Written by PT on May 12, 2008 – 6:00 am -
Don’t Have A SmartCar? Read This Post
A Long Commute to Work or School Equals High Fuel Costs
A friend, who knows I blog about finance, recently shared an article with me about cutting back on fuel costs. He has a long commute to work every day and so I know this is the kind of thing he pays close attention to.
Gas prices are at $3.50 where we live. To be honest, it’s not been a big deal for me. I have an extremely short commute to work every day. Mrs. PT does as well. The increase in prices is something I’ve noticed (due to the media), but not something I stay up at night worrying about.
However, beginning as soon as this summer, Mrs. PT’s commute will go from 5 miles to about 30 (she’s going back to school to get her masters). This will likely quadruple our fuel costs. Yikes. Time to start paying attention to this stuff. So, if you’re in the same boat, pay attention to these steps to help to cut back on fuel prices.
Cut Fuel Costs With These Simple Steps:
Keep Tires Properly Inflated
This could cut your fuel cost by $65* every year. I’m assuming the flatter your tires, the more friction they create with the ground and the harder your car has to work to get going. I mostly rely on the mechanics who change our oil to check the pressure, but more recently I’ve been checking them with the cheap little tire gauge that I have. I also recently bought a small air compressor, which I use to keep them properly inflated. Here’s an informative video explaining how to inflate car tires.
Proper Motor Oil Grade
Do you know what type of oil your car uses? I couldn’t exactly spout it off from memory. Check your car’s manual to find out. Using the correct grade could cut your costs by $40 a year.
Combine Your Trips and Walking
I’m bad about this. Some days I go to work, drive home for a lunch I could have packed, and come home after work only to change into my work-out clothes to go work-out at a gym I passed on the way home. If I’d only spend an extra 10 mins in the morning preparing a lunch and packing gym clothes, not only would I save time, but I’d save gas. Those 10 mins seem like an eternity when I’m rushing out in the mornings though.
Walking is a different story. Here in the big, spread out metroplexes of Texas, you’d be crazy to try and walk or even ride a bike anywhere. Although, I’d like to be able to do this sometimes. It’s just not feasible for me. These two changes though could cut your costs by $100 a year.
Eliminate Speeding and Jackrabbit Stops and Starts
Slow down, dude! When I see people pass me up speeding only to be caught by the red light a few hundred yards away, I just have to laugh. Do they know how inefficient they are driving? Not that I’m immune to this type of driving, but I have mellowed out tremendously over the past few years. This is the big tip which could cut your costs by $260 a year. It might also save your life.
Removed the Junk from Your Auto
Got some junk in the trunk? Clear it out and cut your costs by $40 a year for every 100lbs. We keep our cars pretty clear of stuff so we’re all good here. How about you?
*Cost estimates based on a family that drives 12,500 miles in a year in a vehicle with a fuel economy of 20.1 miles per gallon.
Know any other ways to cut back the fuel costs? Leave ‘em in the comments below…
Source: Associated Press
Photo: by SqueakyMarmot
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