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| Any easy way to save on gas! |
With the price of gas going through the roof, anything a person can do to save on gas means more camping enjoyment for less money.
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| Yep, $1.67 per gallon! |
Within the last year or so, the HyVee grocery store chain (headquartered in Iowa) started a “Fuel Saver” program. Simply put, if you buy certain products, you get discounts. The products that carry the specials are varied. Some are in weekly ads; there are also “in store specials” that vary from location to location.
During each transaction, the red card is loaded with your discount amount. If you earn 5 cents, that means 5 cents off per gallon of gas. Don’t save them up too long… You will want to use the rebates before they roll off in thirty days.
Some of the products I bought included several 12″ single topping, store made pizzas which I doctored up (as in the last post). The cats like the store brand cat food which carried a penny Fuel Saver rebate per can. I now drink moderate amounts of the healthier “Ice” type soda (fruit juice, Splenda, green tea extract, and vitamins). I bought a bunch when they had the Fuel Saver and cashed in.
It’s easy to use the card when you fill up on fuel. You can look at your store receipt to see how much has been earned. Then go to a HyVee Gas or one of its partners (such as a Casey’s convenience store). It is easy to just swipe the debit card at the pump, then the Fuel Saver card, and watch the price of gas drop. In this case, it dropped $1.92 per gallon!
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| Cheap Gas = Cheaper Fun! |
With an upcoming van trip the next few days, I topped off the van intending to use the discount on the maximum – 20 gallons. I had to get a little creative and fill the van, the generator, and a gas can but managed to squeeze it all in.
For the skeptics out there who might think the Fuel Saver specials might be on price inflated items, I have found that not to be the case. Many times the discounts are on already specially priced products featured in an ad. The food purchased has been useful, including some chicken breasts and steaks that will come in handy on the next camping trip. To get the best benefit from the program, it helps to buy larger quantities of things you know you will be using in the next few weeks.
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| “A helpful smile in every aisle”… and at the gas pump! |
According to other vandwelling friends, it sounds like the Winn Dixie grocery stores might also be running a similar program. It is worth checking into. If you are patient and flexible, it’s possible to eat well and still save money on the camping costs… You can’t be that. Give it a try! There is nothing to lose…
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Thanks for stopping by. I’ll be posting some cool pics later in the week (Saturday) during a fun (and gas subsidized) camping trip. If Mother Nature is willing, there will be a fresh raspberry mini-pie recipe in the sister blog by the weekend.
Take care! Have a great upcoming weekend!
Bradford the “Van Trekker”
About VanTrekker
I am a former vandweller in Eastern Iowa who, for several years (off and on), lived in a 2007 Chevy cargo van. I still travel around Iowa with my tortoise shell cat, Jennifer Stefanie.
Our favorite place to explore is the Country Heritage Community, the four far northeastern counties of Iowa (Clayton, Winneshiek, Allamakee, and Fayette). Ride along as we fish in pristine trout streams, enjoy fine home cooked camping meals, and meet new people. It's all possible on a shoestring budget.
Happy travels always! --- Brad, the "Van Trekker"
Good tips on saving. I’ve been using my cash-back credit card for most of my purchases. I get 3% back on fuel and groceries, and 2% on everything else. I pay the balance in full every month so I’m not paying any interest to use it. The savings really add up over a year.
Kroger and shell doing it here…
Giant here on the East Coast does something similar – for each $100 you spend you get $.10 off per gallon. You have to use a card and there are defined periods of time after which these “points” expire, but there’s no restriction on what you buy, which is nice. I don’t currently have a car but my brother lets me borrow his occasionally (ie to go grocery shopping at Giant 🙂 ) so I give him my points to help pay him back.