Money Blue Book

Periodically throughout the year, Citibank cancels out old expired promotional offers and issues new ones to entice first time customers to open new Citibank checking and savings accounts. While I’m already a long time Citibank customer and won’t be able to qualify for the latest Citibank promo deals, I still like to keep tabs and updates on all free money offers out there (whether banking or credit card related).

I’ve edited and updated my compiled list of Citibank promotion codes with the latest active bonus offers for new Citi banking customers:

• Currently, Citibank is providing a new $200 bonus deposit offer with the opening of a new Citi checking account (Promo offer code: CEMX). This offer expires on June 30, 2008.

• Citibank is also offering a new bonus offer for 16,000 Citi Thank You Network reward points with the opening of a brand new qualifying Citi checking account (Promo offer code: CSVL). The promotional Thank You points are instantly redeemable for the equivalent of a free $150 gift card. The new Citi account holder will also get to earn triple Thank You Network points for 1 year. This offer expires on July 31, 2008.

Citibank Is A Decent Banking Option For New Checking Account Customers - Not So Much For Savings Accounts However

For those of you out there who have yet to settle on or select a primary bank to handle your banking funds and transactions, you may want to take a look at what Citibank has to offer. While they offer pretty unimpressive interest rates for a major national or international bank, they do make up for lower yields in other ways. While I have a hard time recommending Citibank for savings or money market accounts due to their comparatively lower interest yield offerings, I do recommend their checking accounts.

Usually when it comes to choosing banks, I look at three major components - (1) Office branch locations and ATM convenience, (2) Online website versatility and functionality, and (3) Account interest rate competitiveness. However, when it comes to checking accounts, the interest rate component is far less important of a consideration than the first two factors. Most savvy banking consumers adopt or should adopt the practice of routinely transferring excess deposit money to high interest savings where the funds can properly earn and accrue interest. The amount that sits in the checking account should thus be the bare minimum necessary to cover daily expense turnover and fulfill emergency fund needs. As such, the minimal amount that resides in the actively used checking account will likely benefit more from the wealth of branch office and ATM locations, and a well developed online account management interface than any high interest offering. After reviewing the features offered by other prominent banks, I chose Citibank as my primary bank years ago due to its thorough national banking presence and well maintained online website for handling account transactions.

I can almost always find a Citibank location wherever I go and Citi ATM’s are everywhere. Their ATM presence has multiplied tremendously ever since they partnered up with 7-11 convenience stores to offer Citibank branded ATM’s, giving Citibank customers access to a much larger network of surcharge free locations to perform their banking.

In addition, as I perform the vast majority of my checking transactions electronically, having a clean, robust, and secure banking website interface to handle my active checking account transactions is very important to me - and Citibank fits the bill quite well.

Along with Citibank, Bank of America is another popular and widely accessible checking option as well, with bank branches and ATM’s everywhere. They too offer free money promotions as well for new customer accounts - take a look at my updated list of Bank of America promotion codes.

Have you tried out the Capital One Card Lab program from Capital One credit cards yet? It allows you to build your own custom credit card using a pretty nifty online gadget. This novel web based feature from Capital One represents a promising shift and emerging trend in the credit card business towards providing customers more control and choice over the credit card selection process - by allowing them to create and set the terms and conditions of their credit card rewards and promotional offers. This is a growing movement that I hope is ultimately picked up by the other top credit card companies like Citibank, Chase, American Express, and Discover as well.

While credit cards and financial services in general have a history and reputation of being dry, complex, and frequently confusing, Capital One’s new Card Lab online tool tries to make the application and selection process more entertaining and engaging, while still staying informatively functional at its core. The company’s improved workshop tool gives customers a glimpse at the future of credit card creation, personalization, and customization. Through its convenient Card Lab website, users and prospective customers are given full informational control of the online application cycle, as the site offers interactive tools that permit them to select from a menu of credit card interest rate terms and rebate rewards to build their own unique credit card program to meet their needs. By providing consumers greater control and manipulative access to all card variations and reward terms in a way that is accessible and organized, the Card Lab program enables them to make more informed and financially responsible choices.

