Personal Finance Round-Up: 28 Ways To Save Money On Your Car Expenses
by Erik Folgate
Filed under Financial Links
Our cars can be one of the most financially draining possessions that we own. The first thing most people think of when you start talking about an emergency expense is a costly car repair. Not only are maintenance and repairs expensive, but buying gasoline, the fees and taxes associated with buying a new car, and yearly registration and insurance costs are all expenses we pay simply to have the luxury of driving. Fortunately, there are great folks like Jeremy over at Gen X Finance that give us great guides like the 28 tips to save money on car expenses and save thousands of dollars. Jeremy is a retirement planning specialist and founder of Generation X Finance and the guide to Financial Planning at About.com. To learn more, follow Jeremy on Twitter.
Here are some more great articles from around the PF blogging community this past week:
How To Survive A Tax Audit. Getting audited is not that far fetched these days, especially if you claim self-employment income or take certain deductions and credits out of the ordinary. [Bargaineering]
4 Deadly Mistakes To Make While Pursuing Your Dreams. We all want meaning in our life, and one of the most important things you can do in your life is pursue the work you love. But make sure you avoid these mistakes along the way. [WiseBread]
Dividend Investing Supplement Passive Income. Investing in dividends truly is passive income. Here is a great guide about dividend investing and how to get started with it. [Frugal Dad]
Should You Automate Your Finances? I think there is a fine line when it comes to what things you automate with your personal finances. Saving is a great thing to automate, but some bills are not ideal for automating, because it takes away some of the control you have over your bank account. Here’s a great post about automating your finances. [Money Smart Life]
What Are the Current Costs to Check Baggage? For those of you traveling this spring, make sure you bookmark this article and save it as a reference. I hate checked baggage fees. The best thing you can do to save money when flying is pack as light as possible. [My Two Dollars]
What’s The Best Way To Help The Poor? Most of us are blessed with wealth and great jobs, and it’s our duty to give back others, but there’s a fine line between enabling people and helping them. So, what’s the best way to help the poor? Read this article for more insight. [Christian PF]
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thanks for mentioning the post about automating your finances! I also like the suggestions from Christian PF.
Any way to save money on my car is a good thing. Bringing my car into the shop always costs way more than I’m willing to spend! Having the brakes fixed tomorrow, but thankfully my father-in-law knows a thing or two about cars!
Great tips.
Especially the post about mistakes to avoid while pursuing your dreams–very relevant stuff
I second this. In fact, I found that post so inspiring that I am going to print it to a page and stick it on my wall.
Every tip of that post hits the nail right on.
Here’s a new lesson…always have a spare key for your car. The wife borrowed my car yesterday and now I’m out 5 keys, including a $200 key fob. Yeah, the Hyundai dealership wanted $200 for it and $25 for a new key. We just got the key for now.
Tip: many gas stations offer rewards cards or coupons for groceries when buying gasoline. Always be sure to get these and keep in your car these promos add up when you do a lot of driving.
Having spare key for your car will also save you the trouble of having to call AAA to get somebody to open your car when you forgot your key inside your car.
For your second tip, Jeremy has it covered in his article:
Purchase your gas with a cash-back rewards credit card. You can likely save up to 3% on all future gas purchases. Potential Money Savings: $50-100/year
And I believe a lot of younger people need to follow Jeremy’s tip about getting rid of wasteful driving habits, such as easy on the acceleration, coasting, etc. I drive by these rules. Even though my car has over 120,000 miles on it, it has never broke down once for the last three years that I owned it.