Having a car is something that many of us need in order to get to work and run our kids to school and other places and shelling out for one in the first place is an expense which we must be frugal in order to afford. Once we have bought the car however, the monthly running costs can put financial pressure on us and it is important that we look for ways in which we can lower these costs. If the cost of running a car is putting strain on you then here are some of the ways in which you can trim the bills.
Additional Cover
Nobody likes to pay for ‘in case something happens’ cover and whilst insurance is a requirement in order to drive a car, one aspect which you should also look at is vehicle service contracts. There are companies out there like American Auto Shield who specialize in these contracts and they will pay out should something go wrong with your car, check out the American Auto Shield reviews to see just how much others have benefitted. You may not want to shell out now but it is a great deal better than having to pay out when something goes wrong with your car.
Gas Usage
The way that you drive can alter how much gas you use within the car and if you are braking harshly and driving fast, you are going to end up using much more gas. Another great way to cut down on your gas usage is to carpool, saying the journey with someone else who is taking the same route as you. If you have kids who go to school, then try and find a fellow parent nearby who you can split the driving with, this could make a huge impact on your monthly gas spend.
Car Care
It is important that you look after the parts of the car to avoid having to fork out should something go mechanically wrong. This means that you should be driving in a sensible fashion and not putting the car through its paces each and every time that you drive. You may not think these small changes can make a difference but in the long term they really will have a cost saving impact on the car.
Cleaning
There is no reason that you should be paying for the cleaning or for a valet for your car and you should be trying to save that money, and cleaning the car yourself. This process may take one to two hours per week or per fortnight depending on how often you clean your car and even though a couple of bucks for a car clean may not seem like much, it will soon add up over the year and it is an expense which you simply do not have to pay.
How do you try to keep costs down with your car? Let us know in the comments.