Friday $avings: Propane

There was just no way we were going to be able to make it until the summer without getting our propane tank filled again, so yesterday the propane man came in his large white truck and put in $XXX worth of gas while I watched my bank account balance go down. It was not fun. However, when he came up to the house to give me the bill, we started talking about ways that I could save money on my propane bills in the future. He was so nice about it and had several good suggestions that I thought I would pass them on to you in case you need to purchase propane (or as they say in Indonesia "El Pe Ge") for your home.

• Rent a 1000 gal. tank instead of a 500 gal. The lowest gas prices are in the summer (according to our delivery man) and if you can afford to fill up once (at the lower price) it will last through the year instead of needing to fill up during the highest months (winter).
• Pre-purchase your fuel at the summertime price. Peter is less thrilled with this option because he says you're paying for a product you don't have yet. What if the company goes out of business for some reason (I don't foresee that happening - but then again, you never know in this economic climate), you're not going to get your money back.
• Ask for a lower price when you call to refuel in the summer. The delivery man said that if you ask for a lower price they will give it to you. He suggested telling them that you found it cheaper somewhere else - which I think is dishonest unless you actually call around and find a lower price. However, I'm willing to do a little calling around if it will save me money!
• Along the same lines, apparently you don't have to have your tank with a company to purchase propane from them - so just like you shop around for the best deals on food or clothes, shop around for the best price on propane. If your tank company will match or beat the price - GREAT! If not, fill up with the cheaper company. It makes sense, I just hadn't thought about it like that before.

How do you save money on your propane/heating bills? We keep our thermostat on 61 at night and 65 in the daytime, wear layers of clothes, and keep blankets handy all over the house. I'd rather have my house set on a cozy 72, but my bank account thanks me for not doing that. ;-)

I'm linking this up to the Frugal Friday post over at Life as Mom. Check out some of the other great ideas that Jessica and her fellow bloggers have for saving money and being frugal.