10 Essential Tips That Will Help You Save Fuel and Money

How much money do you spend on fuel every month? If you are reading this, I bet the amount is high. How would you like to save some of that money and spend it on something else? The truth is that we all can do with an extra dollar. The amount of fuel you spend depends on various factors including your driving habits, car maintenance, and mileage covered. If you think that you are spending too much on fuel every year, the first step is to determine how much you spend. Once you estimate your monthly fuel cost, use the following tips to minimize the cost.

 

Reduce your mileage

Simple changes like driving your car less often can save you a lot of money. Think of the many times you hop into your car to go for groceries a few meters from your house. You do not need your car for that. You can walk right into the store and get what you need. Besides, it will keep you fit when walk often. Alternatively, you can ride your bike, which is even better for your health. This may be unimaginable if you have the best car in town but take public transport occasionally. If the system works perfectly in your area, take the bus or train at least twice a week. You will not just save fuel but have a chance to meet new people and interact.

 

Understand aerodynamics

Do you like your sunroof open when driving around? Well, it is time to close it if you are considering fuel economy. We all love the feeling of opening the sunroof and windows. However, your car uses more fuel when resisting too much wind. The sound of the wind as you drive may be exciting but it increases your fuel budget. Use the air conditioning if it gets too hot inside. You can leave the sunroof and windows open if you are just driving around town. If you hit the highway for a long trip, forget about the sunroof and just drive to your destination.

 

Car maintenance

Your dealer and mechanic must have told you several times to have your car checked consistently. Car maintenance keeps you on the road for long and saves your fuel. Check if your tyres have enough pressure. A car uses more fuel when the tyres have low pressure. How does that work? When your tyres are under-inflated, the friction between the rubber and road is high. Consequently, your engine uses more energy to keep your car moving, which translates to more fuel. Do not over-inflate your car tyres but maintain the recommended pressure level for your care model.

Accelerate slowly

Driving at a very low speed especially on a highway does no good to your fuel tank and other road users. Your car will need more energy to resist the wind when driving at a slow speed. However, if you have to accelerate, do it slowly or smoothly. Move slowly from the low gears to the middle gears and finally to the top gears. Once you achieve a comfortable and safe speed, avoid slowing down unless if they are bumps or any incidents. Do not try to move from the low gears to the top gears within three seconds.

 

Turn off the AC

Sometimes the little things you ignore when driving contribute to the high monthly fuel consumption. We told you to close the windows and sunroof and use the AC instead for fresh air. However, if it is not that hot outside, turn off the AC and save the dollar. You need a functional AC in your car. In fact, you need to replace it immediately if it is broken. It will save you from accidents on misty days and lower temperatures in summer. You just need to be conscious enough to turn it off when the temperatures are comfortable.

 

Stay away from traffic

If you drive to work daily or regularly on the same road, you know when traffic builds up. Do you have to get on the road on a rush hour every day? Do the math. You can stay in your office and get more work done as everybody else tries to get home. Alternatively, you can continue to waste your time and fuel in traffic every day. Stay away from all that agitation on the road during rush hours or find alternative routes to get home.

 

Get rid of excess weights

The solution to your fuel dilemma could be sitting right there in your car boot. Get rid of any excess weights in and on your car. Why is this important? Your car engine will use up more energy to drag all that weight to your destination. Make a habit of inspecting your boot and removing any unnecessary items every day. You know that roof rack that makes everyone in town know that you like the outdoors? Well, it has to go as well. Chances are that you had it installed after buying your car. If you are serious about fuel economy, you need to have it removed.

 

Buy a fuel-efficient car

Is it time to buy a new car? Maybe it is if all your money goes to gas. Think about fuel consumption before you write the check or transfer the funds. In fact, fuel consumption should be among the first questions you ask the dealer. The truth is that you will find many car models including hybrid and electric that will meet your personal or family needs and use less to no fuel. If the car you drive uses too much fuel, consider trading it for another fuel-efficient model. Heads may not turn when you drive by as before but you will feel the positive effect on your wallet.

Go slow on the brakes

This calls for a change in your driving habits when slowing down. Avoid stepping hard and fast on the brakes unless if you are about to crash into something or the car ahead. The secret is to study the road when driving. Check for bump signs or zebra crossings while you are still far off. Sometimes just observing traffic movements can tell you where you need to slow down. Do not maintain the high speed then halt suddenly when you get to the stop sign or bumps. Remember to accelerate slowly after the low-speed spots.

 

Avoid idling

Many drivers are guilty of this habit. You switch on the engine and keep it running as you wait for everyone to get into the car. If you are driving a modern car, it does not need much time to warm. In fact, it does not need any warm up at all. Switch on the engine when everyone is in and ready to go. Switch off the engine when you are stuck in traffic as well. However, you have to check the traffic movements and ensure that you are safe with your engine off.

