CBS 5 - KPHO America's Cheapest Family shows how to save money at pump

Valley residents and New York Times best selling authors, Steve and Annette Economides, share how to save money at the pump.

They are nationally known as America's Cheapest Family and they have learned how pennies can quickly turn into dollars when saving money.

Steve Economides said drivers need to check their air pressure in their tires to make sure they are not under inflated.

 "During the summer the air, inside your tires expands because it's warmer. During the winter, now, when the weather has changed the air contracts because it's colder," said Steve.

Inflated to the right pressure, Steve said it can save you about 20 percent or 5 miles to the gallon.

Also, keep track of your gas mileage.

"Because tracking your gas mileage will tell you the condition of your car, whether you need a tune up, whether your tires need to be inflated," said Steve.

Write down the date, the mileage, how many gallons and how many miles you drove on your last tank of gas. 

For a free mileage log, go to www.americascheapestfamily.com.

"We're down to 22 miles to the gallon and we realized our tires were low.  We filled up and now we're down to 27," said Steve.

Use gas tracker websites, like the one on www.kpho.com, to make sure you are filling up at the closest gas station with the best deal.

 "We're not going to go out of our way to drive to a gas station to save a $1.50, but we will utilize the savings if we know we're going to be passing by that station on a normal route," said Annette Economides.

Plus, don't forget to use discount cards from grocery stores.

"Each of these stores -  Safeway and Fry's - will give you up to 10 cents off a gallon," Steve said.

Copyright 2011 KPHO. All rights reserved.