Driveless. Themostfuel-efficientvehicleistheonenotrunning.A HummerparkedinthedrivewayconsumeslessfuelthanaPriusdriving
on the road. By staying home Saturday nights, walking to the gym instead of driving, reading a book rather than motoring to the video store, and commuting using alternative transportation, you can save a lotofmoolahongas.You’llprobablysavemoneyondoingmorefrugal
activitiesathomeaswell.
BOTTOMLINE:Drivinglessornotatallsavesyouupto100%on
fuelcosts.
Replaceairfiltersregularly. Acloggedordirtyairfiltermayreduce fuelmileagebyupto10%.Acleanfiltercosts$30to$100dependingon your car or truck size and prevents the engine from working
unnecessarilyhardbyoptimizingtheaircirculationinthemotor.Labour tochangeafiltercostsaround$50perhour,soreadthemanufacturer’s manualanddothisjobyourselfforfree.
BOTTOM LINE: Replace your air filter every 24,000 km (or
accordingtothemanufacturer’srecommendations)toincreaseyour
fuelmileageby10%.
Keeptiresproperlyinflated. Makesureyourtiresareinflatedtothe manufacturer’srecommendedPSI.Lowtirepressurenotonlyresultsin
increased wear on your car but it also reduces your gas mileage. To increasefuelefficiency,inflatetirestothehigherpressurelistedinthe usermanual—justdon’tgohigherthanthemaximumpressureprinted
onthetire.Bewarned,though:highertirepressureswillhelpsaveon
gasbutmayresultinaharsherrideonroughroads.
BOTTOMLINE:Checkyourtirepressurewheneveryoufillupatthe
pump and increase your fuel efficiency by 2%. This can save you justunder2centsperlitre.
Tune the engine. Keep your engine running smoothly by regularly checking spark plugs, wires and fuel injectors and performing any necessaryservice.Asmooth-runningengineismuchmoreefficientthan
onethatmaybemisfiringorpluggedbecauseofoverduemaintenance.A
well-tunedridecouldsaveyouhundredsinfuel.
BOTTOM LINE: Get your engine running smoothly by regularly
checkingsparkplugsandfuelinjectors.Dirtyoldsparkplugscan
increasefuelconsumptionbyasmuchas30%.
Getthetiresaligned. Youcanimprovefueleconomysignificantlyby getting your tires aligned and properly balanced. Also check for any resistance on tires due to brake dragging and get them adjusted to reducefriction.
BOTTOM LINE: A smooth-running automobile with aligned tires
andproperlyadjustedbrakesmayincreaseyourfuelefficiencyup
to20%—18centsoneverylitre.
Combine trips. Take a few minutes each day to strategically plan yourdailytripsandincreaseyoursavingsonfueldramatically.Lotsof littlestop-and-goerrandscanaddup,andspinningyourwheelsallover town consumes your gas. Here are some tips to optimize your daily travelplans:
1. Startbylistingallyourfixedappointments.
2. Scheduleallothernon-fixederrandsaroundyourfixedappointments.
3. Planyourtripsothelongestdriveisdonefirst.Thistacticletsyour carwarmupproperlyandcanincreaseoverallfuelefficiency,moreso
thanmakingseveralcoldstarts.
4. Getyourcaringearandgeteverythingdoneinonesingletrip.You mayjustfindyou’llendupsavingbothgasandtime.
BOTTOMLINE:Planningyourdailyerrandsaroundonesingletrip
cansaveyouhundredsayearongasandsaveyoutimeaswell.
Avoidacceleratingheavilywhencitydriving. Whendrivinginthe city,youconsumethemostgaswhenyou’reaccelerating.Becauseurban
driversconstantlyspeedupandslowdownduringcityjaunts,citycars
haveinferiorgasmileagecomparedwithhighwaycruisers.Tosaveupto
50%onfuelconsumptionwhiledrivingintown,accelerategentlyfrom
astop,leavinglotsofspacebetweenyourcarandtheoneinfrontof
you.
BOTTOM LINE: Adjusting your city driving habits to limit
acceleratingcancutyourfuelcostsbyalmosthalf—upto45cents
perlitre.
