More Fuel Saving Tips

Regardless of the car, the fuel consumption depends on how it is driven and the traffic conditions. Listed below are some of the main fuel consumption killers:

Cold Engine : It needs about 10 to 15 minutes before your engine is really efficient. So if your car does short 5-minute trips to the market, bank, school, fiends, etc., your engine never gets warm enough and your fuel consumption may go up by up to 50%.

Driving at high engine speeds : If you rev up your engine and drive at high speeds in each gear, you wil lget the thrill of fast driving but will have to pay a price for it. Conversely if you keep the engine at moderate speeds your fuel consumption will be much better but driving at very low speeds may also cause knocking and shorten engine life.

Too many stops and starts : Driving in traffic is fuel consumption killer with idling at red lights or when stuck in traffic. If you spend 10 minutes idling on a 30-minutes trip, your fuel consumption may double.

Bad Roads : These can combine the impact of too many stops with the need to use high engine speeds in low gears to get moving so it can ruin your fuel consumption.

The weight of the car : All modern engines are quite fuel-efficient but the weight of the car is a major factor. A ligher car naturally consumes less fuel than a havier car. Most modern cars meeting current crash safety requirements are heavier than earlier models and so use more fuel. But this is a small price to pay for safety.

Engine tuning and timing :Most modern engines with Sequential Electronic Fuel Injection (SEFI) and other electronic engine management systems need very little tuning unlike the old carburettors, but the nozzles and injectors do need to be claend especially thanks to dirty or adultrated fuel that is sometimes encountered. So get your car serviced regularly by your authorised dealer.

Air, oil and fuel filters : Choked filters can play havoc with fuel consumption, so ensure that these are regularly serviced and and changed when they are dirty or clogged.

The fuel consumption figures under test conditions assume nearly perfect conditions on a flat one km run, so do not expect figures reported in tests to apply in city conditions, where it may be out by 25% or more.

Buy the most fuel-efficient car you can find, but understand the causes of high level consumption and you can make your vehicle even more fuel-efficient.

(Based on an advertisement by Ford Car Company in India)

Use CFL to Save Electricity

Yes, switch to CFL and save Electricity and save on Electricity Bills.

CFL Technology enables us to be more energy efficient.

CFL has many advantage -

• CFL is four times more efficient
• CFL lasts upto 10 times longer than incandescents
• Use 50-80% less energy than incandescents
• Use 1/3 electricity and lasts upto 10 times as longs as incandescents
• Single 18 watt CFL used in place of 75 watt incandescents saves about 570 KWH over its lifetime
• replacing single incandescents bulbs with CFL keep out half-tomme of CO2 out of the atmosphere
• Saving electricity by CFL reduces CO2 emissions, sulfur oxide and high-level nuclear waste
• Newer CFLs give a warm, inviting light instead of the "cool white" light of older fluorescents
• CFL uses rare earth phophors for excellent colour and warmth
• New electronically ballasted CFLs don't flickr or hum
• CFLs can be applied nearly anywhere that incandescents are used.

Save Energy for benefit of Self and Nation

Dont' be Shopaholic

Are you a Shopaholic? Do you spend more on just shopping only? Whenever you see something new in a shop, you are forced by 'consuming passion' to purchase it? Is you closet full of things you don't need? if yes, then you are a Shopaholic.

You are spending too much if you are a shopaholic. So to save money you need to control yourself.

• Don't buy something to please yourself : There may be an inner call to shop something so that you may be happy, and instead if surrendering to this urge, talk to someone who matters to you, makes you laugh, take a walk or relax at home watching an old film.
• Don't buy things you never use : Shopping is an addiction, so shopaholic are unable to control their impulses. Try to ask your self, Do you really want this thing?

Make friends who are wisely spending and give an ear to their tips.

Subscribe to Save Money

I have seen that annual subscription is the best way to save money. Most of us read one or two magazines and purchase it from magazine vendors. Normally most of the magazine give huge discount on annual subscription of such magazines. Discount incereases on the time span of the sbuscription. Heaviest discount is given on 3 years and 5 years subscription. Some magazines even give some gifts alongwith the discounts on the news stand rates. So, in my opinion one should subscribe the magazines to read to save money rather than purchaing it from news stand.

Cash Withdrawal on Credit Card is Costly

Credit card can be used in many ways, some of them are to avoided at the maximum level. Knowledge of what should not be done is essential for the purpose of avoiding heavy charges that are likely to be levied on the credit card. One area that need attention is that of cash withdrawal on the card.

Most people fail to understand the cost involved the cost in withdrawal cash on a credit card. When you withdraw money on credit card, then a some charges are levied.

Cash withdrawal on a credit card is expensive and should be
done in an emergency only

Cash on a credit card should be withdrawn only in emergency. That is also the reason why there are two major types of expenses that will be incurred on the transaction. Whenever you withdraw cash from an ATM, there is a transaction fee that wil be levied. This fee is calculated at a certain rate, ususally at 2% to 2.5% of the amount withdrawn. If the rate is 2.5% and the amount withdrawn is Rs 20000/-, then an immediate charge of Rs.500/- will come into play.

One thing that has to be understoold that there will be a minimum charge that will be applicable. This could be something like Rs.250-300 and hence a small withdraw will result in a larger hit as far as the precentage calculation is considered. Even those who know about this fail to realise that there is another expense that is already on the way.

This is the expense related to the finance carge, which is normally payable when the payment is delayed and is also known as the interest charges. Credit cards now have the feature or the condition wherein the charge will be applicable from the date of making the withdrawal and applicable thill the time of full payment.

Under a normal expenditure on a credit card there is a credit period available during which there is no interest charged if the payment is made by the stipulated time. But that is not possible for a cash withdrawal.

This means that the bill starts ticking the moment the cash is withdrawn and more important is the time period till which the interest will continue. One has to read the wordings for this carefully because if it says interest till the time of full payment, then even if there is a part payment then the charges will continue untill the entire amount withdrawn as cash will be paid back to the credit card company.

(with help from an article by Arnav Pandya in HT dated Aug 21, 07)

101 ways to save money.

101 Ways To Save Money!!!

Recently while surfing the Internet I come a very nice collection of 101 point for how to Save Money. So i want to share this information with you.

Visit 101 Ways To Save Money page and see if you can apply the points and save money.
Cheers!!