Neglect Your Car and Pay the Price
Jan 30 2011 08:00 PM | Doreen Kukral in Protecting Your Family
There are days when I feel as if I run a taxi service. From carting kids to and from school, to shuffling them off to extracurriculars, to running my endless list of errands… but, if I didn’t have my car, I would be completely incapacitated. In our busy lives, it’s easy to neglect our car. This can be a recipe for disaster. You could be wasting money and setting yourself up for quite a hefty repair bill. Maintenance is key.
The way you drive is also important to insure that your car isn’t consuming money and contributing excess pollution to the environment.
Keep these tips in mind:
- Follow your maintenance schedule – this avoids breakdowns and some costly repairs. Something as simple as fluid levels makes a world of difference. Take advantage of free services to have them checked. A well-tuned car also saves you about 12 cents per gallon of gas when it runs efficiently.
- Tire pressure – assure the pressure is correct and save yourself 9 cents a gallon. Improper pressure also causes them to wear quickly and become unsafe.
- Slow down – driving 60 miles an hour, instead of 70, will save you about 55 cents per gallon.
- Let’s cruise – use cruise control when you are able and increase mileage by 15%. When you “floor it” to get a round another car, you also create a burst of CO2 emissions equal to 30 minutes of regular driving.
- Avoid idling – this burns more fuel than actually driving and, contrary to belief, it doesn’t need to be warmed-up on a cold day (except for your personal comfort!).
- Batch your errands – a well thought-out route will actually save you time and extra mileage costs.
Make sure you take time to keep your car healthy, avoid spending extra money and Mom’s Taxi will always be safely “on duty”.
Doreen Kukral is creator of MomGoesGreen.com, a popular weblog that offers a glimpse into her family’s journey to "going green". With her contributions to Money Minded Moms she hopes to inspire others by sharing realistic ideas and information necessary to make wise choices where family health, wellness and environmental conservation are concerned and dispel the myth that going green is a costly commitment.
www.MomGoesGreen.com
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