Cars cost too much, try not to drive
Are you still with me? Did you read parts ONE and TWO? I hope so. These tips aren’t going to make themselves happen, and payday loans aren’t long-term solutions. We have to incorporate as many of these ideas as we can if we are going to survive this recession. Think long haul, here. Many experts predict that we won’t be out of this until the end of 2010, so there’s no reason to wait. Shave money off your daily transportation budget now to reap the rewards. You may end up with enough left over for another kind of transportation (plane tickets), but you’ll want to save there, too. That’s another article, however. Stay tuned for that one…
- Coast into red lights instead of slamming on the brakes – This saves wear and tear on your car and your nerves. The gradual deceleration is also more fuel efficient
- Use public transportation – If your city has a good bus/subway system, use it. With a monthly or yearly pass, you’re likely to save much more than if you’d been commuting via your car each day
- Try to get by with one car – Sometimes, families have to have more than one vehicle. However, multiple vehicles often comes down to luxury. Having a commuter car on one side of the garage and your weekend mudder or sports car on the other sounds like fun, but the cost of gas, insurance and upkeep can be prohibitive
- Drive your car until it’s old – What I mean to say is that you should keep your vehicle in good shape if you intend for it to last. Change the fluids regularly, get tune-ups, have a mechanic inspect it, keep an eye on tire inflation and tread and don’t drive for long on a near empty tank, because it can clog your engine with the sludge in the bottom of your gas tank. Be clean and KEEP READING…
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Tuesday, March 31st, 2009 by Steven Tarlow
Tags: coast commuting daily transportation budget one car Payday Loans public transportation recession
Not only will tips like these save gas, but it turns out the more conservative your style of driving, the better it is for the vehicle itself. Take the three or four block trip to the supermarket, for instance – the relative violence of a start to a motor is enough, but not giving it the time to warm up and let all the parts expand and settle into the optimum working condition is also not a great idea. If you treat your car well, and have it regularly serviced and checked the longer it will last, and therefore, the longer it will be before you need to get a new one.