The Attraction and Appeal Of The Capital One Card Lab Stems From Its Interactive Power to Create Something To Call Your Own

The Capital One Credit Card Lab website offers an array of customization options related to interest rate, annual fee, cash back rebates, airline miles rewards, promotional balance transfer offers, and even the print design on the plastic card face. The graphically driven and interactive Capital One card selection tool allows consumers to select the combination of card features that are most important to them and provides an experience that even has an element of fun. The company’s attempts to market the Capital One Card Lab as an entertaining financial product selection tool is certainly evident in the way it has been promoting the tool through humorous television commercials and print advertising. While the Capital One Card Lab commercials still tout the obligatory and catchy Capital One “What’s In Your Wallet” slogan, one of the goofier Card Lab commercials features a decked out evil galactic empire space ruler and his backdrop army of red robotic soldiers standing at the ready and preparing to exercise the new found triumph and power to create one’s own custom Capital One credit card, complete with a picture - of all things, kittens. The quirky request prompts his crazy eyed cyborg sidekick to inquisitively exclaim “War kittens”?! With commercials like that, Capital One is obviously attempting to inject some light-heartedness and fun into the do it yourself build-a-card experience.

The Capital One Card Lab Gets High Marks For Allowing Credit Card Users To Build Their Own Unique Cards, Complete With The Option To Add Their Own Images

If you take a look at how companies are changing the way they do business these days, it’s not hard to see that the newest emerging tend is geared towards offering the ability to customize and personalize. Companies are finally starting to realize that one size does not always fit all and that it can be more profitable for them to market customizable variations rather than trying to pigeon hole one type to fit everyone. Because people are different, what may be suitable for one individual or lifestyle may not be the most appropriate package for another. For example, when it comes to credit card offers, I personally prefer reward credit cards that provide cash back rebates, airline miles rewards, or some other form of high percentage back purchase incentive. Of course the downside is that reward credit cards tend to impose higher interest rates than non-reward credit cards, but it’s a tradeoff I recognize and accept. But at the same time, not everyone is interested in purchase rebate rewards. Some are content with not having any purchase incentives, and prefer the peace of mind of having a fixed low interest rate credit card. Others seek card offers for the credit card sign up promotions that they offer exclusively, while others look to credit cards as a potential source of interest free loans through balance transfer offers. Some consumers actually care what the design and color of their plastic card looks like, while other couldn’t care less. The concept of different strokes for different folks is very true - which makes the ability to build your own credit card a very attractive option. After all, vehicle manufacturers already allow us to go online and design our custom dream cars, complete with optimized color and features, and online music stores already allow us to pick and choose our individual songs rather than have to purchase an entire music album - so why not credit cards?

The functional and marketing appeal of Capital One’s Card Lab is rather ingenious if you think about it. While the Card Lab site may seen a bit whimsical and silly with its interactive graphics and functions, the company truly understands that the best way to build prospective customers into loyal and active card users is to get them to develop an emotional bond or attachment to a particular product so that they’ll want to use it over the other credit card options sitting in their wallets. Frequently this emotional and personal attachment comes from having had a hand in the product or service’s creation.

I remember when I designed and customized my very first own vehicle using the manufacturer’s online web tool before visiting the car dealership to purchase it. When I finally bought it, there was something very personal and unique about the car that I wouldn’t have been able to feel if I was merely told the car came in only one style, with no distinctive accessories or additions, and only in one color choice - like one of those old black Model T Fords in the old days. Similarly, I remember back when I was a freshman in college and stumbled upon an online application for a Garfield cartoon branded credit card that I decided to apply for. While the card offered no significant reward benefits or provided any special interest rate offer, I was still intrigued and got a kick out of carrying around a Garfield adorned card. Everytime I pulled the credit card out at the supermarket, the person operating the cash register would always smile and make a pleasant remark about it. The Garfield card certainly got noticed. While there was nothing particularly special about the card other than having a big Garfield cartoon picture on the face of it, I felt unique and differentiated by just having it.

