Gas-a penny a gallon

[Pop_Rivit]

We use an area grocery store's fuel saver program. So far this year it has saved us about $320 in fuel costs. We do some meal planning around it, and when used wisely it can offer some significant savings.

Yesterday the grocery store had a promotion-for every $14 spent, 13 cents was added to your fuel saver card. Every year about this time we purchase a large quantity of groceries for donation to the local food pantry. This year we had planned to purchase and make our donation on Friday, but changed it to Saturday to take advantage of the fuel saver rewards. We also filled the carts up with items that were on sale, so we were able to get a significant donation for the pantry.

After purchasing our donation, we ended up with almost $10 in fuel saver savings. That amount reduces the price per gallon at the pump.

Yesterday, after dropping off the donation, we filled up the Durango for a penny per gallon (apparently the system has to charge at least a penny per gallon). After this fill we still have $7.60 left on the fuel saver. It looks like we'll be paying a penny per gallon for at least the next month or so.

With the amount we were able to accrue on the fuel saver card it looks like we'll save at least $180 in gas costs, which helped bring down the cost of our donation down even further.

This is the first time I've ever paid a penny per gallon for gasoline. 20 cents for 20 gallons of gasoline isn't bad at all.

 

[gregk24]

Looks like you went ahead and used premium?

 

[Rick in PA]

That's pretty amazing. Sometimes with things like these I wonder "How can they do it?"

 

[whip]

Originally Posted By: Rick in PA
That's pretty amazing. Sometimes with things like these I wonder "How can they do it?"

That should tell you how profitable groceries are.

Since I started my job a year ago, I only commute 9 miles round trip. I go about 3 weeks on a tank of gas. With Giant Eagle's fuel perks, every third fill up is free. I usually fill my 5 gallon can, and I haven't paid for gas for the mower in years.

 

[rjundi]

My grocery chain is so inexpensive locally and decent they simply knock 4% off prices(total bill) instead of playing games. Not as exciting as feeling like you get a bargain like that for some folks.

 

[doitmyself]

I need help with the math. Please explain what am I missing?

Quote:
for every $14 spent, 13 cents was added to your fuel saver card.
Rounding off, you get 1 penny for every dollar spent (1%)
After purchasing our donation, we ended up with almost $10 in fuel saver savings.
You spent $1,000 to accrue $10 in gas savings (1%)
With the amount we were able to accrue on the fuel saver card it looks like we'll save at least $180 in gas costs
The $10 gas credit accrued equals $180 in gas savings???


How does the 1% savings convert to 18%?

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: gregk24
Looks like you went ahead and used premium?


No. I never purchase premium. Plain old 10% ethanol.

Originally Posted By: rjundi
My grocery chain is so inexpensive locally and decent they simply knock 4% off prices(total bill) instead of playing games. Not as exciting as feeling like you get a bargain like that for some folks.


This works out to more like 18%. We purchased almost $1,000 worth of groceries to donate, and we'll end up saving around $180 in gasoline. Makes your 4% seem pretty paltry, especially since we have the satisfaction of having donated to a worthy cause.

Even our normal grocery purchases (not including our donation) saved about $320 this year, that's about 3 weeks worth of groceries for us.

If saving that much is "playing games" then I have no problem playing.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: doitmyself
I need help with the math. Please explain what am I missing?

Quote:
for every $14 spent, 13 cents was added to your fuel saver card.
Rounding off, you get 1 penny for every dollar spent (1%)
After purchasing our donation, we ended up with almost $10 in fuel saver savings.
You spent $1,000 to accrue $10 in gas savings (1%)
With the amount we were able to accrue on the fuel saver card it looks like we'll save at least $180 in gas costs
The $10 gas accrued equals $180 in gas savings???


Again, what part of the equation am I missing here??


It's not total price, it's price per gallon. I had almost $10 in per gallon savings. When I purchased gas for $2.30/gallon I then had $7.71 left on the fuel saver card. Not total price, but rather price per gallon.

So if I have $1 on the card and gas at the pump is $2.50 per gallon, the per gallon price is reduced to $1.50 at the pump. If I purchase 20 gallons I save $20. In my case above, if you would have looked at the bottom of the receipt you would have seen that the total saved on this purchase was $45.78 (2.29 * 20).

Since I had almost $10 on the card, the price at the pump was reduced to one penny, and I still have $7.71 on the card. The next time I fill up the price at the pump will be one penny, and assuming I fill up at $2.30/gallon I'll have about $5.40 left on the card. So for the next few fuel purchases I'll be paying a penny per gallon (the minimum required).

