Gary North

March 3, 2008

I use www.GasBuddy.com to see where the lowest-cost gasoline is in my zip code. I won't drive far, but I do like to see what the lower price is.

It's usually at the Wal-Mart neighborhood grocery store. That's the closest station to me. The listed price is usually cheapest, and you get another three cents off if you use a Wal-Mart shopper's card. The price this way is as much as 20 cents below the national average these days, which is about 6.5%.

But there is a problem. All day long, there are lines to get to the pumps. Low prices mean long lines. My time is too valuable. So, I go across the street and pay more if I'm just driving by.

Or I go early in the morning -- before 7 a.m. The Wal-Mart grocery store is nearly deserted, making shopping faster. I gas up without waiting in line. It's not worth the gasoline saving to shop this early, but to save time shopping is. I live only a mile from the market.

Saving time is more important for me than saving money. But when I can save both by early shopping, I will do it when my wife is out of town.