The Capital One Card Lab Tool Also Gets Positive Reviews For Its Interactivity and Ability To Easily Mix and Match Credit Card Offers

One of my big likes about the Capital One Card Lab program is the ability to easily sort through all available Capital One credit card offers with a few clicks of the mouse. Simply by selecting a few card features, the user gets to see how their give or take selection of certain preferred options affect the ability to have other card features. The Capital One Card Lab offers a whole new area of credit card transparency and financial awareness for consumers, enabling them to see in real time the trade-offs that are necessary to create the credit card that works for them. As choices are made, the Card Lab tool narrows the options in the remaining categories, eliminating options that don’t work together. For example, consumers who are willing to select higher interest rates may be entitled to higher cash back reward percentages for purchases, and those who are willing to pay a small annual fee can earn rewards and frequent flyer airline miles faster. The Capital One Card Lab also provides important education into key credit card account terms while the applicant moves along the process. By proceeding through the step by step selection program, card applicants are given the interactive and important opportunity to understand the key trade offs to the choices they make.

To start making your own custom Capital One credit card with Card Lab, just hit the “Get Started” link, and you’ll start the design process. Based on your FICO credit score, first select your credit level among “Excellent”, “Above Average”, “Needs Improvement”, and “Limited History”. Then, you can choose from the following card features: “Basic Rewards”, “Additional Rewards”, “Introductory APR on Purchases”, “APR on Balance Transfers”, “Annual Percentage Rate (APR)”, and “Annual Fee”. As you click on various options, you’ll notice that the option selection process is an inherent give or take as certain more lucrative rebate rewards will result in certain other offers being moved off the table. You can certainly try to create the world’s best credit card offer by choosing all the best rewards and credit card promotions to its maximum potential, but not surprisingly, you won’t be able to select a super credit card offer featuring 2% cash back for all purchases with double 2x rewards for gas, groceries, and travel, with a 12 month 0% APR balance transfer and purchase period, with 6.9% APR, and no annual fee. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to try and you can always play around with the Capital One Card Lab to see what options preclude what features.

Note that all of your card choices will obviously come with the standard and usual Capital One credit card benefits such as having no foreign currency transaction fee, regardless of what Card Lab features you select. Capital One is one of only a tiny number of major credit card issuers that don’t charge foreign currency fees for transactions made overseas and abroad. All of the other major issuers including Citibank, Chase, and American Express levy them to different degrees.

Finally, after having selected your card reward features and satisfied your what-if curiosity through the mix and matching card selection process, the most interesting and perhaps most attractive credit card customization feature of the Capital One Card Lab is the ability to choose the custom image or graphical design that will be printed on your new plastic card. The graphic isn’t just a tiny photo of your face that appears on some Citibank Platinum credit cards, but rather encompasses the entire face of the card. While the program currently requires applicants to get approved for their Capital One credit card before they can send in their own custom card design to be printed on their card, the company is actively working towards allowing customers the ability to upload their own images onto the credit card right from the start during the application process. Can you imagine the variety of custom photos, graphics, and designs you could put on it? You could put a family portrait photo shot on your new Capital One credit card or you could put an image of your beloved pet dog, cat, or parrot on it - anything that suits your fancy. All of these customization tools and educational features of the Card Lab process certainly will help the company go a long way in building long term customer loyalty and confidence.

While Having The Complete Freedom Of Options And Power To Build Your Own Credit Card Offer Can Be Overwhelming and Hassling For Some, The Capital One Card Lab Does A Good Job Of Making It Easy

Personally, I love having a lot of choices at my disposal, but at the same time, I understand why certain people might not welcome an interactive tool that features the ability to maximize and customize. The Capital One Card Lab software does take a little bit of tinkering around to figure out what program offer works the best for you. While I already understand the tradeoff system inherent in all credit card terms and already know what type of rebate rewards I seek in my ideal credit card offer, many don’t. One can liken it to standing in front of the toothpaste, soap, or shampoo section at the supermarket. The wealth and variety of personal hygiene products, brands, and terminologies at your local grocery store shelf can be a bit mind boggling at times. Sometimes having too many options can make the selection process for the perfect product a bit daunting. While I think the Capital One Card Lab does a very good job of organizing all of their card offer options into an easily accessible and mildly amusing interactive program for consumers, I suppose there will always be some lazy people (like my brother) who prefer to have their standard credit card options narrowed down to a recommended few and essentially handed to them.

