Sat. Dec 7th, 2024
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Frugal Motoring: How To Drive Your Car Like A Cheapskate

I don’t know about you, but I hate the fact that it costs me more to drive my car today than it did a few years ago! I’m a good driver, and I make sure all my taxes and insurance costs are up-to-date so that I can remain a road-legal driver.

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With state taxes and insurance going up all the time, many folks are finding that they will soon have to sell their cars and take the bus to work! If you’d rather keep your car, there are plenty of ways to stay road legal without spending a lot.

In today’s blog post, I will show you how you can drive and operate your car like a cheapskate!

Leave early, drive slower

One of the biggest costs that all car owners face is their fuel bills. Gas and diesel prices are rising all the time, not just here in the United States but around the world. And the situation in the Middle East isn’t helping matters either!

You might be thinking that now is the time to buy an alternative fuel vehicle. But the chances are you can’t afford to buy one, especially as they cost at least $20,000 more than their gas and diesel cousins.

One practical way to cut down on your gas bills is to drive slower. By leaving early and driving slower, you can cut out a significant chunk on your petrol costs. Even just driving ten mph slower than usual can help.

Get healthy and use pedal power

The trouble with Americans is that they rely on their cars too much! Instead of taking the car somewhere about ten blocks away, or driving to work, why not use a bicycle?

You don’t have to pay anything to operate a bicycle, and you become fitter and healthier as a result. Plus, you will enjoy more of the scenery in your local area than you would sitting inside your car.

Don’t increase drag

Drag describes the amount of force needed to ‘pull’ something. In this case, we are talking about your car. In general, the heavier your car is, the more drag it produces. And the more drag it produces, the more gas your motor will consume.

Gary from http://www.jaysnewnelsongarage.co.uk offers some useful advice for making your car lighter:

  • Empty your trunk. A lot of folks store all sorts of weird and wonderful objects in the trunk of their cars! If you are one of those people, store the contents of your trunk at home;
  • Ditch the spare tire. One controversial way of lightening the load is to leave your spare tire at home. Wheels and tires are heavy. Consider buying run-flat tires for your car’s four wheels, so that you can still drive to a tire shop if you get a flat;
  • Don’t carry passengers. Most of the time, your passengers will not give you any cash for taking them places. The solution? Don’t let them in your car unless they give you some gas money!

Thanks for reading today’s article!