The cost of living is going up and up with income staying the same, making it harder to save. If you drive everywhere then one of the biggest household expenses will be your overall car costs. If your car is sucking the life out of your bank account then you can reduce some of your costs with these quick tips.
Get Satellite Navigation
Whilst you may need to purchase this initially, installing a satellite navigation system will save you time and money in the long run. It can get you to your destination the shortest route possible ultimately saving on petrol costs as well as general wear and tear of the car. You can find some great navigation systems at Tesco.
Carpool
One of the biggest costs of running a car is petrol, so if you can find people to split this cost with the more you’ll save. See if you have work colleagues who live near by that you can car pool with to work. Not only do you save on petrol costs but city parking costs too. If you drop the kids off to school everyday see if you can take turns with other parents at the school and share the load for the week.
Shop around for car insurance
Don’t take the first quote you get for car insurance and assume that’s the price. There are plenty of different insurance products on the market that vary a lot in price. Shop around and find the best deal for you. You may be paying extra for a lot of add-ons you don’t actually need or use. The internet has some great comparison sites you can use if you don’t have the time to call around getting individual quotes.
Keep your car maintained
Whilst it always feels like a large cost to get your car regularly serviced and checked it saves money in the long run. The service initially takes money out of your wallet but no where near as much should something major go wrong because you were ignoring a problem. Find a good local reliable mechanic that will give you a fair and honest price.
Look at downgrading
Are you a multiple car family? Or do you have one extremely large gas guzzling car? Look at your car needs and ask yourself honestly if you need that extra car, or larger engine. Downgrading to one car or a smaller one can save a lot of car maintenance costs from petrol, to insurance, parking etc.
Do you have any other tips that we can add to this list? Let me know in the comments below.