Taking a road trip this Labor Day weekend? You can save money with a few steps. For example:

• Get your car checked before your trip. You can save an expensive, emergency car care expense on the road. Plus, fully inflated tires save gas.
• Find apps that tell you where the cheap gas is. If you are crossing state lines, this is particularly important, as many states have added major taxes on gas. New Jersey, for example, has a $.31 tax on gas, whereas Pennsylvania has a $.70 gas tax.
• Use the Google map app with 'avoid toll booths' feature turned on. However, make sure that the toll money you save does not get spent in gas for a longer trip to get around the toll booths.
• Find cheaper hotels. I have found the Priceline Express deals can save significant money - if you can live with the fact that you are locked into a hotel.
• Pack your own food - or buy food from the local farmer's market and heat it up in the hotel's microwave instead of using expensive restaurants.

Most of all - enjoy your trip! Often times, the free activities, like singing silly songs with your kids in the car, are the activities that make memories.