If you’ve filled up your gas tank lately, it probably cost you a small fortune. High gas prices are putting a dent in everyone’s wallet and summer–when gas prices traditionally peak–is still far on the horizon.  As of March 9, the national average for regular unleaded gasoline is $3.54. That’s up a significant amount from a year ago when the national average was $2.79.  With that in mind, here are a few gas-saving tips to boost your vehicle’s fuel economy:

• Slow down on the highways. Driving at 55 mph instead of 65 mph can reduce fuel consumption by 20 percent or more.
• Avoid stop-and-go driving. Accelerating and braking cause your engine to expend more fuel. If you can’t avoid driving in the city, accelerate slowly.
• Get rid of any “junk in the trunk.” Even 50 pounds of excess weight can harm your fuel economy.
• Keep a steady speed. Speeding up and slowing down wastes fuel.
• Avoid using your air conditioner when possible; they can reduce fuel economy up to 20 percent.
• Give your vehicle some TLC! Get a regular tune-up, keep your tires inflated.
• Find the cheapest gas in town. At GasBuddy.com, you enter your ZIP code and scroll through local gas prices. There’s even a GasBuddy application for iPhone and Droid users. (Searching for dirt cheap gas prices? There’s an app for that.)

I have one more potentially helpful suggestion. If you can’t kick high gas prices, trying offsetting your losses by finding cheaper car insurance. If you can cut $20 or so from your monthly premium, high gas prices won’t sting quite as much.  If you’re sporting a smallish Toyota sedan like myself, you’re probably not feeling too pinched at the pump–yet. But if you’re cruising around town in a V8 Cadillac, you probably cringe each time you spot a filling station. (Take that, Escalade drivers!). The best gas-saving tips in the world won’t turn your Hummer into a fuel-sipping compact, but they may save you from riding your bike to work.