Slowdownonthehighway. Whencruisingonthehighway,yourcar burnslotsoffueljustpunchingaholeintheair.Whilebreakingwind
maysoundlikefun,it’sactuallyveryexpensive.Thefasteryoudrive,the harder your car has to work just to move forward against wind resistance. Because your car’s work increases exponentially with the speed,slowingdownbyjust10%willsaveupto10%infuelcosts,and
willaddamerethreeminutestoahalf-hourdrive.
BOTTOMLINE:Attypicalhighwayspeeds,slowingdown10%will
saveupto10%infuelcostsoverthesamedistance—savingyou9
centsperlitre.
Reducemorningwarm-uptime. Anidlingcarisanexpensivegas-
guzzling machine. A car parked with the engine running can use anywhere from 1 litre to 4 litres of gas every hour going nowhere.
Reducing the amount of time you warm up your car on cold winter morningscansavehundredsofdollarsfromgoingupinsmoke.Agood
compromiseistostartyourcar,waitafewsecondsandgentlydriveoff: modern cars warm up much faster and more efficiently when being driventhantheydowhenidling.
BOTTOMLINE:Warmingupyourcarforonehourlesseachmonth
savesyouupto$3.60infuel.
Stopidling. Sittinginanidlingcarfor10minuteswaitingtopickup a friend burns through 0.2 litres of fuel. To save your gas money, considerturningyourengineoffifyou’regoingtobestoppedformore
than30seconds.ManycitiesinEuropehaveinstalledcountdowntimers
atlongerlightstoallowdriverstoturnofftheircarsinsteadofsitting and idling—collectively saving our European neighbours hundreds of thousandsinidlefuelcostseachyear.
BOTTOM LINE: Being idle while burning fuel in your car is a surefirepathtowatchingyourcashgoupinsmoke.Anaveragecar
uses 0.2 litres of fuel for every 10 minutes of idling—which translatesinto$2.16forevery2hoursofidletime.
Losetheroofrack. Harnessthepowerofaerodynamicsandlighten your load by removing the unused roof rack on your car. On the highway,anemptyroofrackwillincreaseyourfuelconsumptionby5%.
Aroofrackloadedwithbikesoracargoboxcanaddover20%.Mounta
roofrackonlywhenit’sneededandyoucansavealotongas.
BOTTOM LINE: Remove an unused roof rack to decrease fuel
consumptionby5%andsave4.5centsperlitre.
Removetheextrajunkinyourtrunk. Areyoupackinglotsofextra poundsinthetrunkofyourcar?Every100poundsofextraweightin
towincreasesyourfuelcostsby1%to2%eachtimeyoudriveupahill
or increase speed. Return overdue library books, toss out the trash behindtheseatandremovethesandbagsandchainsfromlastwinter.
Not only will you save gas, you’ll also feel happier driving in a clean vehicle.Justhangontothesparetiretokeepyousafe.
BOTTOMLINE:Gettingridof100poundsofexcessweightinyour
trunklowersyourfuelcostsby1%to2%,asavingsof50centsto
$1ona$50tankofgas.
Try telecommuting from home. Not everyone has a job or an employer who allows logging in from home, but if you do, try
telecommuting.Workingfromhomeaslittleasonedayaweekcansave
one-fifthofyourcommutinggas,whicheffectivelymeansyou
’regetting
paidalittlebitmoreeachweek.
BOTTOM LINE: Save 20% on your commuting gas by logging in
fromhomeandtelecommuting.
Do the math on buying a hybrid. A hybrid is an automobile that uses two or more forms of power, generally an internal combustion engine and an electric motor. Driving a hybrid vehicle is an excellent waytoimprovefueleconomyandcutdownonpollution.Butdohybrids
save you money over a conventional car in the long run? The answer depends on which car you compare the hybrid with. For example, a hybridToyotaPriuscurrentlysellsfor$27,600,whichis$10,000more
thanabase-modelHondaCivic.WhilethePriushybrideasilyuses30%
less fuel, these savings take years to recover based on the substantial pricedifference.Assuming18,000kmperyearwithgasolineat$1per
litre, it would take more than 30 years of driving to make up the difference.