Conclusion

Fuel economy is not rocket science. You just need to make small changes to your driving habits and service your car regularly. It may take you some time to undo some of the habits you have learned since you bought your first car. However, it is worth the trouble. The tips outlined above will get you moving in the right direction. Implementing one tip may not give you the significant change you need in the fuel cost. You need to combine several if not all of the tips to see the change.

Sole Trader Savings: Managing Money As A Home Business

Managing your home business efficiently is crucial in ensuring the success of your business going forward. For many small business owners, managing the finances of the business is an ongoing challenge but with the right approach to financial management, you can take control of your business so that you can reach your goals.

 

For your business to gain a solid financial footing, you need to ensure that you have enough cash flow available to manage the day-to-day needs of your business. Mismanaging your finances can be detrimental to the future success of your business. To stay on track towards your business goals and to give your business every chance of outperforming the competition, you need to learn how to manage your business finances properly.

 

Let’s take a look at some useful tips to help you to manage your home business finances more effectively.

 

Create A Emergency Fund

As a business owner, you need to remain flexible and be able to adapt to changes in the marketplace. Customer trends, dips in the market, natural disasters and other unforeseen events can wreak havoc on your business if you are not prepared. Having an emergency fund in place to help you to get through those difficult times will help your business to survive and emerge stronger during unexpected downturns. Use an online savings account to manage your contingency fund to earn interest on your emergency savings and enjoy even more peace of mind, knowing you are covered should the worst happen.

 

Track Your Spending

Many home business owners fail to monitor their spending correctly, which can quickly lead to overspending. Nowadays, there is a range of business tools, software packages and online platforms that can help you to monitor your spending so you always know where you stand. Tracking your expenses will allow you to plan for the future with more certainty and make better decisions for your business going forward.

 

Invoice Management

Invoicing may not be the most glamorous aspect of running a home business but it is essential in keeping your finances in check. Put systems in place to help you to manage your invoicing more efficiently to ensure that you are paid on time and you don’t miss any payments from your clients. Sending out invoices in a timely manner and following up regarding payments will help to ensure that you always have enough cash flow available day-to-day.

 

Negotiate With Suppliers

To keep your business costs to a minimum, it’s important to reassess the agreements you have in place with your partners, suppliers and vendors. You need to ensure that you are getting the best deal possible so that you can deliver the best possible product or service to your clients at the most competitive price. Negotiate a deal with your suppliers that will benefit your business and help you to save money, without affecting the quality of your product or service. Remember to weight up cost, quality and quantity to find a deal that offers you the best overall value and not simply the lowest price.

 

Keep Meticulous Records

Keeping accurate financial records is essential in managing your business finances effectively. Having access to up-to-date, precise financial data will allow you to plan for the financial needs of your business moving forward. You will also be able to identify areas of your business that need investment and those areas where you might be overspending. Proper record-keeping is also important when it comes to submitting your financial reports to the ATO at the end of the financial year, helping to ensure that the process is as smooth as possible and that your business is tax-compliant.

 

Manage Your Home Business Finances With Confidence

To ensure that your business continues to thrive moving forward, you need to ensure that you put steps in place to help you manage your finances properly. Taking the right approach to managing your small business finances will allow you to plan for the future needs of your business with more confidence, accurately assess the financial performance of your company and allow you to work towards your financial goals with more certainty.

Header Image Source 

Getting Your Financial Life in Order to Prepare for the Future

You’re tired of never really knowing how much money you have for various expenses, or maybe you keep running out of money before you get your next paycheck. Perhaps you’ve started to worry about the size of your retirement savings, or your credit card debt doesn’t seem to be getting any smaller. If you are like most people, you are facing some or all of these problems, and figuring out how to deal with them can be daunting. It’s easier to organize your financial life if you think about it in categories.

 

Budget

Budgeting is the first step in getting your finances in order because there is not much you can do before you know what is coming in and what is going out. You need to list all of your regular and irregular expenses when you are creating a budget, so keep in mind that this includes things you may only spend money on occasionally, such as haircuts, or once a year, such as birthday gifts. If you aren’t sure where your money is going, this does not make you unusual, and there are a number of apps you can download to track your spending and help you budget. In order to get a fairly accurate sense, it’s best to track for about three months. Creating a budget may be an eye-opening look at where your money is going and why you always feel short of what you need. Once you have looked at your debt and your savings as described below, you can figure out how much of your budget should go toward these.

