SAVE MONEY ON YOUR CAR AND GAS

[Don't Fix It If It's Not Broken]

If your current car is fully functioning and still safe to drive, then drive it until it's impossible or unsafe to do so. Many people buy a new car every 3 to 5 years regardless of whether their current car is still functioning. Instead of selling your current car or trading it in, just take care of it and drive it longer.

[Adjust Your Insurance]

If you have a brand-new car it makes sense to have full coverage on it. If you're leasing or financing, you must have full coverage. However, if you have an older car, it might not make much sense to have full coverage on it, just the coverage that you need. For example, you might find it sensible to drop your collision coverage on a car that you might only be driving for a few more years.

[Shop Around for Insurance]

It doesn't hurt to shop around for different insurance rates even if you've already adjusted your coverage. Many insurance companies offer different rates and specials at different times of the year.

[Buy After Market Products]

Dealerships tend to overprice their parts and extras. You can find many aftermarket products for your car for almost half the price.

[Do Your Own Maintenance]

If you can learn how to do small maintenance jobs on your car, such as changing your own oil or replacing a burned-out bulb, you can save yourself a couple of hundred dollars a year. There are many tutorials online that will show you how to do small maintenance jobs step-by-step.

[Buy Gas Cards at Discounted Price]

If you shop around online you may be able to find some good deals on gas cards. Some websites will sell you a $100 gas card for just $95, which means you can get a free gallon of gas at many gas stations.

[Don't Drive Aggressively]

Your car uses more gas when you rapidly accelerate so avoid aggressive or angry driving.

[Use Cruise Control]

When applicable, use your cruise control function. When your car travels at a balanced speed, it will use less gas than if you keep changing your speed.

[Get Gas on Certain Days]

Research shows that the best time of the week to buy gas is on Wednesday or Thursday before 10am. This is because most gas stations raise their prices on Thursday to hit weekend travelers. Try to avoid filling up your tank on the weekends at all costs.

[Don't Idle]

If you let your car idle for more than a minute, you will waste more gas than if you simply restarted the engine.

[Travel Light]

Carrying an extra 250 pounds in your car can use up a lot of extra gas per mile, so be sure to travel as lightly as possible.

A typical monthly payment on a new car can be anywhere from $250 to $500 plus interest, so if you just stay happy with your current car, you can save yourself a lot of money per month! I haven’t had to make a car payment in the last six years and still love your car!