My online messaging routine was doing fine for a while. Every morning I would check my Yahoo e-mail account for messages, and then go about my regular work day, periodically checking back for personal and business related messages. Since I forward and consolidate all of my personal, work, and blog business related emails to one account with Yahoo, I have one easy point of access to my messages - essentially one well oiled emailing machine. Of course, there was always the occasional spam, but that was usually manageable - until now - until the Nigerians struck, and struck hard.

Spammers and Scammers Are Relentless And They Can Afford To Be - Sending E-Mail Lures With Scam Bait Doesn’t Cost A Thing

Starting very recently, I’ve been receiving nearly 20-30 spam related messages everyday. I have no idea how they are effectively evading my spam filters, but they are. These spam messages are driving me absolutely crazy and are irritating to say the least. But one can’t help but find some amusement from the content of these desperate messages. These spam letters that flood the web are mostly from the poor African country of Nigeria - sent by notorious computer users who run well documented Nigerian 419 scam operations. You know when you receive one of these classic Nigerian 419 spam letters as they are pretty recognizable. Usually the Nigerians use very flowery, British style English comprised of exaggerated legalese-type terminology to make the content appear more legitimate. However, oftentimes their lame use of the English language borders on comical and their complete lack of understanding regarding American and western male and female names makes me chuckle. For some reason they have a habit of using the funniest and oddest fake first and last names - using common first names as last names, and improperly matching up male and female names - like Peter John, Mark Donna, or Smith Karen for example - frequently it’s pretty obvious they’re fake names as the names simply sound unnatural. But then again, these Nigerians and African spammers are not incredibly bright. They may be criminally and diabolically clever, but they are not exactly all that well educated or worldly. They resort more to the law of probability and the long held truism that “a sucker’s born every minute”. By casting a very wide net, even their ill conceived attempts may net at least one or two potential biting fish in the long haul.

It’s not just the crazy Nigerians either, spammers and scammers live in other countries as well - all beyond the reasonable reach of established arms of law and justice. Most of them approach the spam and scam business utilizing the same typical shot gun approach. Since the Internet affords the ability to send out many messages at relatively little to no cost, they are able to send out massive amounts of spam emails to potential victims with one click of the mouse or a single tap of the keyboard. Perhaps 75% of their spam messages will be screened out by domain or email spam filters, and perhaps another 90% of those that don’t get filtered out are ultimately deleted by the recipients immediately. However, a small percentage will still get through and a small percentage will be read, and an even smaller percentage will ultimately fall for the scam bait. While the chances of an unwitting recipient acting acting upon the message and replying back to the Nigerian scammer are slim, some people still do.

Frankly, these scammers from Nigeria, Eastern Europe, and South East Asia have nothing to lose - the scams are usually quite profitable for them. Take the Nigerians for example - they live in a wasteland of a country - with a corrupt government, lax law enforcement, high unemployment, with little semblance of an economy. Any amount of money they can siphon from American citizens or that of other western countries is worth the effort and time. To them, there is simply very little risk involved since their government and police enforcement officials either turn a blind eye to their antics, don’t care, or are simply too financially overwhelmed to take on the challenge of cracking down on computer crimes.

