$tretching Your Gas Dollar$

You can't do anything about the seemingly ever-rising price of gas, but there are roads you can take to make what you spend on it go further.

On The Early Show Tuesday, Gary Lewis of GasPriceWatch.com mapped them out for viewers.

Among his suggestions:

Tune Up Your Car -- And Your Driving!

Driving less aggressively could cut your gas use as much as 20 percent. Avoid "jackrabbit" starts and stops. Don't "fly into" stop signs. On the other hand, don't coast through them, either.

Avoid excessive idling. It's VERY expensive. If you're going to be sitting for a minute or more, turn off your engine.

Use cruise control on highways, to keep your speed regular.

Once you top 60 mph, you begin to lose fuel efficiency.

Get your car tuned-up regularly, keep your air, gas and oil filters clean, and keep your tires properly inflated.

Buy Gas Wisely

Buy regular gas; there's no need to buy super. As long as a gas has 87octane, it's fine. In fact, higher octane levels give you more power, but less fuel economy. There's literally no reason to buy mid-range fuel; it's more psychological than anything. The lower the octane, the lower the price.

There are some good Web sites you should be looking at. Doing that could save you up to 25-cents per gallon so, though it does involve some planning, it can really be worth it.

Among those sites: Lewis' GasPricewatch.com, of course, and GasBuddy.com.

If you can, buy gas on Sunday nights and Monday mornings -- that's when gas will be least expensive.

Plan Ahead

Streamline your driving by really planning out where you're going. Be smarter about your trips. It may cost you some flexibility and spontaneity, but there's really no choice, because it becomes a business decision, and there comes a point where you can't afford to not plan ahead.

Buy a Hybrid Vehicle

All politics and business aside, we have to seriously consider the benefits of owning a hybrid.