BOTTOMLINE:Whilebuyingahybridcarmayseemliketheperfect
solution to beating prices at the pump, consider the sticker price difference between the hybrid and the conventional car before layingouttheextradoughtosaveonfuel.
Buyamorefuel-efficientvehicle. Ifyouownanoldercaroralarge truck,itmaybetimetoupgradetoamorefuel-efficientmodel.Driving acarliketheHondaFitcouldsaveyouhundredsayearonfuelalone.
Forexample,aChryslerPTCruiserusesabout8litresoffuelper100
km,whileaHondaFitburnsonly6litres.Ifyoudrive18,000kmeach
year,yousave$360infueleachyearorathrifty$1eachday(assuming gasis$1/L).Beforebuyingacar,reviewthefuelefficiencyratingslisted onmanufacturers’websites.Youmaybesurprisedhowmuchmoneyyou
can save by comparing cars within the same class and cost range, so reallydoyourhomeworkbeforeyoubuy.
BOTTOMLINE:Buyingafuel-efficientcarliketheHondaFitrather
thanabiggervehiclewithaV8engineresultsinsavingsofalmost
$1,000peryear.
Ditchthecarandrideabike,walkortakethebus. Dependingon whereyoulive,goingcarfreecanbeeitherahugechallengeorathrifty reality.WhenIlivedinVancouver,Imanagedtocommutewithoutacar
for10yearsandlivedtotellthetale.TheGovernmentofCanadaoffers tax credits for people who hold transit passes for buses, streetcars, subways,commutertrainsandlocalferries.Theamountyoucanclaim
dependsonyourincome,socheckouttransitpass.catoseeyourpossible taxcredits.
BOTTOMLINE:Bywalkingorridingmybiketoworkeachday,I
savedatleast$3,500ayear.That’s$35,000savedover10years—
not including compound interest. These savings are equivalent to gettingafreeyearoffwork.
Getinacarpool. Onevehicletravellingwithfourpeopleconsumes 75%lessgasthanfourvehiclescarryingonepersoneach.Carpoolingis
anawesomemethodforincreasingthenumberofbuttssittinginyour
car while decreasing both the gasoline consumed and the number of vehicles on the road. Even if you carpool once weekly with just one otherperson,youwillstillsave10%ofyourcommutinggascosts.Many
citieshavecarpoolor“highoccupancyvehicle”lanes,whichmakesyour
commute both faster and cheaper. Check out Carpool.ca to arrange a carpoolinggroupnearyou.
BOTTOM LINE: Save some stress and big dollars on gas by
carpooling to work or school. Sharing a ride as little as once per weekcansaveyou10%oncommutingcosts.
HowtoTrackYourGasMileage
It’s impossible to tell if your attempts to save on gas are actually successful without tracking and measuring your fuel consumption.
Tracking your gas mileage doesn’t require any fancy equipment or expensivegadgets.Allyouneedisanotebook,apen,anodometer,agas receipt and some time to figure it out. Here are the free goods on calculatingyourfuelconsumption.
1.Fuelup. Eachtimeyoufillyourtank,writedownthedistanceyou droveonthelasttank,theamountoffuelyoujustpurchasedandthe
priceperlitre.
2. Clear trip odometer. Reset your car’s trip odometer to start measuringthedistancebeforethenextfuelling.
3. Calculate. When you get home calculate the fuel efficiency of that tank.Calculateyourlitresper100kmbymultiplyingthetotallitresof gas used by 100, and then dividing that number by the total
kilometres driven. For example, if you drove 450 km and used 44
litres,thenyourmileageis9.8L/100km.
4.Record. Writethesenumbersinanotebookandkeepithandyinyour car. Periodically review the numbers to see if your attempts to improvemileagearepayingoff.
AutomobileInsurance
Drivesafelyandgetabetterrate. Asafedriverwillpaymuchlessin insurance than an unsafe one. Insurance companies generally give discountstodriverswhohavemaintainedacleanrecordforanumberof
years.Conversely,driverswithinsuranceclaimsandaccidentsontheir
recordmaypaymorethantriplethebaserate.
BOTTOM LINE: Being an accident-free driver and keeping a clean
record could save you hundreds a year on insurance premiums.
