By
admin on February 11th, 2009
The way for you to cut the amount of fuel you consume for your car is called hypermiling. It’s a term that is widely talked recently. During this recession, saving fuel can save you money. Since most of us rely upon our vehicle to get us around we need to make it go with less fuel. Several ways to save gas are:
- Driving habits is very crucial to save fuel. You need to stay at a constant speed as much as you can. Even if you are in a hurry, driving fast and slowing down in traffic won’t save you very much time. Aggressive driving doesn’t get you any faster, yet it is costing you more fuel than it should to arrive at that destination.
- Turn off your air conditioner if you can. This is a very big waster of fuel for your vehicle. For example, in the summer you can run errands early in the morning, to you won’t be relying upon the air conditioner to keep you cool.
- Check your tires on a regular basis to ensure they aren’t wearing unevenly or needing to be replaced. It is also important to check the amount of air in each of the tires. You must have the right pressure for your tire.
- Vehicles that aren’t well cared will end up using more gas than those well maintained. Don’t wait until your vehicle stalls on the road. Preventative work will save you money. If you can hear noises that it wasn’t making before you need to have a mechanic check it out. This can prevent you from more serious damage.
- Make sure you take the time to get your oil changed regularly. It is a good idea to have your oil changed every three months or every 3,000 miles. Go by which one of them takes place first. It is vital to use a good quality of oil and the correct grade of oil for your vehicle.
- Replace your air filter every 3 to 4 months. Some people find that it is just as effective to take theirs out and to blow it out with pressure from an air compressor.
- Avoid traffic jam when travelling. Do your best to avoid bottleneck areas, near road construction or driving at rush hour. You can find alternative roads to avoid those heavy traffic roads. Even if the alternative is one that is several more miles, it can end up saving you fuel in the long run.
- When you are not using your vehicle, turn it off to save you on gas. Many people let their car idle to warm up in the winter and then to cool down in the summer. You can place your vehicle in a garage so you don’t have to let it sit outside collecting frost or heat.
- The heavier your vehicle is the more gas it is going to use. You can remove things on it to lighten your car to save money. You can remove unimportant things in your trunk like heavy tool box, heavy speakers and sound systems.
- Change your car into more efficient vehicle. You will notice that many vehicle manufacturers are offering more compact and medium sized vehicles, which saves more money on gas.
- Do try to carpool as much as you can to and from work. If you can trade of weeks of driving with a co-worker you will cut your costs in half.
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By
admin on December 9th, 2008
The world is having a serious financial crisis. Many people has lost their jobs because of it. To survive, you need to save your money. Basically you can save money by reducing your comfort. Comfort means money. But there are also other tricks to save money. Here are 100 ways to save money:
Shopping
- Before shopping create your shopping list and stick with it.
- Don’t buy branded goods, and buy cheaper product with the same quality.
- Buy in bulk whenever possible. It is cheaper.
- Buy generic products whenever possible. There are plenty of private label product nowadays. The store will make their own product using their own brand. This is cheaper because they do not spend money for advertising.
- Always compare product’s price and specification when you need to buy expensive things.
- Shop online. Online company usually cheaper, because they can save money on their store rent.
- Use couponsfor shopping.
- Find a garage sale. You can find gold there.
Computer
- Screen savers does not reduce energy consumption. Automatic switching to sleep mode or hibernate is better.
- Consider buying a laptop. They use less energy than desktop computers.
- Consider buying LCD monitor. They use less energy than CRT monitor.
- Stop renting the cable modem. You can buy a cable modem for cheaper cost in the future.
- Plug your computer and other electronic into a good UPS. So can save money by not buying a new circuit board that is fried.
- Use open source software like Linux Operating System and Open Office.
- Upgrade an existing PC rather than buying a new one. Usually it is cheaper to upgrade. But if your computer is very old, you need to buy a new one.
Appliances
- Maintain your heating system appliances because they are the ones that consume too much electricity.
- Turn off the lights if it is not used.
- Use low energy light bulbs, compact fluorescent light bulbs.
- Clean your AC air filters. A dirty air filter reduces airflow, causing it to work harder and use more energy.
- Use of solar power for for heating water.
- Find natural gas appliances with blue flames. This indicates that the gas is burning efficiently.
