The economy is going to get worse before it gets better, or so says the Associated Press. Fortunately, there are ways to form a status quo by saving money and Tightening our Belts! One of the ways we can do that is with your car! Believe it or not, your car costs a lot of money to operate! Here are some ways to reduce that cost along with reducing your carbon footprint!
Changing to oil every 3,000 or so miles is more than just a ploy to get money out of you! By changing the oil you extend the life of the engine and reduce your carbon emissions. Changing to oil does not take a brain surgeon, just look at the guys that change your oil at Jiffy Lube! There was a time when everyone changed their own oil. You can save $20 to $50 by changing it yourself! You can find the information on how to change your oil by doing a search on any search engine!
In addition to changing the oil, a tune up can greatly improve your gas mileage and reduce your carbon footprint! A general tune up costs around $100 to $150 to have it done. Here again, it is not rocket science and you should be able to do it yourself and save $75 to $125! It generally consists of changing or cleaning your air filter, changing your spark plugs, wires and distributor cap and rotor. This can be done in your garage or driveway in less than two hours!
Just by simple regularly scheduled maintenance you can increase your cars MPG by 20% or more, reduce your carbon footprint and avoid costly repairs in the future! Doing the maintenance yourself can save you hundreds of dollars over having someone else do it for you. Learn some simple "wrenching" can save you money and increase the life of your car! Below are a few more money saving tips associated with driving!
TIP: If you live close to work walk when the weather is nice! If you live less than one mile from work you can be there in 30 minutes or less and you are getting exercise! Be sure to check the forecast!
TIP: Start a carpool for work and taking kids to school! You can cut your driving expens by 80% if you find 4 people to join the carpool and take a turn!
TIP: Tell your kids to start riding the bus and stop taking them to school! If you live close to the bus stop walk with your children. You not only save money you get some exercise.
TIP: Drive the speed limit, you'll save on gas mileage! You can increase your gas mileage by 25% or better by driving 65 instead of 80!
TIP: Ride a bike to work or school on days with nice weather. You'll be amazed at how much you'll save on gas for the car! 1 to 5 miles is nothing on a bike!
TIP: Mid-grade and Premium gas tend to give better gas mileage. You may need to experiment with a couple of tanks of gas to see if it saves you money.
As always I would love to hear about your money saving tips! Feel free to leave a comment or send us an e-mail to TightenYourBelt@gmail.com.
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Don't forget about rotating your tires. Definitely prolongs their lives.
ReplyDeleteLove your "twitter"! Thanks for following me and now I follow you!
ReplyDeleteBamabelle
Hey, that looks just like my 92 Voyager! Heh. I don't drive, hubby does but I take care of the maintenance. Thanks for sharing these tips. Our poor van has seen better days but it's over 17 years old so it's no surprise!
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