Although I may have some sympathy for the poor economic lives the scammers must live in their native countries, their criminal attempts at trickery often leave me coldly and sarcastically insensitive. However, that doesn’t mean I can’t amuse myself with their lame shenanigans. That’s why I sometimes enjoy reading spam emails - they’re funny. They really amuse me - like something from the funny pages. Today I received an email from poor “Madam Ruth Moses” who addressed me as “dearly beloved in Christ”, stating that she was “suffering from a cancerous ailment” and that she was “married to Engineer Gilbert Moses an Englishman who is dead”. Apparently they lived a life of charity of helping the “down trodden and the less-privileged individuals”. Evidently she now has $4.4 million US dollars in some African bank due to a large financial payout stemming from her husband’s untimely death in a car accident that she is unable to retrieve, and is willing to give me a 25% cut if I assist by providing her a “small process charge” to help facilitate the release. Oh how generous and noble of Mrs. Moses - especially since she enjoys citing biblical passages in her message to me, for as she puts it “The Almighty will fight my case and I shall hold my peace.” Comical, yet pretty pathetic. If I ever had the chance to meet any of these spammers, I’d laugh at their face for 15 minute straight.

I Am Now Very Distrustful and Extremely Paranoid About Doing Business Or Any Online Communication With Residents From Proven Scam and Spam Prevalent Countries

Unfortunately, what scammers with their spam emails have done is made me very distrustful of anyone from traditional scam haven countries. The list of countries mainly stem from poor, and legally and socially undeveloped countries like Nigeria, Ukraine, Romania, Bulgaria, and Indonesia, but it also covers countries like Russia as well. Many of these third world countries either have corrupt governments or are constantly experiencing tribal warfare and upheaval that prevent stable law and judicial enforcement to flourish. But as of now, I would never do any online business with people who live in those countries at the present time. I’ve already been tricked once and after my one time experience of getting scammed during my post college years, I’ve learned my lesson. It may not be politically correct, but I think it’s a smart business move to refrain from doing any online or Internet transactions with anyone from these countries - the financial risks are simply too high. My purpose for rejecting individuals from these countries is not to stir up racial, ethnic, or even social controversy, but simply to protect my own financial interests, so please don’t take offense. I would gladly do business with them and so would millions of American merchants on eBay, Craigslist, and other online stores if only fraud wasn’t such a huge and rampant problem in those parts of the world.

I run a few small online eBay and weblog businesses (take a look at my ebay business guide), and these days the quickest way to turn me off and cause me to reject your business proposition right off the bat is to say you’re from Africa - it frankly doesn’t matter which country in Africa. I have yet to meet a single African country (aside from South Africa, although that’s debatable as well) that I trust to do business with. The rampant scams and spams that originate from that continent have turned me into a hyper-vigilant person. Most African countries simply have undeveloped legal systems that prevent merchants or publishers like myself from being able to bring legal action to effectuate contractual disputes. That is why the U.S. is such a great country. Despite our over-lawyered and lawsuit-happy society, we have a perfected legal system that ensures legal disputes have a forum to be heard and resolved. Scammers and spammers have a much more difficult time operating their illegal craft here in this country. A few foreign rotten apples have really ruined the whole international tree and apple pile, but online entrepreneurs like myself have to do to what it takes to protect ourselves and our interests. It may seem racist and prejudicial to rule out a whole segment of the world’s population, but it’s not - it’s just smart business.

Despite eBay’s attempts to provide it’s buyers and sellers with more purchase and selling protection, many if not most major eBay Power Sellers now refuse to ship to certain dangerous countries, such as Nigeria or Indonesia. A sizable number of merchants have even ruled out shipping to any foreign destination due to the prevalence of scammers living overseas where they are shielded from prosecution. It’s terrible what these online and Internet scammers have done to the whole industry. These days as I browse through business propositions and offers I receive over email on a regular basis, even African sounding surnames, African cities (like Lagos, scam capital of Nigeria), African banks, and anything to do with Africa trigger glaring red flags when I evaluate Internet commerce deals. So if your online business is based in Africa, I’m sorry, but I don’t want to do business with you at this time. Perhaps someday when your government stabilizes and sets up a legal system that will protect and ensure my legal and contractual interests I will consider it. But until then, too bad so sad. If you are a legitimate African, East European, or South East Asian business, don’t be offended if established western and far east Asian businesses demand strenuous proof of identity and extra evidence of trustworthiness before doing business with you.

