Don’t pay for gas, get your gas free. If that statement sounds too good to be true, it’s not. The cost of gas has reached astronomical proportions in the US. The never before seen gas prices may seem small when compared to our friends overseas, who regularly pay $9 at the pump a gallon and more, but in America, the high cost of gas is hurting our economy.

While our European counterparts have historically paid higher prices for gas at the pump, Americans do not have the same luxury of easy mass transit systems as our European counterparts and in American, we must travel great distances to get back and forth to work.

How can you keep up with the high cost of gas, lower wages and higher cost of living? By using a few simple strategies and little used methods to actually obtain your gas for free.

How can you obtain free gas? The following are a few examples.

Become a Mystery Shopper. As a mystery shopper, you will act as a regular customer and report your findings back to the company that hires you. As a customer service specialist / mystery shopper, you may receive 2 – 3 gallons of gas free in addition to a set shop rate. (Sometimes a full tank of gas for one shop, depending on what type of shop and which company has hired you.)

*A small warning, never pay any company to sign you up as a mystery shopper. Legitimate companies pay you to do this work.

If filling out a report is not your style, there are other ways you can save money on gas. Many groceries stores around the country (and indeed around the world) have gas rewards cards or gas rewards programs.

These programs merely ask that you sign up for the customer loyalty program, which is free, and you simply use your card every time you make a purchase and that money is then put towards a gas reward you can utilize at a later date.

Every store will have different rules and not all stores participate. Even if your store does not currently participate in a gas rewards program, sign up for the loyal customer card anyway. You will reap rewards and savings on other items and you never know when they might implement a gas rewards program.

Another great way to receive gas for free, or in this case be paid to drive your car, is to check out a program run by http://freegashelp.com/. Freegashelp.com rewards qualified drivers with cold hard cash in exchange for driving your car where you normally do. They do not assign you a route, you simply drive your car back and forth to work, to school and on your regular errand and they pay you to use your car as an advertising tool. Check it out!

These simple ideas can save you a lot of money on gas and if you combine these methods, you may not have to pay much at all for gas at the end of the year!

According to a Nielsen Ratings report, in 2007, the average American spent 19 percent of their income on gas for their cars. According to the tables of the US Department of Labor; the average wage in America was $41,394 per year. 19 percent of $41,394 is $7,967.46. What can you do with that extra money?

The money you save on gas by utilizing these programs can be used to help pay off your debt, make a mortgage or rent payment, or saved for a fun vacation! Think about how you would use the extra money you can save on gas and then get back to me. I look forward to hearing from you!