Mammoth AwardsWell, now’s the time to get going, and these tips will help make your travels a lot more affordable.
1. Save 25 cents per gallon on gas.
Do you cringe every time you fill up your car nowadays? If so, you’re certainly not alone, as gas prices have hit their highest level since 2014.
While it looks like gas prices won’t be slowing down anytime soon, there is a way to pay less at the pump, and it involves downloading the GasBuddy app to your phone.
GasBuddy lets you find the nearest gas stations so you can fill up when you’re almost on E. More importantly, it lets you see who’s offering the lowest price, so you don’t overpay.
Even better, you can get a free gas card from GasBuddy.com to save up to 25 cents per gallon. Once you have the card, link it to your debit card and swipe it at the pump. The discount will then go directly to your bank account for immediate savings.
Want even more savings? If you have a fuel loyalty card from a gas station you frequent like Shell or Circle K, you can stack it with your GasBuddy card for an even deeper discount.
2. Pay zero for tolls.
Rising gas prices aren’t the only thing that’s making travel more expensive, as it seems as if tolls are going up too. Luckily, there are several ways to steer clear of tolls, making it easy to keep more money in your pocket.
If you want to take the old-fashioned route of creating your own driving route, head to TollGuru.com. It will show you where the tolls are in each state so you can go around them.
For a more hassle-free toll-avoiding approach, use the Waze app, MapQuest, or Google Maps on your phone. You can also use a GPS. Any one of those should have an option to avoid tolls in their settings, so you won’t have to fork over any cash on the way to your destination.
3. Save on food.
Unless you’re settled into a cozy Airbnb with a full kitchen, you probably won’t be doing any cooking during your road trip. And since eating out can be expensive, you should try to find deals and coupons to lower your food costs.
Here are two resources to help you do just that:
- RetailMeNot.com LocalSaver.com
Visit those sites and enter the zip code of the location where you plan to make a stop. They’ll tell you who has the latest deals and discounts on dine-in and take-out.
4. Enjoy free entertainment.
You don’t need a ton of cash to enjoy the sights of a new city. You just need to know where to look to find free and low-cost events, such as these two sites:
- Facebook.com/events – Be sure to adjust your city on the events settings page to get accurate results.
- Eventbrite.com
You can also go to Groupon.com, change the location to your desired spot, and find discounts in the “Things to Do” section.
