Before I started my money saving journey, I was spending between £30 and £45 a week in petrol!
I quickly realised how crazy it was to be spending that amount each week just on fuel, so I decided that I needed to do something about it – and fast!
I started by thinking about the distances I inevitable have to travel each week – mainly to and from work. I work approximately 30 minutes away from my home (Should only be 20 minutes, but the traffic can hold me up!), with a distance of about 13 miles each way. I rarely travel anywhere in the car now, apart from the commute, so savings should be significant. Travelling around 130 miles each week, I always top my fuel tank up to the brim – just in case I do need to travel further for any unforeseen circumstances – I am now only spending approximately £15 each week, that’s a 40% reduction per week on what I was previously paying!
But its not just simply travelling less that has helped me make that much of a saving. I have a monthly check on all aspects of my car. I check the oil to make sure that it is always topped up along with all of my other fluids. I check all of my lights to make sure that I’m not going to get any unexpected tickets from a lovely Traffic Constable. And I also check my tyre tread and pressure, and usually top up the tyres to the exact PSI recommended by my car manufacturer to make sure that I am always getting the best Miles Per Gallon that I possibly can. My in car computer allows me to see my Miles Per Gallon for each trip, so each week once I’ve filled up with fuel I reset the Trip Computer so that I can keep track of my weekly Miles Per Gallon. I also have an Instant Miles Per Gallon when I’m driving, so I can see when I am driving un-economically – this has actually changed the way I drive because I find myself much more of a smooth driver, not accelerating and braking harshly and always forward planning.
The only extreme scrimp that I have done to reduce my petrol spend is changing where I park at the office car park. I used to park on the far side of the building, near the doors, and this involved me driving all the way around another building first, whereas now I still park near the doors , but on the opposite side of the building saving me 0.2 miles each day. It may not seem a lot, but over the course of the month, this is 4 miles, saving me a distance of 48 miles over the year! It all soon adds up to some pretty nice savings!
I do sometimes wish that I worked closer to home so that I didn’t have to use the car, and I could make some even greater savings, however I do enjoy the freedom of driving and I find it relaxes me before and after work, so I suppose in a way it is a little bit of a blessing!
Oh well – this is a saving that has helped me a lot. Why not try evaluating your own driving, distance travelled? And what you can do to reduce your monthly petrol spend. You might be pleasantly surprised!