If you're alone, maybe you could look into taking the train or the plane? For a comparable 14-or-so-hours drive, I get a round-trip cost of 210$ by train.
Assuming 60 mph on average, your round-trip journey would be 1680 miles. If your cost per mile is > 12.5 cents (Which it likely is), you'd save a significant amount by train (And you'd be more comfortable during the trip. Make sure to bring a laptop, though).