All About The Nigerian 419 Advance Fee Fraud - Also Known As The Check Cashing Scam (For Those Not Familiar With What They Are)

The classic Nigerian 419 scam has been around for a long time but scam success didn’t fully take off until the advent of the Internet and the World Wide Web. The country of Nigeria has all the essential ingredients that has enabled it to become the worldwide hub of Internet and computer crimes. The country is not only dirt poor, but unemployment is incredibly high, and the government is hopelessly corrupt and incompetent. The country also happens to be an English speaking nation - making it all the more easier for select scammers to communicate with their primarily English speaking victims all over the world. The 419 numeric designation refers to the Nigerian Criminal Code that covers the crime of fraudulently obtaining property through false pretenses. Unfortunately the 419 criminal code is a mockery of the Nigerian legal and criminal enforcement system as the laws in that country are frequently ignored and flaunted, thereby allowing scammers and spammers to run rampant with little fear of accountability. The Nigerian 419 scams have recently developed into a world wide epidemic of Internet fraud crimes that have branched and spun off into other criminal areas such as: charity scams, romance scams, lottery scams, and even threats of violence and extortion scams.

In its most common form, the Nigerian 419 fraud is also known as the Nigerian advance fee scam. The process works by its ability to successfully build trust and emotional confidence with the alleged victim over time, and ultimately persuade him or her to provide confidential financial information or to send sums of money for the possibility of a much larger gain in return. The scam appeals to human greed and the fallible desire to inherently trust others. Through easy and unregulated access to Internet cafe computers and connections, Nigerian scammers have been able to harvest e-mail addresses and contact information to use in their elaborate scams. With potential victim contact information in hand, they usually submit massive amounts of electronic letters to recipients though deceptive means such as spoofed email letters, and cleverly disguised and graphically adorned emails that hide their malicious intent and true source. Oftentimes they’ll write and pretend to be a wealthy heiress or someone who is terminally ill and dying from a disease like cancer, and plead with the recipient for an amount of money in exchange for the promise that they will pay back the amount plus more. Oftentimes they will cleverly claim that they have access to or are in control of a vast financial fortune to which they would be willing to offer the recipient a huge portion as a reward if he or she would provide some upfront money first.

These scam letters are frequently very, very elaborate, as they often disguise the email meta headers to make them seem like they came from legitimate sources such as governmental agencies (like the classic IRS email scam letter for example). Sometimes the headers aren’t even disguised all that well, but the messages still contain content indicative of a mass spam campaign to artificially inflate the stock price of a particular financial investment (penny stock scam spam). Oftentimes they’ll make references to real life current events such as tragic disasters or make reference to official business developments such as laying claim to being connected with some wealthy foreign business developer in the news. Oftentimes they utilize fake phone numbers that can’t be tracked down. One common ploy of the advance fee scam is to send the recipient a fraudulent Western Union or fake personal check for a very large amount of money, and write to the recipient to apologize for the excess amount that was sent and ask for a portion back in supposed good faith. The recipient, thinking he or she will get to keep a large portion for their services, deposits the fake check and cuts out a legitimate sum of money that he or she then sends to the scammers. In time, the check will undoubtedly bounce, forcing the recipient to swallow his or her losses with the bank - an unfortunate result that still happens despite attempts to thoroughly educate the public on the prevalence of Internet scams and how they work.

Because I rely on public transportation for the vast majority of my work related commute, I don’t track gas and oil price fluctuations as closely as someone who drives regularly. While I do notice the indirect correlative effects of pricier gas in the way of higher food prices (and wow are food prices getting more expensive these days), I don’t usually realize how high gas prices have spiked until I find myself pumping my own gas. While returning home from a cross country drive to visit a friend in another state this weekend, I noticed I was running low on gas. I scanned the interstate highway horizon for the cheapest regular gas price I could find, and was stunned at how far up gas prices had risen. Only a few weeks and months ago, gas prices were still holding steady at $3.00 a gallon. Now they’ve climbed to within the $4.00 striking range. I filled up my Honda Accord and looked at the final tally - $44.50. Nearby I could hear the profanity-laden mutterings of other disgruntled drivers as they filled up their vehicles with pricey gasoline. Next to me a big pick-up truck pulled up - definitely a $125.00 filler-upper.

