Managing Home Maintenance Costs

With gas prices going up as we write this it is ever more important to save money by using less gasoline! We listed a number of ways to reduce your gasoline usage as well as save money at the pump as well. If you have additional ideas, leave us comments to assist our readers.

Reduce Gasoline Usage

Get an app for your smart phone – use GasBuddy’s, AAA’s TripTik and the YP Yellow Pages and Gas Prices, all of which are free. Others that cost money include SmartFuel, Gas Cubby and Cheap Gas.

Drive less – consolidate errands to keep driving to a minimum and plan your trips so that you are not retracing your drive. If something can wait until tomorrow when you can combine it with another errand, put it off until the next day.

Drive slower – Shave 10 to 15 miles per hour off your speed and you can save up to 15% in fuel consumption. You can test this easily by driving at your normal speed which is 10 to 15 miles per hour over the speed limit and noting how many miles you obtain on a tank full of gas. On the next tank drive at the speed limit and not how much further you go on a tank full of gas. You may be surprised. If you have a gas mileage monitor in your car you can do the same thing even more accurately!

Keep your windows closed – at highway speeds, air racing through your car will increase its drag and burn up to 10% more fuel. I used to think that not running the air conditioning would save more money, but it is not the case. Roll up the windows, leave the AC on and turn up the temperature a notch or two to save money and have a more comfortable trip.

Go light on the brakes

Slow and steady acceleration and braking can save as much as 20% in fuel. Not to mention that your brakes will wear out much slower as well. We all know what a brake job costs these days and it is just not worth it to spend greater than $500 for a brake job by doing those jack rabbit starts and stops.

Shut Off your car when idling restarting the car when you’re idling for more than one minute will cost you less in fuel than the wait. Even the Toyoto Prius will shut the engine off when it comes to a stop at a light or stop sign to conserve gas. Idling your car for long periods makes no sense and pollutes the air around you as well.

Turn your A/C off. – the air conditioner is a big drag on your car’s engine and gas efficiency. If you do not need it turn it off, especially if just cruising around the city at low speeds, however at high speeds you are better off to close your windows and use the AC if it is hot. Turn up the temperature in your car by a degree or two to conserve energy or just let fresh air come into the car through the vents.

Regular Maintenance

Keep your car healthy. — clean dirty air filters, replace aging spark plugs, keep tire air pressure and fluids at recommended levels  are all regular maintenance things to do for your car to maintain your car and gain maximum gas mileage from your car. Most people can do a lot of the work themselves and it only takes a few minutes to check air pressure and fluid levels.

These are some of the methods to use to conserve gasoline when you must drive your car. The ultimate way to conserve gasoline is to walk to the corner store or take your bike. Not only do you save some money on gasoline, you also get some exercise which is good for the body and the mind as well.

Save

Gasoline prices continue to rise and yet it appears from the amount of traffic on the roads, no one is cutting back on the amount of driving they do. You still have to get to work, get to the grocery store and get the kids to their activities. However consumers may be cutting down on their gas usage in other ways to compensate for the increased prices at the pump. Prices went down a bit in the fall of 2012 and early 2013, but lately they are beginning to rise again and consumers are bracing for $4 / gallon again this coming summer. Are you ready for these high prices and can your budget afford the increases.

Cut Down On Gas Usage – $1000

We are probably spending an extra thousand dollars on gasoline every year  due to the increased prices of oil. The only way we can control how much we spend on gasoline is to either drive less or keep our car in optimal condition so that it uses gasoline as efficiently as possible. It is just a matter of time before we are paying $5.00 a gallon and if you have not already begun finding ways to reduce your gasoline usage, you should start now.

Here is a short list of things that you can do to reduce your overall cost for operating your car and help deal with the increasing price of gasoline.

• D-I-Y – Do It Yourself – do your own repairs and fluid checks
• Check and replace air filters – keep them clean to maximize air flow
• Change their own tires – hard to do for most people, can rotate them yourself
• Monitoring and topping up their vehicle’s fluids
• Inspect and replace vehicle light bulbs – follow the manual or buy a car care manual
• Cleaning the car – inside and out with your own vacuum and hoses.
• Brake repairs – only do this if you have the tools and the appropriate skills
• Replenish all essential fluids (automatic transmission fluid, brake fluid and coolant) and get regular oil changes
• Replace worn or damaged wiper blades and burned out light bulbs to maintain good visibility and safety

Reduce Gas usage

• Remove winter tires and install summer tires at the right time
• Wash away winter grime and salt build-up to prolong the life of your cars body, this is most important in states and provinces were salt is used on the roads.
• Check tire tread – make sure that you have sufficient tire tread on the tires to be safe.
• Ensure proper tire inflation at least once a month – visually check your tires every day
• Take public transit whenever you can to conserve gasoline and wear and tear on the car
• Drive at or below the speed limit – this is the most efficient speed to drive at
• Avoid jack rabbit starts and stops at stop signs and stop lights
• Check and adjust tire pressure will help to improve fuel economy

These are pretty standard things that most people can follow easily without too much trouble. Getting into the habit of checking tires  etc is easy and will help you save gasoline. Make sure that the tires are balanced and that your car is properly aligned. all of these things contribute to better gas mileage and reduced cost when you travel. Buy a gas guzzler is another approach especially for commuting.

More Ideas

If you have additional ideas to contribute about how to cut down on gas usage, please leave your comments. We can use all of the help we can get these days as prices go higher and higher. Gasoline has recently dropped in price a bit which gives us some breathing room, however any time you can save money and use it for other things, this seems like a good thing to me. For more information on energy savings ideas, click here.

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