[ad#ad-2]Indeed there are difficult times ahead. Gas prices are going to hit $5 a gallon any day now. This will have an inflationary impact on everything that moves as transportation costs will go up… In fact all business costs will go up as a result of higher fuel prices. The businesses will have no other alternative but to pass these costs on to consumers. It is fair to say that It is not the gas prices that have gone up. It is our salaries that are shrinking. Each dollar today buys us less amount of goods then this time last year.
According to recent report on cnn.com’s money portal
“The typical commuter pays over $200 per month just to get back and forth to work. That’s over $2,400 per year, or put differently, the same as a $3,500 raise in your salary.”
This scenario is now changing. If the gas prices keep going up like they are. It would be wiser to live near place of work. At the very least it is extremely necessary to find out ways to lower commuting costs. I hope that you will find the list below very useful in shaping your strategy for minimizing the cost of living without affecting the lifestyle.
Drive Responsibly
Driving Aggressively (speeding, rapid acceleration and braking) wastes a lot of gas. You can lower your vehicle’s gas mileage upto 33% at highway speeds and by 5%Â while cursing in town. Responsible driving is also safer for you and others driving around you & you will save more than just gas money.
Watch that Speed Limit
Although each automobile has it’s own speed or range of speed for optimal fuel economy, but as a rule of thumb, gas mileage usually decreases rapidly at speeds around 65 mph. Its a safe guess that for each 5 mph you drive over 65 mph, It is like paying an additional 50 cent per gallon for gas. It is also safer to observe the speed limit. Research shows that drivers who observe speed limit save about 7% – 23% on fuel costs.
Remove Excess Weight
It pays to avoid keeping unnecessary items in your vehicle, especially those heavy objects. Each extra 100lbs in your vehicle reduces your mileage per gallon (MPG) by up to 2%. The extra weight affects smaller vehicles more than larger ones.
Avoid Excessive Idling
Idling or keeping the engine started while you are stopped is an expensive habit. Your get 0 miles per gallon out of it. Vehicles with larger engines especially waste more gas at idle than those with smaller engines.
Use Cruise Control and Overdrive Gears
Using cruise control & overdrive gearing on the highway helps you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, will save gas as well as engine wear.
Keep Your Engine Tuned
Getting your car fixed which is quite noticeably out of tune can improve its gas mileage by an average of 4 percent. If your car has a serious maintenance problem, such as a faulty oxygen sensor, A stop at local repair shop can improve your mileage by as much as 40 percent.
Replace Air Filters Regularly
Replacing a worn out air filter can improve gas mileage by as much as 10%. Air filter keeps impurities/dust from damaging the inside of engine. Replacing a dirty air filter saves gas. it will also protect vehicle’s engine.
Keep Tires Properly Inflated
By keeping your tires inflated up to manufacturer’s recommended pressure you can improve your MPG by around 3.3%. Under-inflated tires can decrease MPG by 0.4% for every 1 point psi drop in pressure of all four tires. Properly inflated tires are safer and last longer.
Always Use Recommended Grade of Motor Oil
Using 10W-30 motor oil in an engine designed for 5W-30 grade of oil can lower your gas mileage up to 1-2 percent similarly Using putting 5W-30 in an engine that is designed for 5W-20 can lower your gas mileage by 1-1.5 percent. There is another tip, Try to look for motor oil that says “Energy Conserving” on its API performance symbol. This makes sure that it contains friction-reducing additives.
Plan and Combine Trips
Combining several errands into one single trip saves you time and money. Several short trips taken from a cold start can consume twice as much gas as a longer multipurpose trip covering the same distance when the engine is all warmed up. Planning your trips can ensures that you travel with an engine that is all warmed-up and efficient at Gas consumption. Not only you will save Gas, but also this will reduce wear and tear on your vehicle. Use google maps to plan / chart your route before hand.
Car-Pool & Ride Share
Whenever it is possible, do take advantage of carpools and ride-share programs. This will cut your weekly fuel costs by 50%. Most of urban areas these days allow vehicles with multiple passengers to use special High Occupancy Vehicle (HOV) lanes. You may like to visit http://www.erideshare.com/ to find fellow commuters who are looking to connect and share rides with others.
Buy a fuel efficient vehicle
The scary outlook for fossil fuel prices and availability is a major factor to consider your next car. a brief look at www.fueleconomy.gov will let you discover gas mileage estimates and comparative information for 1985-2009 Vehicle Models. Selecting the vehicle to purchase will by far be the most important fuel economy decision you’ll make in this decade. The difference between a vehicle that does 20 MPG and one that does 30 MPG amounts to $2,000 per year (15,000 miles of driving p.a. and a fuel cost of $4.50 per gallon). That’s more than $9,100 extra in fuel costs over five years!
I suggest that you use www.fueleconomy.gov’s Find and Compare Cars section to find the most fuel efficient vehicle that will meet your needs.
Use Public Transport
This can be most radical and green decision you will ever make. Public transport network is quite efficient in most of metropolis areas. If you know the routes and timings you can save thousands of dollars of in commuting costs per year. Please check out commuterchoice.com or your state’s department of transportation for detailed information on types of transport that is available in your locality and the timings and costs thereof.
But in the end we love the freedom to drive. And I think driving an automobile to work is kind of like Smoking. It’s difficult to quit but pays well.
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{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I’m upset that I just found your blog, but these are some great money saving tips. I have been fairly successful putting most of these in to action, except the removing excess weight suggestion. I still drive an SUV (which is bad enough), so I use it to carry and move things frequently. However, I don’t always unload it as quickly as I should.
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