Until the fuel scientists and federal government decide to seriously combat the problem of high gas prices and fuel shortages with subsidies and research grants for the development of alternative energy, all we can do as consumers is to try to find common-sensical ways to reduce our fuel consumption and minimize what we pay at the pump. Public transportation options through car pooling, riding public buses, and taking the subway are some of the frugal ways to save money on gas by ditching the car altogether, but for some people those aren’t feasible solutions - and for others, they simply love their cars too much. Buying a hybrid gas and electric powered vehicle is another way to save gas money. However, buying a hybrid requires a sizable upfront investment that is not suitable for many at this time. Thus, I want to turn my attention primarily to helping drivers like myself who own plain old fossil fuel gas guzzlers. Even for regular drivers like us who jet around in our old fashioned gas powered vehicles, it doesn’t mean we have to give up an arm or a leg at the gas station.

Here Are A Few Simple And Easy Ways To Save Money On Gas:

1) Lighten Your Car and Keep Your Vehicle Engine Well Maintained and Tires Properly Inflated - The heavier your vehicle, the more gas is required to power it. For example, if you drive one of those large Good Humor ice cream trucks as your primary vehicle, you are most definitely going to consume much more fuel than if you drove a tiny compact Honda Civic. Thus the lighter you can make your car, truck, or van, the more fuel efficiently your vehicle will run and the less gas it will consume, thereby saving you more money on gas.

For the longest time I use to store stacks of water bottle pallets in my car. Whenever I bought 24-packs from the grocery store, rather than lugging them up to my apartment, I usually left the 4 or 5 large pallets in the trunk until I needed one. Little did I realize at the time how much unnecessary weight I was adding to my vehicle - forcing it to consume more fuel to power it. Any excess weight you can eliminate from your vehicle will help you save money on gas in the long run, and this includes from both personal cargo and passengers.

Other than reducing your vehicle’s weight, you can also ensure optimum fuel performance by keeping your tires properly inflated, as air has a natural tendency to seep out. By keeping your tires well inflated, you minimize the surface contact area they have with the road, thereby ensuring that less friction is created when you drive, which results in better gas mileage. Keep in mind that in cold weather, tires tend to be a little saggy as air compresses in cold temperatures. In warmer weather, tires puff up as air expands. I always make it a point to check my car tire pressure at the start of every new season to keep them in line with developing weather and changing temperatures. Your proper tire pressure number can be obtained from that little sticker in your driver side door jam or from your vehicle owner’s manual. I always keep my car manual in the glove compartment with a little yellow tab on the tire pressure page just in case I need to reference it.

You should always keep an eye on your engine light as well, to make sure the engine is running at peak efficient performance. If it’s making strange gurgling noises or running a bit sluggish, it may be time to take it to the car repair shop. Proper and regular oil changes help to keep your car running smooth and well lubricated, however be sure not to spend unnecessary money performing oil changes too frequently. Follow your vehicle’s manual for oil change guidance to avoid falling into the oil change trap.

2) Adjust Your Driving Habits To Maximize Fuel Efficiency and Reduce Drag - For those of you fortunate enough to have a fuel efficiency gauge on your dashboard, you may have noticed that certain driving activities cause fuel consumption to drop and other activities cause fuel consumption to increase.

The two actions that requires the most fuel to perform are those that demand rapid performance such as quick stops and quick accelerations. Forcing your car to suddenly stop by hitting the gas pedal requires more fuel than letting your vehicle roll to a natural halt. Similarly, when you jam the gas pedal to accelerate quickly, a lot more gas power is needed to bring your vehicle into sudden rapid motion than a slow, gradual building of speed.

