Every time you turn the key in your car, it galls you - you can just hear you money being used up along with your gasoline.

How can you save that precious fuel?

You may not be able to keep your tank filled during this shortage, but you can extend the life of that last fill-up.

And some of the ways are simple.

Among the most important is something that unlike gas is still free at most service stations - air.

"The number one issue is tire pressure," agrees Alan Gelman of Glenallen Motors. "What you need to do is buy a tire gauge. It's only five bucks.

"When the tire pressure is low it creates more rolling resistance to the car, it takes more gas to push the car along."

Then there's your air filter. "When your air filter is plugged, it doesn't allow the engine to breathe properly," he explains. "And you are going to use way, way more gas in that situation."

"Turing off any accessories you don't need will make a difference, like the heat, because it takes extra energy to make those things work."

And unloading your trunk to make your car lighter also saves fuel.

"A lot of times people drive around with their hockey equipment in the car," Gelman points out. "That's 40 pounds right there. And that's more pressure on your car."

But what about all those gas saving gadgets you read about whenever the prices get pumped up?

"None of these have ever proven to work," Gelman reveals. "Not one."

Here are more ways the experts say you can economize on gas when you still have a few drops in your tank.

Watch your warm-ups
You only need about 30 seconds before putting the car in gear. Otherwise, you're just wasting fuel.

Don't idle
It's estimated one minute of sitting in neutral or park uses the same amount of gas consumed when you start your engine.

Accelerate slowly from a stop sign or a red light
So-called jack rabbit starts will use up your gas faster. And if you're driving in the city, that probably means there's another red light waiting for you just a block away.

Don't overfill
Most new cars have an automatic 'stop' when the tank is really full. Adding a few extra squirts to reach an even amount on the price readout or to top it up usually just wastes fuel.

Try and drive at a constant rate of speed
Slowing down and speeding up wastes a lot of gas.

Consider car pooling or public transit
Not only is it environmentally friendly, but it can save you a lot on future fill-ups when someone else is doing the driving and your car stays in the garage.