5 Tricks To Slash Your Transport Costs 50 Percent or More
If you pay close attention to your budget, you’ll notice that transport costs eat up a big chunk of it. No matter what you do, something like 10 to 20 percent of your monthly income goes on financing your car or public transport to get around.
Fortunately, though, you don’t have to put up with this ugly financial situation. It turns out that there are many ways to cut your transport costs – perhaps by 50 percent or more.
Check out the following ideas:
Buy A Bus Pass
If you mainly use your car for shopping and getting around town, you may be able to replace it with a bus pass. Paying individual fares is quite expensive. But with a bus pass, you can slash the costs by ordering your tickets in bulk or paying by the month. The price will usually fall way below the day-to-day running costs of your vehicle, freeing up more of your cash to use for other things.
Get A Motorcycle
Cars are expensive because they are large, heavy and contain a lot of moving parts. Combined, this reality means that the average person winds up spending thousands of dollars per year just in maintenance costs alone.
Motorcycles, though, don’t have the same issues. Fixing them is usually cheap, the insurance is lower, and the fuel economy is also better because you’re not having to haul around so much weight. Running a motorbike usually costs less than half as much as a car. And they are much more fun to ride as well!
Only Fill Your Tank Halfway
Did you know that only filling your tank halfway is a great way to improve fuel economy?
The reason for this is pretty simple: the more gas you have in your car, the heavier it becomes, so the more energy you need to move it. Thus, ironically, driving around on a full tank the whole time actually makes running your vehicle more expensive.
Book Tickets In Advance
Many travellers book train tickets on the day because it’s so convenient. But if you really want to save money, you’ll want to do it in advance.
Why’s that?
Well, mainly it’s because train operators usually know which routes are going to be busy, and which will be empty. Instead of allowing seats to go unused, they auction off tickets at lower and lower prices, hoping that people will snap them up. Sometimes, prices can go ridiculously low – perhaps just a few bucks for a hundred-mile trip. Once that happens, you know you’ve found your bargain.
Don’t Settle For Your Local Repair Shop
The price and quality of repair shops can vary considerably, even in the same city. Some are honest businesses, looking to serve their customers. But many are out to make a quick buck by making it seem as if they are putting in a huge amount of work on your car, even if they aren’t.
If you need a garage to service your car, shop around. Get quotes for the best price and remember to read reviews.