If you want to save money on gas by maximizing your car’s fuel efficiency, learn to become a driver of moderation. Don’t accelerate or brake suddenly. Look and scan ahead to anticipate your next movement so that you can cruise to stops and allow gentle accelerations. By adopting a more temperate driving approach, you can easily boost your fuel performance and gas mileage by 10-20% or more. Obviously highway driving is best because you are able to maintain a consistent speed, thereby ensuring peak fuel performance. The stop and go driving style of rush hour traffic is the worst when it comes to fuel efficiency.

As for reducing wind drag, the key to remember is that drag is most pronounced when you are traveling fast. For most vehicles, peak fuel efficiency usually occurs at the highest transmission gear at lower speeds. At higher speeds in excess of 50 miles per hour, wind resistance increases exponentially, forcing your car to work harder to maintain the same speed. If you are a fast driver like me or spend most of your time on the highways, you should drive with your windows up to improve gas performance and save money. On slower local roads, driving with the windows down isn’t as big of a wind resistance issue.

3) Use Regular Gas and Avoid Premium Gas Unless Recommended By the Manufacturer - Other than the oil change myth, the premium fuel myth is one that many drivers unwittingly buy into. These days, cars don’t need more expensive premium fuel to run smoothly and resist engine wear. Other than price, the thing that separates regular fuel from premium fuel is octane content. Regular gas has an octane rating of 87, mid grade gas is 89, and premium gas is usually about 91 or 92. Octane has nothing to due with fuel power or the cleanliness, but rather refers to the ability of the fuel to resist engine knocking or pinging, which occurs when the fuel air mixture ignites abnormally or prematurely in your engine, causing inefficient explosions. Improperly timed firings can potentially inhibit proper performance and may ultimately hurt your engine hardware. However, modern cars contain engine sensors that regulate knocks and pings that work just as well with regular fuel as with premium. Most cars derive no appreciable benefit from using premium fuel, and usually only high performance vehicles, particular ones equipped with superchargers or turbochargers require higher octane fuel.

As always, the best advice is to follow what your car manufacturer advises on the matter. If you car owner’s manual calls for only regular fuel, then there is no reason to use higher grade fuel. Some manuals will indicate that premium fuel is either recommended or suggested for best performance, however regular fuel will usually work just as well. Only when premium is actually indicated to be necessary and required should you spend extra money on premium gas.

4) Seek Out Generic Gas Stations That Offer The Cheapest Gas Prices - When I buy gas, I scout for the gas station that offers me the lowest price for regular grade gas. I pay absolutely no attention to the brand - acknowledging no distinction between Exxon Mobil, Shell, BP, Sunoco, Citgo, or Cletus’ Gas Shack. In my opinion, the fuel they offer are all substantially the same. The only difference between one gasoline brand from another is the type of additives mixed in with the fuel. Supposedly as the marketing hype goes, the additives keep your engine running cleaner. However, current Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regulations already mandate detergent additives for all fuel mixtures. Thus you shouldn’t buy into clever advertising buzzwords or catchy additive names that pricier oil companies use to make their fuel brands seem more impressive than they actually are. All you will be doing is throwing good money away.

Of course, there will always be suckers out there who will insist that one fuel is better than the other for whatever brand loyalty or placebo reasons. If it’ll make you feel better to use a brand of fuel like Exxon as opposed to a lower priced one like Citgo, then be my guest. Personally, the only reason why I would avoid a particular low priced gas station would be if they only took cash payment and not credit cards.

5) Use Gas Credit Cards To Earn Cash Back Rewards and Gas Rebates - I use credit cards for everything, and using a gas credit card to earn cash back rewards on fuel purchases is no exception. Gas credit card rewards vary but the best offers are currently floating in the 5% cash back range. Take a look at my list of gas credit card rewards for the best ones. If you fuel up often, saving 5% cash back rebate on every gas station purchase can help you save a lot of money over the course of a year. Of course, if you have trouble handling the use of reward credit cards, you may want to stick with cash.