Five Ways to Spend Less on Your Car
Our cars make up a large portion of our weekly budget, and when you think about how much you spend on petrol, car registration, car insurance, repairs and maintenance you begin to realise how it all adds up. Our cars are a necessary part of our daily lives, some people using them more than others depending on where they live, but there are few people who get through the week without travelling by car. Petrol prices are constantly increasing along with the cost of other living expenses, like electricity and gas, and today people are looking to ways to reduce how much they spend on their cars.
Car insurance
Car insurance is important to have, but often it costs a lot more than people can afford. Sometimes people are under insured simply because they lack the funds. In reality you really can’t afford not to take out insurance. If you are involved in an accident and damage your car or someone else’s, or even if you damage property, you could find yourself faced with a bill that will cost you thousands. A few hundred dollars once a year is a much better option that a damage bill that could destroy you financially. To spend less on your car insurance make sure you shop around before taking out cover. An insurance broker can help you find the best deal or do some research of your own.
Cheap petrol days
Take note of petrol prices in your local area and compare them with prices a little further afield. You will find that the price of petrol varies quite dramatically. You will also find that each city has a cheaper petrol day, and it is not necessarily ‘Cheap Tuesday’. Take a note of the daily petrol prices for a few weeks and you will begin to see a pattern. Fill up on those days it is cheapest. Also hang on to your shopping dockets that offer money off petrol, but check that the value off they are giving is going to make it cheaper than other petrol stations that are not connected with this specific supermarket. You could find that the supermarket petrol station has a petrol price that works out the same as other stations, once you take off the discount.
Smart driving
When you are driving long distances use your cruise control. On a straight stretch of road you are much better off switching on the cruise control as it will use less petrol. It will also stop you from speeding, which is easy to do on a straight bit of road when you have a long way to go. Another good tip is to go easy on the accelerator. When you take off from the lights go easy and don’t accelerate too hard.
Keep your car serviced
Keeping your car serviced regularly will help save money in the long run. If you leave it go too long when you finally do get your car serviced it is going to cost you a lot more in repairs. It is also better for the safety of your vehicle as well.
Leave the car at home
Spend less on your car by simply leaving it at home. Instead of driving to the shops or corner store walk there instead. The exercise will do you good.