Here's a very, very, very interesting piece I found on Yahoo. It suggests that we can all save money on gas by losing weight. The details:
Want to spend less at the pump? Lose some weight. That's the implication of a new study that says Americans are burning nearly 1 billion more gallons of gasoline each year than they did in 1960 because of their expanding waistlines. Simply put, more weight in the car means lower gas mileage.
Using recent gas prices of $2.20 a gallon, that translates to about $2.2 billion more spent on gas each year.
"If a person reduces the weight in their car, either by removing excess baggage, carrying around less weight in their trunk, or yes, even losing weight, they will indeed see a drop in their fuel consumption."
Ok, it's a startling amount ($2.2 billion), but for individuals, it doesn't really mean that much:
The lost mileage is pretty small for any single driver. Jacobson said the typical driver — someone who records less than 12,000 miles annually — would use roughly 18 fewer gallons of gas over the course of a year by losing 100 pounds. At $2.20 per gallon, that would be a savings of almost $40.
A better tip is to take all the stuff you don't need out of your car and the trunk. You know, all the sports equipment, lawn chairs from the beach trip this summer, etc. Doing so could save you a few extra bucks.
If you're looking for more ways to save on gas, check out these posts from Free Money Finance:
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