HOW TO GET THE MOST OUT OF EVERY GALLON OF GAS

Here are some tips to know when you're buying gas. With prices skyrocketing, every little bit helps:

Only buy gasoline in the early morning when the ground temperature is still cold. Remember that all service stations have their storage tanks buried below ground. The colder the ground, the more dense the gasoline. When it gets warmer, gasoline expands, so buying in the afternoon or in the evening....your gallon is not exactly a gallon. In the petroleum business, the specific gravity and the temperature of the gasoline, diesel and jet fuel, ethanol and other petroleum product play an important role. A one-degree rise in temperature is a big deal for this business. But the service stations do not have temperature compensation at the pumps.

When you're filling up, do not squeeze the trigger of the nozzle to a fast mode. If you look, you will see that the trigger has three (3) stages: low, middle, and high. You should be pumping on low mode, thereby minimizing the vapors that are created while you are pumping. All hoses at the pump have a vapor return. If you are pumping on the fast rate, some of the liquid that goes to your tank becomes vapor. Those vapors are being sucked up and back into the underground storage tank so you're getting less worth for your money.

One of the most important tips is to fill up when your gas tank is HALF FULL. The reason for this: the more gas you have in your tank, the less air occupying its empty space. Gasoline evaporates faster than you can imagine. Gasoline storage tanks have an internal floating roof. This roof serves as zero clearance between the gas and the atmosphere, so it minimizes the evaporation.

Another reminder, if there is a gasoline truck pumping into the storage tanks when you stop to buy gas, DO NOT fill up; most likely the gasoline is being stirred up as the gas is being delivered, and you might pick up some of the dirt that normally settles on the bottom.

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A NEW WAY TO BUY POSTAGE

Postal rates continue to climb, and we've got a drawer full of Forever stamps because that's how we roll. But we wondered if we could do even better.

Everyone already knows to stock up on the Forever stamps, since they're good at face value even if/when the rates go up. Right?

But we bet you didn't know this:

If you go to a stamp and coin store, many will sell you unused stamps at at least 10% off face value. Apparently, stamps don't expire, so you can still use old stamps to mail new things. (Just make sure you're buying United States postage, not foreign stamps, and make sure that they're not canceled.)

Recently, Team CHEAPIOSITY bought some vintage postage stamps at our local stamp/coin store, and our discount was about 15% off face value. Cool. We used the stamps on some letters, and nothing has returned postage due, so we're concluding that our little scheme works just fine. Why the bargain, you ask?

Apparently, baby boomers and their parents started collecting stamps and coins as a post-war hobby (and investment), but so many of them did that there's a glut on the market. So many stamps were issued and saved that they haven't increased in value at all. Only stamp collections that date back to the 1940's and before have started to appreciate. Bad news for the baby boomer collectors, but good news for us bargain hunters who still traffic in snail mail.

And with Valentine's Day right around the corner, what could be more thoughtfully retro and hip than a Valentine's card sent with vintage postage stamps? You don't have to thank us.

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HOW TO AVOID MOST FEES

Let's face it, we are all getting nickeled and dimed and dollared to death with fees from airlines, banks, and everyone else who knows how to manipulate an overly trusting consumer using very small type and obfuscating language.

Here's a straightforward and user-friendly article from PopWallet on how to avoid the most egregious fees out there:

http://www.walletpop.com/2011/01/19/how-to-avoid-getting-nickel-and-dimed-with-fees/

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2011 COST CUTTING TIPS

Who doesn't want to save money? Who? Who? Who?

We've already told you about many of the following tips, but we figure a cost-cutting refresher course never hurt anyone. Take a look at this article from The NY Times:

http://travel.nytimes.com/2011/01/09/travel/09pracsave.html?src=un&feedurl=http%3A%2F%2Fjson8.nytimes.com%2Fpages%2Ftravel%2Findex.jsonp

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FREE CALLS

Yes, we all know about calling 800-FREE411 for directory assistance..

And yes, we know about free calling using Skype or Google Voice.

Thanks to a new service called FreePhone2Phone.com, you can make national and international calls for free. Listen to a 10- or 12-second ad and get 10 minutes of free calling to any of 55 countries. According to the company, 85 percent of all calls are under 10 minutes long, so most calls are covered.

Here’s the fine print:

Each call is limited to 10 minutes. A warning tone beeps every 5 seconds for the last half minute, and then you’re cut off.

If you try to call the same number again the same day, your call is limited to five minutes; this prevents you from exploiting the system by calling back over and over all day.

Calls overseas are mostly limited to landline numbers. Calling cellphones overseas is limited to a few industrialized countries.

There’s no reason you can’t make free phone calls to numbers in the United States, too, but this trick makes more sense if you have a landline.

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PERSONAL FINANCE TIPS FOR 2011

BankRate.com did an article on Personal Financial Tips for the new year. We thought it was worth sharing. We also thought that might not be the most provocative subject so we went a little overboard sexing up the graphics. We're sorry if we offend, but if you're still reading this, we weren't entirely wrong.

http://www.bankrate.com/finance/personal-finance/top-100-personal-finance-tips-for-2011.aspx

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FINDING CHEAP HOTEL RATES

Everyone's always looking for a good deal on a hotel. You can drive yourself crazy checking out sites like Hotels.Com, Expedia, Travelocity, etc. Very often you will find good deals on these sites, but taking another step can help you find even better deals.

These sites are call aggregators; you're probably familiar with Kayak, which we've talked about before. Sites like Kayak are not in the business of selling the rooms or flights or cars; they direct you to the sellers' site. On Expedia, you actually buy the service from them as an intermediary. Kayak has become cluttered with pop-ups for sites like Expedia or Priceline and others. While we like Kayak and still use it, there are other aggregators that we want to make you aware of:

www.Momondo.com The results appear on a map at the destination city. Particularly good for European cities, hotels, and flights.

www.hotelscombined.com

www.hotelly.com combs 48 travel sites, so you don't have to.

www.Hotelicopter.com combs some 30 sites.

www.Wego.com combs 42 sites.

So try these next time you're booking a room and save more dough. You're welcome.

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