit the GetGo Fuelperks website.

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There used to be a time and place when the majority of people scoffed at the idea of “going green.” Most everyone thought that caring for the environment was “for the birds” and that there was nothing to worry about. However there is a growing concern for the condition of the environment in this day and age.

For those of you who jumped on the tree-hugging bandwagon years ago… Thank you for caring about the place where we all live. For the rest of us who are just beginning to care about the environment, do not fret because there is still hope yet!

While there are many things one can do to live a more environmentally friendly life, I have narrowed it down to four main areas. A “greener” lifestyle can be achieved through one of the four H’s:

1) the car you drive (Hybrid)

2) household chores (Home)

3) the food you eat (Hunger)

4) the way you take care of the environment. (Habitat)

Each area has great benefits for both the environment and on a more personal level for yourself. Read on to find out how.

HYBRID

One of the best ways to help the Earth, while saving major bucks for yourself at the same time, is to drive a hybrid vehicle. With all of the driving we do in this country, it is a wonder that we are not in worse shape from all of the smog and pollution that our vehicles emit. You don’t have to worry so much about smog with a hybrid because its emits little to no damaging exhaust fumes as regular cars do. Also, everybody knows that hybrids are by far more fuel efficient than any other vehicle out there.  That is a plus for the environment because it means less drilling for oil and other natural resources for cars, but it is also a plus for the consumer’s pocket because that is less fuel you have to buy as well.  

HOME

There are many things you can do around the house that are not only green, but will save you some too. Below are a few easy tips to help make simple house chores a little more eco-friendly.

1) EcoBalls – An environmentally safe alternative to using chemical-ridden laundry detergents and powders. These soap-free and fragrance-free flying-saucer shaped devices are supposed to last between 750-1000 loads in the wash. That is 10 times longer than one bottle of traditional detergents, which means a lot more money in your pocket. The only drawback of this product is that they are only available online because the EcoBalls are made in the UK.

2) Old-fashioned Line Drying – When it is not raining or snowing out, of course. Line drying your clothes helps save both the environment and your money by avoiding the use of that clunky, energy-wasting mechanical dryer. Not to mention the fact that a line dry gives your clothes a nice, fresh scent.

3) Personal Gardens -What better to save on your grocery bill than to grow some veggies of your own? All you need a place to plant with some dirt, seeds, sun light, a little water, and lots of TLC. Don’t have the space for an actual garden in your yard? No problem! A decent-sized planter or pot will do the trick just fine so long as you can put it in a spot with plenty of sun. The environmental bonus is richer soil in your yard and another plant to produce more oxygen for fresher air.   

4) Natural Lighting - Open up those curtains and let in the sunshine! Why turn on the overhead lights when you can use a free and constant light source? One trick to get more light in a room is by rearranging the furniture and placing mirrors in key spots to reflect the natural light shining in. The less you have to flick that on/off switch, the less you have to pay on your electric bill.

For more green-living tips for around the house, check out EcoSalon.

HUNGER

Looking for a place to get fresh, environmentally friendly food for home or on the go? The following local restaurants and stores are great places to pick up a quick meal or some much needed groceries at low to moderate prices. These establishments pride themselves on selling eco-friendly, fresh produce and in some cases even cruelty-free meats as well.

Tommy’s  (216) 321-7757
1824 Coventry Road
Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

Café 56  (440) 684-5600
1433 SOM Center Road (East Gate Plaza)
Cleveland, OH 44124

Whole Food Market  (216) 371-5320
13998 Cedar Road
Cleveland, OH 44118

Cleveland Food Co-Op  (216) 791-3890
11702 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH

HABITAT

1) Tote Bags - Use a tote bag when grocery shopping. Totes help cut down on the waste of plastic and paper bags and are significantly stronger and can hold more than paper or plastic. Most grocery stores are starting to offer special totes for shopping as well. However, if you don’t have a tote bag, try to reuse and repurpose those paper and plastic bags. You can use them as make-shift lunch bags, book covers, etc. 

