Credit Cave

The cost of living has been rising steadily and shows no sign of abating. Today Shell and BP announced huge profits of over $14 billion for the first 3 months of 2008. What’s clear is that as the Indian and Chinese economies continue to grow, so will the cost of living. One of the most expensive commodities is gas for your car, so how can you reduce and save money?

• Declutter - It might sound a bit simple, but you will save money simply by removing any clutter from your car. The less rubbish inside your car (books, boxes of stuff in the back, coats etc) will reduce the weight of your car, which increases the number of miles per gallon you’ll get.
• Remove roof rack - It might be handy to have your roof rack but it increases drag and makes your car less efficient. Just by removing it you can improve performance and save money on gas.
• Keep windows up - Another easy way to decrease drag and improve performance is to keep the windows screwed up when on the move. With the windows up the car engine doesn’t have to work as hard to push the car forward, which means you consume less gas.
• Turn off aircon - Driving with air conditioning on means the car engine has to work much more and therefore use more fuel. You’ll get increased MPG with air conditioning off, and because you’ll probably sweat a bit you’ll also lose some weight!
• Turn off the radio - Anything that runs off the engine, even the radio, increases the amount of fuel consumed. Bring along your iPod instead!
• Don’t harge gadgets off cigarette lighter Again, it might seem like nothing, but even charging up your phone or laptop from the cigarette lighter can increase the amount of gas your car consumes. Charge your gadgets before you drive.
• Check tyre pressure - Every car has an optimum tyre pressure, and even the smallest digression can have a huge impact on fuel consumption. To avoid such inefficiencies make sure to regularly check your tyre pressure.
• Drive smoothly - One of the best ways to save money on gas is to drive smoother. Try and avoid stopping and starting the engine. Free wheel down hills where safe. Cap your speeds at 50 - 55 mph as this is the optimum for most engines.
• Car pool - If you have friends at work who live nearby then setup a car pool. This is both environmentally and financially friendly.
• Use a rewards credit card to purchase gas - There are many credit cards that reward you for purchases made on it. These rewards can range from cashback to air miles.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, April 29th, 2008 at 7:16 pm and is filed under Saving Money. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.