I currently own an SUV and to fill up my car, I have to take out a loan…Well, maybe not that bad quite yet, but at nearly $100, I am just about willing to do anything to fill up for as cheap as possible. Whenever I take anecessary ride somewhere, I noticed the price of gas rising right before my eyes and it seems like yesterday, I was complaining over $1.92/gallon. I cannot help you get it back to that price, but I can help you save some gas money.

I’m pretty sure most of you have heard of the few places I am going to talk about since traffic to these sites are growing every day. “GasBuddy.com, which serves as an umbrella site for 180 regionalized sites covering some 170,000 gas stations in the U.S. and Canada, has seen more of a steady climb in traffic.” This site, and GasPriceWatcher essentially do the same thing – Find the cheapest gas prices in your vicinity. GasBuddy.com and GasPriceWatch.com, both 10-year-old sites, rely on their networks of registered members/spotters. Spotters are community members who are usually offered incentive points or a chance to win a “thank you” prize such as a discount on gas.

GasBuddy.com has one of the coolest features in what it calls its Gas Temperature Map, an interactive display of gas prices around the country, with areas color-coded according to their average price for regular unleaded gasoline. I was able to find some cheap gas this way, but that is not the only way to be alerted of cheap gas. It should be noted that new technologies have changed the way we consumers are accessing information from the gas price sites. Some are still looking at the sites on their PCs. But other gadgeteers, like me, are getting such information through in-car GPS systems, text messaging, and smartphone applications.

Make no mistake that these are not the only gas saving websites out there. There is also AAA’s Gas Price Finder, unlike the other two sites; this site uses data primarily from credit card transactions. MapQuest Gas Prices and MSN Gas Prices rely on data supplied by the Oil Price Information Service, a pricing database that collects information from 125,000 North American retail outlets.

There are many more services as well, such as:

FuelMeUp.com is a great Web service that is updated three times each day to help drivers get the best price on gas in their zip code. The site contains over 82,000 gas stations nationwide and the site boasts itself as reviewed, credible and helpful.FuelMeUp also explains the benefits of getting a gas rebate credit card to purchase your gas with; these cards provide money back when gas is purchased and sets your actual price per gallon way down.

FuelGo.com is a great service that you can use on the go! You just send a text message to gas@fuelgo.com with your current zip code in the message heading and you instantly receive a text message response with several gas stations offering the lowest fuel prices in the area. This service is free (with the exception of any text messaging charges you may have) and fuelgo.com claims fuel savings of up to 20%.

100LL.com If flying is your forte, 100LL.com is the choice for you to save money on aviation fuel. This Website provides information for pilots and is consistently updated with aviation fuel prices so you can be sure to save. I can imagine filling up a plane can be costly, so searching for the best deal on fuel is obviously a mandatory service. Pilots are able to use 100LL.com in route to their destinations and the site will give updated information on the best fuel-up spots, as well as discounted hotel reservations and airport details.

FuelEconomy.gov is an informational site that provides information on a plethora of fuel saving tips, energy efficient vehicles, vehicles that use alternative fuel, fuel cost calculator and much more. If you are an environment conscious individual, you will definitely want to read over this Website as it will help you make an environmentally friendly new car purchase and/or get the best efficiency out of the car that you are currently driving. You can compare cars side by side and you can also get MPG estimates from fellow drivers. This will save you lots of money in the long run! FuelEconomy.gov is also frequently updated and provides the 2008 MPG ratings.

eRideShare.com If you don’t like any of your coworkers then eRideShare.com is a great way to save wear and tear on your vehicle and keep money in your pocket. You are bound to find someone going your direction with eRideShare. This site makes a wonderful point, if everyone would carpooled occasionally then traffic would decrease and we would finally make it to work on time.

f you were not aware of these sites, I suggest you use them, because now a day, every little bit of savings helps. Another useful tip I heard not too long ago is if you can find a gas station that does not accept credit cards, then the gas will be considerably cheaper. Most gas stations allow to use a credit/debit card however. Enjoy saving money on gasoline!