(6/21/2006)
- Andrew Malek
 
Gasoline prices continue to rise, costing you money. At the risk of dating this article, previously unseen U.S. gas prices of over $3.00 are now common in some areas. I know those in Europe and elsewhere pay much more, but we can agree over the past year that many countries have recently seen huge spikes.
 
Rising gas prices affect all of us in some degree. Unless you walk, your cost of commuting to work increases. The prices of goods climb due to increased transportation costs. How can you decrease the impact on your pocketbook?
 
Luckily the Internet offers many different ways to help ease your burden. Note that many of these sites are geared towards the United States.
 

 
1. Search for Cheaper Gas Prices Online
 
Cheaper gasoline prices may be available but tough to find. Instead of driving from station to station checking for cheap prices or traveling 20 miles out of the way, try the following sites:

GasBuddy.com - http://www.gasbuddy.com/
GasPriceWatch.com - http://www.gaspricewatch.com/
 
Carefully read the times reported for the gasoline prices! The cost of gas can rise or fall sharply (though it tends to do more of the former) in the span of a few hours.
 
2. Use Mapping Services to Plan Your Trips More Wisely
 
It just makes sense that if you know where you're going and don't get lost, you'll require less gas getting there. Browse these websites to help you plan your journey; some even display satellite maps to further assist your travels:
 
Google Maps - http://maps.google.com/
MapQuest - http://www.mapquest.com/
MSN Maps and Directories - http://maps.msn.com/
Windows Live Local - http://local.live.com/
 
Though very helpful, use the above sites as a guide as 100% accuracy is never guaranteed.
 

 
3. Find Nearby Stores
 
Don't travel miles and miles out of the way and spend more money on gas to go somewhere when an equivalent store is just around the corner!

Google Maps - http://maps.google.com
 
For example, I can query "pizza 30338" to find several eating establishments in or nearby Dunwoody, GA.
 
InfoSpace - http://www.infospace.com/
 
Using InfoSpace's "Near an address" feature on their front page, enter in your street address and type of business, and find close-by businesses never previously noticed while on the road. This beats driving elsewhere and spending more money on gas!
 
Traffic Cameras and Free Shipping Sites...
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