Debt

If you don’t have any debt, you are well ahead of most people. If you do have debt, the first thing to do is look at what is considered ‘good’ vs. ‘bad’. A mortgage is considered good debt, and while it is better to pay off a mortgage sooner rather than later, you don’t need to apply the aggressive tactics that are appropriate with other types of debt. You should look at the interest you are paying on various types of debts and if you can get that lowered. For example, interest rates on credit card debt are generally high. You may want to consider taking out personal loans to cover this and any other high-interest debt. Do some research online to find the right personal loan for your circumstances. You can get matched with options in about a minute.

 

Savings

Finally, it’s time to look at your savings. It’s generally better to pay off high-interest debt before devoting a good portion to savings, but you should have an emergency fund and actively make retirement contributions. Your emergency fund should have around three to six months’ worth of expenses in it. If your employer has a retirement plan, you should contribute as much as you can to it, particularly if there is a matching plan. One good way to save more easily is to have your bank automatically deposit a certain amount of money into a savings or other type of account instead of your checking account.

Header Image Source 

70 Things You Can Score With Your Student ID

The Student ID. Oh, so much more than a horribly scanned picture of yourself that gives you access to your dorm, so you should always carry yours with you.

Our culture takes pity on poor college students, after all, we work tirelessly to get our home work done by finding innovative ways to do my essay cheap with best authors.

You never know what kinds of goodies, freebies and discounts are available to you. You should always ask in stores, at sports venues and at restaurants if they have a student discount. You’ll be delighted to know that answer is usually, “Yes.?? Most of these places don’t advertise that they even have a discount, but for asking the question, (and having the ID to back it,) often means savings for you.

Thanks to the discounts provided below you will also have some savings for dealing with essays for sale online .

Here’s a list of some of the good ones (in participating outlets and locations):

  1. Shop Amazon For College Supplies With Discounts

  2. Eastern Mountain Sports 20% off

  3. Spotify offers 50% membership discount

  4. Supercuts 20% off

  5. New Jersey devils tickets: $15 for upper level tickets, $35 for lower level tickets


  6. J. Crew 15% off types of sweaters

  7. Madewell 15% off

  8. Sam’s Club discounted membership AND a $15 gift card

  9. Vineyard Vines 15% off

  10. CharlotteRusse 10% off

  11. ASOS 10% off

  12. AMC movie theaters: student discounted tickets every Thursday


  13. Banana Republic 15% off

  14. Topshop 10% off

  15. The Limited 15% off

  16. Burger King 10% off

  17. Chick-Fil-A: FREE small drink

  18. Arby’s 10% off

  19. Buffalo Wild Wings 10% off

  20. Chipotle: 15% off

  21. Apple $300 off on aMacBook, and up to $30 onIpad

  22. Cheap Essay Writing Service

  23. Amtrak 10% off

  24. TCBY 15% off

  25. Subway 10% off

  26. New York Times Subscription 50% off

  27. Ann Taylor 20% off

  28. McDonald’s 10% off

  29. Steve Madden 10% off

  30. Urban Outfitters 10% on secret sales you sign up for

  31. Adobe up to 80% off software

  32. Microsoft 10% off

  33. Banana republic: 15% off


  34. Sprint Wireless 10-15% off

  35. Allstate up to 20% to age 25 for full time students

  36. General Motors (see dealerships)

  37. Met Opera inNYC 25% off

  38. Domino’s pizza: various student discounts based on location


  39. Chicago Art Institute 20% off admission

  40. FedEx 20% shipping and 30% off documents

  41. Jo-Ann Fabric 10% off

  42. Ben Franklin Craft Stores 10% off on Tuesdays

  43. The Economist 69% off

  44. Wall Street Journal up to 75% off

  45. Eddie Bauer (varies by store)

  46. Goodwill: 10% off in-store purchases with a student ID


  47. Oasis 20% off

  48. Coast London 20% off

  49. Toms Shoes FREE shipping

  50. Alex & Ani 10% off (in store)

  51. Sally Beauty Supply (varies by store)

  52. Club Monaco 15-20% off

  53. Medelita Medical/Hospital Clothing 25% off

  54. Kate Spade 15% off

  55. Norton software protection 50% off

  56. Hard RockCafé (varies by location)

  57. Buca diBeppo (varies by location)

  58. Auto Desk offers free software

  59. Kroger Grocery 5% off

  60. Waffle House 10% off

  61. Dairy Queen (varies by location)

  62. J-crew: 15% off regular-priced items


  63. Corepower Yoga (varies by location)

  64. Qdoba: student burrito meals $5

  65. Moo.com (20% off with university email.)

  66. Rail Europe (varies by location)

  67. Lonely Planet Guides 30% off

  68. MadameTussauds Wax Museum 15% off

  69. Greyhound bus 20% off fares

  70. Choice Hotels 15% off

  71. Check out 52 MORE things you can score with your student ID

Note: These offers are updated frequently. Prices, promotions and the highest paying affiliate highest paying affiliate programs may vary, so check offer provider for updates.

Exit mobile version