2) RECYCLE! - Separate and store all of your used paper, glass, and plastic products for recycling. If your city does not offer recycling pick-up along with your garbage services, there are plenty of places where recyclables can be dropped off. Sometimes recycling centers even give cash money for such things as pop cans and glass bottles.

3) Use a Trash Can - It really is not that hard to get up and put your garbage in a can… Litter is a big contributor to the destruction of our planet. So please, pick up after yourself. If there are no cans available where you are, then this would be the perfect opportunity to reuse one of those plastic shopping bags. They are excellent for storing trash until you can find an actual garbage can.

4) Carpool - No matter if you are going to school, work, or out with friends, carpooling is a great idea. Not only does it reduce the amount of cars on the road and pollutants released in the air, but it also saves on your car’s mileage and gas (unless you are the driver).

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The best-selling vehicle in the United States for more than two decades has just lost its crown. With the price of gas around $4 a gallon, many people have gotten away from the gas-hungry vehicles like the Ford F-150, and switched to gas-sippers.

The Honda Civic is now taken over the top spot to become the top seller in the United States. In the month of May, Civic sales increased 33.3%, selling 53,299 units. This dramatic increase in Civic sales is one of the most profound shifts in automotive buying patterns in more than a decade. These record sales clearly demonstrate the trend of moving forward with fuel efficiency being a major concern.

The typical Ford F-150 averages about 15 miles per gallon, according to the U.S. Department of Energy, and a Honda Civic averages 29 mpg. Based on driving 15,000 miles a year and paying $4.08 a gallon, the government says, the F-150 owner will pay around $4,100 in gas for the year, while the Civic owner will only pay $2,100.

Not only is the Honda Civic the best-selling vehicle in the U.S., the Honda Accord has also beat out the Ford F-150 in sales. The Honda Accord is the 4th best-selling vehicle in the United States; Accord sales are now up an astounding 37%. With this growing trend, many dealerships can’t seem to get enough of them from the manufacturer to keep up with demand for the vehicles. Despite this shortage, we currently do have Civics and Accords in stock.

Source: SFgate.com

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• DRIVING ROUTES - Pick driving routes with long stretches of road and few stop signs or little stop-and-go traffic. Also, try to run all of your errands in one outing.

• 30-45 MPH - Optimal speeds are between 30-45mph. Higher speeds reduce fuel economy.

• TIRE PRESSURE - Maintain proper tire pressure to ensure a smoother, safer drive. The rougher the ride, the more gas and power your car has to exert.

• GAS CHOICE - Be smart about what gasoline you put in your car; it has a big impact on gas mileage and the overall health of your vehicle. Try low octane fuels from well-known gas stations (ie. Speedway or Marathon), not local gas stations.

• AVOID BAD WEATHER DRIVING - Avoid driving in rainy, slushy or snowy conditions. Again, bad driving conditions result in the car needing to exert more gas and power to travel.

For more tips on how to stretch your gas mileage in a Prius, read the article Better Gas Mileage in a Toyota Prius. Even if you don’t own a Prius, some of these tips will work for non-hybrid cars as well. As a matter of fact, there is website dedicated to true life stories about people trying to get every last ounce of gas out of their tank. Go to TankOnEmpty.com. There are some hilarious stories about people racing against the low fuel light to get to their destinations and then a gas station before the car completely runs out of gas. Check it out some time if you need a good chuckle or even to write a post about when you were in the same situation!

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Thankfully, a friend of mine sent me this link to MSN Auto which lists local gas stations by cheapest to highest gas prices based on your zip code. The site is updated every evening and also includes the high, low, and average gas prices in your town. Check it out, because any little bit saved per gallon really does help your wallet in the long run. A couple other sites that may be useful are GasBuddy.com and New York Times. The site GasBuddy.com is similar to MSN Autos, where you just put in your zip code to find gas stations with the best prices, but also offers a more advanced search options to narrow it down to specific gas providers like BP, Shell, etc. New York Times posted an interactive chart which displays nationwide breakdown of gas prices and their impact on personal income, as well as average gas prices and median incomes.

The government has redesigned the five dollar bill for future use as a gas voucher.

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