- Install a programmable thermostat to have your house in comfortably warm in the winter and comfortably cool in the summer.
- Turn off your electronic appliances like TV, and computer when not in use.
- Look dishwasher for the ENERGY STAR label that uses less water and less energy.
- Regularly manual
- defrost freezers. Frost buildup decreases the energy efficiency of the unit.
- Cover your kettle or pan to boil water. It will be done faster and can save energy.
- Request an energy audit from your utility company. It’s free, and they’ll give you plenty of tips to reduce your power bill.
- Lower your thermostat 1 degree and you will save 2 percent on your monthly energy bill. You can put on a sweater to deal with the cold.
Transportation
- Go to work by using bus, or maybe riding a bike.
- Check your engine and tire pressure. Having unequal pressure can greatly affect the car’s fuel economy.
- Look for frequent shopper deals on gas. Some grocery stores can offer gas discount with a frequent shopper card.
- Avoid rush hour traffic as much as possible. Stopping in traffic can burn up lots of gas.
- Drive at constant speed to save gas.
- Keep your car light. Remove any unnecessary heavy items from your car. Heavy items makes the car work harder.
- Take turns with your nearby friend to work.
- Fix your car with skilled mechanic. If it is not correctly repaired, you might pay more for broken spare parts in the future.
- Consider buying a fuel
- efficient car.
- Compare prices at different gas stations, and find the lowest.
- Choose manual transmission car than automatic.
- Use the correct grade of the oil which tells about the viscosity. If you use the wrong grade, you may increase the friction in your engine, and uses more gas.
- Replace your air filter every three months or 3,000 miles or as specified in your owner’s manual.
Credit card
- Be sure to pay on time.
- Don’t spend more than you can afford.
- Pay off your balance in full each month if possible.
- Stop using credit cards. You can overspend, if you’re getting money from credit account.
- Avoid using cash advances on credit card. Only it as the last option. They have a higher interest rate than regular card charges.
- Transfer your credit card debt to a card that charges a lower interest rate. Read your application carefully for this.
- Negotiate a lower rate with your credit card company. If you have a good credit history, they might lower your interest rate.
- If you have a balance on more than one credit card. Pay the most you can afford on the highest interest rate card, and make the minimum payment on the others. Once the card with the highest interest rate is paid, you can start paying the next highest interest rate.
Health
- If you are sick buy generic drugs. Generic drugs are basically the same as the branded ones in terms of ingredients and quality.
- Don’t smoke or reduce cigarette.
- Don’t drink alcohol or reduce your alcohol consumption.
- Don’t go to the gym. You can exercise by running or riding a bicycle.
- Stay healthy. Eat well and rest well. Don’t drink or smoke.
- Reduce your weight. Overweight is source to many illness.
- Participate in your employer’s health insurance plan. They have lower rate, because employers direct a large number of people to the insurer.
Entertainment
- Use only TV cable that you really need. Choose a smaller package.
- Don’t buy popcorn and drinks on theater. They are very expensive.
- Rent a movie instead of going to the theater.
- Do cheap entertainment like hiking, picnicking, fishing, or camping.
- Buy movie tickets in bulk. The cost per ticker is lower.
- When traveling, buy a guidebook instead of hiring a travel guide.
Food and drink
- Cook home as often as you can. By not eating at the restaurant, you can save a lot.
- Bring your lunch from home.
- Eliminate Expensive Coffee Drinks. In some places, you pay a lot for the atmosphere not the coffee.
- Use discount dining cards.
- Take advantage of promotions, like buy one get one free offer.
- Consider making your own bread. You can find the recipes in the internet.
- Buy products on sale. Repackage and store it in the freezer for future use.
- Consider buying meat with bones. Being willing to skin and de-bone it yourself can save you dollars.
- If you have time, consider cooking from scratch. Frozen meals is convenient but more expensive.
Travel
- Book your hotel at least one month in advance.
- Don’t use hotel phones for long-distance calls before inquiring about the charges.
- Find fares and room rates on Internet which is usually cheaper.
- Go travel by avoiding the crowds. If a destination sees its highest tourist traffic in winter, then go on summer, spring or fall if posible.
- Use small inn instead of a big hotel.
