Gas prices have subsided a bit, but fuel can still eat up a big part of your budget.

Jack Gillis, author of The Car Book, offers some ways to trim gas bills.

Among them:

—    Use a gentle foot on the gas pedal. By not accelerating and decelerating like a jack rabbit, you can save 68 cents per gallon. Similarly, for every 5 miles per hour your reduce your highway speed, you reduce fuel consumption by 7 percent. Dropping from 70 mph to 65 mph will save 27 cents a gallon.

 —    Change your dirty air filter. Clean filters improve gas mileage, saving 39 cents per gallon or giving you an extra 23 miles on a tank of gas.

—    Get your car properly aligned — which also saves 39 cents per gallon. When cars are out of alignment, your engine must work harder and tires wear out faster.

—    Get your engine tuned up, which can save you 15 cents a gallon.

—    Don’t drive with underinflated tires. That costs you about 11 cents per gallon.