Regardless of when you read this article it is safe to say that gas prices are going through the roof. With turmoil in the middle east causing supply to shrink and slight economic growth causing demand to rise there is little one can do but watch the gas prices go higher and higher. Its not just gas prices that are on the rise, considering North America’s heavy reliance on goods being moved by trucks the prices of just about everything are going up. Your food, your electric bill, just about anything you buy has costs linked to the price of gas.

So why are we so sensitive to a one or two cent change in gas but never complain about the rising cost of a dvd or a dish? For one thing we buy gas every week, sometime multiple times for a week. You know how much it costs to fill up the tank and tend to notice when it starts costing more. The biggest reason we notice changes in the price of gas is because the gas stations are nice enough to post the cost of the gas down to the hour on a big billboard outside the gas station. It is one of the few products the average consumer purchases that is based on daily/hourly market prices. In reality you are likely getting better pricing on gas than anything else that you buy, but people are more likely to complain about gas because the true cost and the pricing are constantly visible. Will realizing this make you feel better about shelling out more cash at the gas pumps? Of course not, as they say ignorance is bliss and even after reading this gas prices will continue to annoy consumers everywhere.

Luckily there is a way to save money on gas, the next time you fill up the tank remember that there are ways you can save money at the gas pump. The first method will already be familiar to those of you with a Costco membership. Many Costo and some supermarkets have their own branded gas stations in their store parking lots. The idea is that you can go get some gas and hopefully do some shopping while you there. In return the store will offer gas that tends to be much cheaper than gas from brand name stations like Arco, BP, Chevron or Shell. Make sure you do the math before you take advantage of this option, if you are going to be shopping at these stores anyways then it is a good deal but if you would not buy a member ship to these stores otherwise the membership fee may not outweigh your gas savings.

Another method for saving money at the pumps is by using a discount gas gift card. You can find discount gift cards online; Giftah.com offers a wide variety of discount gas gift card, you can always find lots of BP gift card or Arco gift cards. There is free shipping and no taxes on all orders, so don’t worry about running into any hidden fees. The nice thing about this website is it is very transparent. What you see is what you get, just remember that not all of the cards listed on the site are new, some have been previously owned. The card will store work fine but you might not want to use a used card in a birthday gift. If you ever get sick of gas prices all together and decide to sell your car then you can also use Giftah.com to sell your gift cards. They will give you cash for any of your unwanted cards.

Finally you can consider signing up for a credit card that offers cash back when you purchase gas. There are many co-branded credit cards offered by gas companies that will give you a discount at their stations. There are even some cash back credit cards that will give you cash back on any gas you buy from any station. These offer more value as the price from company to company can fluctuate. You don’t want to be tied down to using one specific station or may not be able to find the brand you want when you are on the go.

With these three techniques you will be putting more cash back in your pocket everyday. Transpiration costs already make up a large portion of most peoples budgets and those costs are only going to keep rising. Get ahead of the game and save some money you can even start saving up for a hybrid or electric car!