Over the years, the weekly poll at www.DebtProofLiving.com (you do participate, don't you?) has addressed the high cost of gasoline. As I recall, the first poll question was, "How high will gasoline need to be for you to make serious changes in your driving habits?" The winning response was $2 a gallon, which at the time appeared unlikely to happen anytime soon.

Well, $2 a gallon came and went. And now we think fondly of the good old days when you could fill your gas tank for less than 40 bucks. They say that we'll be at $4 by summer.

So are you ready to put that gas guzzler sitting in your driveway on a diet? Good. You're ready to get serious -- and I don't mean by buying a new $35,000 hybrid car. Any thinking person will see the fallacy of picking up $400-a-month payments or more to save $100 a month on gas.

-- Cut out the short trips. The hardest things on your gas mileage are all those short trips you make without even a thought: going to the dry cleaner, the kids' school, the softball field, the post office, pizzeria, church, work, Grandma's, music lesson, dance rehearsal! See what I mean? So cut it out! Combine your errands. Do the dry cleaner and post office on the way home from work just before you pick up the kids and the pizza. Think twice before jumping into the car to make yet another mindless trip.

-- Stop being an idiot. Want to know how idiots drive? If they are not accelerating hard, they're braking hard.

Frequent lane changing doesn't get them there any sooner, but they'll use a lot more gas. Imagine there's a raw egg between the floor and the gas pedal. Now drive gently enough to make sure you do not break the egg.

-- Slow down. Speeding is the American way of life, I'm convinced. But it's also a quick way to burn through your gas. According to the Department of Energy, for each 5 mph that you drive faster than 60 mph, you are paying an extra 20 cents per gallon of gas. Slow down, and keep that money in your pocket.

-- Tiptop shape. Routine maintenance (oil changes, air filter cleaning, tires checked for proper inflation) won't just keep your car in great shape; it will lower your gas consumption.

-- No junk in the trunk. Anything beyond the required safety equipment in your trunk is costing you dearly in lost fuel efficiency. Sure it's a convenient place to keep the bags of cement and potting soil, but the weight is hard on your car's performance. Get rid of the junk, and you'll give your car's gas efficiency a much-needed break.

This week, try to add at least two days between your normal gas fill-ups. Then make it three. Work hard at it, and you'll get your gas guzzler slimmed down in no time at all.

Mary Hunt is the founder of www.DebtProofLiving.com and author of 17 books, including "Debt-Proof Living." You can e-mail her at mary@everydaycheapskate.com, or write to Everyday Cheapskate, P.O. Box 2135, Paramount, CA 90723. To find out more about Mary Hunt and read her past columns, please visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.
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