Makesureyouclaimyourrewardforgooddrivingbynegotiatinga
goodrate.
Shop around for insurance (if you can). Drivers living in British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Manitoba or Quebec insure vehicles through their provincial public auto insurance company and have a set rate.
Drivers living in other Canadian provinces and territories are insured privatelyandmustshoparoundtofindthebestdealonautoinsurance.
With private insurance, rates can vary when factoring in the various discountsyoumaybeeligiblefor.Getatleastthreequotesandcompare packagesbeforedecidingonaninsurancepolicy.
BOTTOM LINE: Living in a province with private automobile
insurance gives you the opportunity to shop around for the best rate.Manyinsurancecompanieswillofferdiscountstogroupslike
alumniorprofessionalassociations.Alwaysaskforabetterdealif
you’reaclaim-freedriver.
Matchinsurancetoyourneeds. Skippayingforextensivecollision orcomprehensivecoverageifyoudriveanolderautomobilewherethe
addedinsuranceexpensedoesn’toutweighthereplacementvehiclecost.
For example, if your vehicle is worth $1,000 and your comprehensive insurancewithadeductiblecosts$300,themostaninsurancecompany
mightpaybeforewritingoffthecarisaround$700.
BOTTOMLINE:Don’tpayforextensivecollisionorcomprehensive
insuranceifyourvehiclereplacementvalueisclosetotheamount
ofthedeductible.
Raiseyourdeductibles. Getoutyourcarinsurancepolicyandmake thecalltoraisethedeductiblesbyaslittleas$300to$500tosavebig money on insurance costs each year. Raising deductibles on cracked windshields or dents could save you hundreds on insurance each year andwillprobablymorethanoffsettheout-of-pocketcostsofpayingfor minorfixesyourself.Andbymakinginfrequentclaimsononlybigfixes
ratherthansmallscratches,youcomeoutaheadbysavingonadditional
insurancepremiums.
BOTTOMLINE:Raisingcomprehensiveandcollisiondeductiblesby $500 can save you up to 5% on your total automobile insurance premiums.
CHAPTER15
OutsideYourHome
Ifyougrowit,youha
vetomowit.There’snodoubtthatcultivatinga
garden and maintaining a lawn can be costly. Routine gardening
activities like mowing grass, watering plants, growing vegetables and planting flowers can add up to hundreds spent each year just making youroutdoorspacegreener.
Butthere’snoneedtosacrificeyourplotoflandtosavesomegreen.
Regardlessofwhereyouliveorhowmuchspaceyouhave,youcanlove
yourlawnandwatchyourvegetablegardengrowforlessbyusingthe
frugaltechniquesinthischaptertocutcostswhileexercisingyourgreen thumb.
Plantperennialsratherthanannuals. Itseemscounterintuitiveto spendaround$150togrowagardenwithperennialplantsratherthan
paying $30 for a flowerbed of annuals. Looking longer term, though, perennialflowersarethebetterdealbecausetheygrowbackeveryyear, whereastheannualslosetheirbloomafterjustoneseason.Butifyou’re anotoriousplantkiller,annualsmightbeabetterinvestment!
BOTTOM LINE: Perennial flowers cost five times more than
annuals,butsaveyouhundredsovertheyearsbecausetheygrow
backeveryyear.
Sowfromseedsratherthanbuyingplants. Fillingyourgardenwith ready-grown plants provides instant gratification but it’s far more expensivethansproutingfromseeds.Planting10tomatoplantsfor$3a
piecetotals$30,whileapacketof20seedsisaround$5withonlya25-centcostperplant.Growingyourgardenfromseedsinthiscasegives
you twice the number of plants, and you’ll have plenty of extras to replacethosethatdon’tsurvive.
BOTTOMLINE:Bygrowingfromseedinsteadofpurchasingplants,
youpayonlyatenthofthecostforyourgarden.Ifyoulovedyour
flowersorvegetablesfromthepreviousyear,thensaveyourseeds
forfreeandenjoythefruitsofyourlabournextyear.
397 Ways to Save Money: Spend Smarter & Live Well on Less - PDFDrive.com Page 17