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Gasoline reached an all-time high yesterday, increasing at most stations to $3.799 per gallon. I observed said increase driving to work yesterday morning at the Speedway station at I-77 and Arlington Rd. “Lucky” for me, I was able to catch some “cheap” $3.559 and beat the increase at the BP station at the I-77 Massillon Rd. exit.

The thing that kills me is this…the prices increase by twenty-some-odd cents, and then roll back penny by penny. Also what kills me is how people blame the president for this. His hands are tied unless Congress acts, since the president (no matter who it is) cannot legislate or make law.

So as the average working guy (or gal) tolls away at work for their seemingly dwindling paychecks, prices for just about anything you can think of is on the rise. A simple trip to the grocery store will prove my point. A stinking loaf of bread is now well over a dollar ! Your formerly $1.50 jar of Ragu spaghetti sauce is now $1.86. My wife wanted a 97 cent bottle of mustard…problem is, the 97 cent bottle is now $1.50. The 66-cent pasta is now $1.06. I think I made my point. Everything is going up, except our paychecks. And it’s all due to the price of fuel.

What can you do to save fuel ? Here are a few tips…

1. Change your air filter every 10,000 miles. A constricted air filter can reduce the amount of air to go through it and (excuse the pun) suck those miles-per-gallon away.

2. Check your tires’ air pressure. Set them at manufacturer’s recommendations. You can normally find those recommendations inside the driver’s door. Also keep them rotated.

3. Get your injectors cleaned. A lot of auto service places now provide this service. Clogged injectors can rob you of fuel mileage. The bottles they sell at the parts stores are OK, but a professional cleaning also involves cleaning out the intake and vacuum lines.

4. Get your car aligned. Improperly aligned vehicles can also rob your fuel mileage.

5. Change your oil. Oil is not just about lubricating the moving metal parts of your engine, but it also contains additives that break down over time that, once broken down, can rob you of fuel mileage.

6. If you’re going to the store for just a few things and the store is a short distance, why not walk ? You’ll get a good workout and you won’t burn a penny’s worth of gas.

Doing all of the above at most places (except, obviously, #6) will run $150-$200, but if you drive as much as I do, you will easily recoup that within eight months to a year in fuel savings. For every time you fill the average gas tank, you’ll actually stretch out most of - if not a full - gallon of gas per fill-up. And with that price getting closer and closer to $4 per gallon, we could use all the help we can get.