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Save Money By Taking Fewer Trips In your Car

The thing that tends to wreck most people’s budget is the cost of gas.  Gas prices can spike dramatically over the cost of a month, forcing you to very quickly reconsider how much you are going to have to spend on car related expenses.  So it’s a smart idea to try and make your car and your driving habits as fuel efficient as possible, by doing things like accelerating slowly, making sure your tires are properly inflated, and getting regular tune ups.  But in the end, nothing beats just driving less in terms of saving cash that you can then put towards paying off your debt.

Try and apply these tips to drive less.  They will help you save gas, require less maintenance for your car, and ultimately help you pour more money into paying off your debt.

Consolidate Trips – Don’t go to the post office one day, the drycleaners the next, and then the mall the next day.  It’s a much smarter plan to just take one trip for all of your needs.  Before you go anywhere, ask if there is anything else you could accomplish on the way.  It particularly helps if one of your destinations happens to be on your way back from work.

Shop Online More - If you need to buy something, you might consider checking to see if it is available online before you go shopping for it. This will save you a trip to the store, which will save you a little gas.  If you buy a few things over the course of a month, it can save you a lot of gas. What’s even better is that, even with shipping, the cost of shopping online can be less than going to a traditional store, because it’s a lot easier to comparison shop, thus saving you even more money.

Carpool -  Chances are you aren’t the only person at your office who is hurting from high gas prices. Try to find out who lives close by to you so that you can organize a carpool.  There are really two ways to carpool.  The first is when one person drives everyone to the place of work and everyone else pitches in a little for gas, and the other is when people take turns driving everyone.   If possible, it’s a much better deal to get the latter, because this means that money won’t have to change hands, plus it doesn’t rest the burden of driving all the time on a single vehicle.

Walk or Bike – People often hop into their car without ever really considering whether or not it is totally necessary.  The next time you want to drive somewhere, ask if it would make more sense to just take a stroll in that direction or just bike over.   Not only will you be saving gas and wear and tear on you car, you will be getting in some exercise and scenery too. If you choose to ride your bike, make sure to wear protective gear as well, such as a helmet and elbow pads.