With the ever rising prices of petrol, driving a car can burn a very large hole in your pockets. Here’s some simple CHEAPSKATE ways to start saving some money on your automotive expenditures.
1. Use Public Transportation
By far the most effective way to save money on using a car is by actually not using it. You won’t just save on fuel, you can also save on parking rates.
2. Use your car as a sort of Public Transportation
If you know people who work near your office place, why not ask them if they are interested in car pooling with you. You can ask them for a small fee, close to the price of what they pay if they are taking public transportation. It’s a win-win situation. They don’t have to go through the hassles and inconveniences of taking public transportation, and you’ll be able to slash your fuel expenditures.
3. Fill up when the price is low
Take advantage of every Price drop or Price rollback. Even if the difference is just mere cents. Also, try to refuel during the coolest time of the day.
4. Earn while you refuel
Some credit cards offer rebates when you fill up on certain Fuel vendors. You can ask your credit card company if they have such promotions. There are other membership groups that offer this kind of promotions. Here in the
5. Check your car regularly
A routine checkup on your vehicle will not only extend your car’s life span, but would also make it operate on top condition. Checking correct tire pressure alone would save you 2.5% on your fuel consumption. Replacing a congested Air Filter would increase you mileage by 10%.
6. Go easy on the Pedals
The recommended speed for optimum fuel efficiency is about 55 Mph. Unless you are on an expressway or anywhere you really have to speed up, you should keep your speed on 55 Mph. Stepping on the breaks should be also kept to a minimum, since you would be wasting the acceleration produced by burning more fuel.
7. Use your Airconditioner in moderation
Unless it’s extremely warm, keep your airconditioner to the minimum setting. If the weather is comfortable enough, you can just open your windows and turn the airconditioner off. Never open your windows though when you are traveling at high speeds, since open windows causes more drag, resulting in higher fuel consumptions.
8. Forget the Pimping
Some of best ways to save on fuel is to remove any unnecessary accessories in your car. Spoilers may look cool, but they also makes your car conserve more fuel. Those large speakers inside your car also make your car heavier, which makes you consume more fuel.
9. Plan your route
Check local maps to find the shortest distance to your destination. Also avoid Traffic clogged streets as much as you can. Try to learn the times where traffic on certain streets are at the heaviest.
10. Consider another investment
If your car is around 5 years old, you might want to consider to sell it to buy a newer car. Newer car models are now more fuel efficient. Some luxury car models now even offers diesel run engines. If you don’t want to sell your car, think about making you car more fuel efficient by modifying your engine to burn cheaper fuels. There are companies out there that are offering conversions so that your engine can use alternative fuels such as Bio-diesel, LPG (Liquified Petroleum Gasoline), and Ethanol.