 

[NHGUY]

Originally Posted By: rjundi
My grocery chain is so inexpensive locally and decent they simply knock 4% off prices(total bill) instead of playing games. Not as exciting as feeling like you get a bargain like that for some folks.


Market Basket!

 

[SwampSurvivor]

Some local super market chains do this. I think it's a wash. Price Chopper and Tops do this ... but their groceries are 2 to 3x more expensive than Wegmans

 

[3800Series]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Some local super market chains do this. I think it's a wash. Price Chopper and Tops do this ... but their groceries are 2 to 3x more expensive than Wegmans


Yeah Winn Dixie does the same kinda thing here too. Iv never done it tho, the prices are far more then any other place around.

Stopped by there one day to get a gallon of milk. Was near $6... Clayborn hill has it for $2.30 so it makes no sense in shopping there.

 

[antiqueshell]

Originally Posted By: Miller88
Some local super market chains do this. I think it's a wash. Price Chopper and Tops do this ... but their groceries are 2 to 3x more expensive than Wegmans


I've noticed that here as well. However we have one regional
chain called Ingles that have their own branded pumps at the stores themselves and their grocery prices are among the lowest in the area.

 

[Cutehumor]

Originally Posted By: Pop_Rivit
Originally Posted By: gregk24
Looks like you went ahead and used premium?


No. I never purchase premium. Plain old 10% ethanol.

Originally Posted By: rjundi
My grocery chain is so inexpensive locally and decent they simply knock 4% off prices(total bill) instead of playing games. Not as exciting as feeling like you get a bargain like that for some folks.


This works out to more like 18%. We purchased almost $1,000 worth of groceries to donate, and we'll end up saving around $180 in gasoline. Makes your 4% seem pretty paltry, especially since we have the satisfaction of having donated to a worthy cause.

Even our normal grocery purchases (not including our donation) saved about $320 this year, that's about 3 weeks worth of groceries for us.

If saving that much is "playing games" then I have no problem playing.


Awesome. Free gas and the end of year tax deduction. I pay too much taxes. Plus It helps others. Its a win win. I barely got a refund last year. I need to see if I can get Kroger fuel this cheap

 

[splinter]

Regardless of how the arithmetic is ultimately arranged that's a heck of a deal at the pump!

 

[fdcg27]

Nice!
The best we ever do on gas is twenty gallons on a BP Visa at .109/gal on those days when they have double fuel points offered.
Since you get a decent number of points on travel, we book all of our travel on this card and end up with a few not quite free twenty gallon fuel purchases each year.

 

[andyd]

Yah,my only complaint about MB is that the aisles are too crowded. With shoppers!

 

[supton]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Originally Posted By: rjundi
My grocery chain is so inexpensive locally and decent they simply knock 4% off prices(total bill) instead of playing games. Not as exciting as feeling like you get a bargain like that for some folks.


Market Basket!


We do most of our shopping there. Wife say Hannafords has better meat selection, but MB is cheaper overall.

I try to use my Irving's rewards card, but I don't keep track of it enough and often don't get the full reward. I figure about 2.3c/gallon savings there.

 

[JHZR2]

We do this at our mountain house where there are supermarket-branded gas stations. We don't have those around here, the closest is that our Costco has a station that is cheaper than already cheap NJ gas prices.

I do wish the supermarkets around here got into this game, or at least the gas card deals like folks talk about from Publix. Good deal.

 

[Shannow]

That's a great reward card process, never seen it before.

It would be illegal in Oz. THey stopped the majors from offering any more than 4c/L in supermarket rewards (they used to have Saturdays and 10c, or 20c/L, but got banned).

Now my store has a store branded servo, and you CAN get an extra 10c for buying $20 of stuff in store...14c in total, or about 8% off fuel...

So I buy Toilet Paper...it's the regular price that it is in the supermarket.

People look strange when I rock up at the checkout with $20 of toilet paper to get $6 off my fill up...but they have 60% overpriced chocolate icecreams and the like...

 

[rjundi]

Originally Posted By: NHGUY
Originally Posted By: rjundi
My grocery chain is so inexpensive locally and decent they simply knock 4% off prices(total bill) instead of playing games. Not as exciting as feeling like you get a bargain like that for some folks.


Market Basket!


Incredible chain IMHO and even my local bagger(94 years old) was featured here on BITOG!