- Go wait until the last minute for an airline ticket. They usually on sale because plenty of times a plance is flying around 80% full.Finance
- When you apply on mortgage, go for the shortest-term mortgage you can afford. Shortest-term will save you more money.
- Consider refinancing your mortgage if you can get a rate that is lower than your existing mortgage rate. If the interest is low, it’s time to refinance your loan.
- Don’t buy lottery. The odds of winning is very low.
- Save you money in piggy bag dailly. Be discipline on it.
- Apply scholarships for your college.
- Improve your credit score so you can get better deal on loans.
- Don’t do stock trading. Buy and hold is better because you don’t have to pay commission. You just need to buy good and cheap company and hold it.
- If you don’t rely on your broker’s recommendations and don’t trade often, choose a discount broker, where transactions cost is lower.
Internet
- Use free online greeting card if you want to send someone a card.
- Find used products at ebay.
- Buy used books instead of new books at amazon.
- Get free software from download.com.
- Save on your communication bill by chatting via computer or with free software from Skype.com. It’s free to call another Skype user.
- Don’t subscribe on printed magazine. Read online news sites is cheaper.
- Instead of buying whole album, buy music that you really like from service like Itunes.
General
- Don’t buy things that do do not need.
- Borrow books from the library instead of buying.
- Pay yourself first. Deposit 10% of every salary in a savings account.
- Be an early bird for seminars.
- Do a garage sale to get rid of un-needed items.
- Bundle your services, like bundling cable or satellite TV, telephone service, and high-speed Internet service. This is often cheaper than you buy it separately.
For more ideas on saving money try some of these tips.
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By
admin on December 6th, 2008
You say you know where your money goes and you don’t need it all written down to keep up with it? I issue you this challenge. Keep track of every penny you spend for one month and I do mean every penny.
You will be shocked at what the itty-bitty expenses add up to. Take the total you spent on just one unnecessary item for the month, multiply it by 12 for months in a year and multiply the result by 5 to represent 5 years.
That is how much you could have saved AND drawn interest on in just five years. That, my friend, is the very reason all of us need a budget. By budgeting, you can save a lot of money.
The little things really do count. Cutting what you spend on lunch from five dollars a day to three dollars a day on every work day in a five day work week saves $10 a week… $40 a month… $480 a year… $2400 in five years….plus interest.
See what I mean… it really IS the little things and you still eat lunch everyday AND that was only one place to save money in your daily living without doing without one thing you really need. There are a lot of places to cut expenses if you look for them.
Set some specific long term and short term goals. There are no wrong answers here. If it’s important to you, then it’s important period.
If you want to be able to make a down payment on a house, start a college fund for your kids, buy a sports car, take a vacation to Aruba… anything… then that is your goal and your reason to get a handle on your financial situation now.
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By
admin on November 17th, 2008
Saving money is very important in your life. By saving money, you can have a better future for yourself and your children.
Here are some tips:
- Saving on Credit card. Having a credit card is very convenient since carrying a lot of cash becomes unneccesary. You should obtain your credit card records to have a better idea of your spendings. Be sure to pay on time and don’t spend more than you can afford. Consider cancelling your credit card if you are not using it frequently, because their annual fee might be high.
- Saving on gas. The price of gas is on the rise, but recently is has gone down. To save gas, you can exchange driving responsibilities with your friends. You can save 50% from this. Go to work by using bus, or maybe riding a bike. Your car should be on very good condition too. Check your engine and tire pressure. Having unequal pressure can greatly affect the car’s fuel economy.
- Save Money on Groceries. Before shopping create your shopping list and stick with it. Don’t buy branded goods, and buy cheaper product with the same quality. You can also shop once or twice a month. In that way, less time will be spent on going to a grocery store and at the same time, chances of overspending will be minimized.
- Save Money on Utilities. Identify which appliances consume much electricity and change them. You can save a lot. Maintain your heating system appliances because they are the ones that consume too much electricity. The refrigerator and the water heater consume that much energy as well.
- Saving Money on Medication. The most important thing is being fit and healthy. Prevention is the key. Reducing cigarette and alcohol consumption can save you a lot of money. If you are sick buy generic drugs. Generic drugs are basically the same as the branded ones in terms of ingredients and quality. Ask you doctors about the possible alternatives that you can take. Ask him if there is a generic drug that you can take.
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