Ease your pain at the pump by making changes that will let you fill your tank less often. Your driving habits play a part in fuel economy: High speed and abrupt stops and starts all burn more gas. But you can also make changes to your car to eke out more miles per gallon.
Step 1 Get the junk out of your trunk. Keep the spare tire, jack and emergency kit, but lose the other stuff. For every 100 pounds of detritus you tote around, you sacrifice 2% in
fuel efficiency.
Sign up for Kiplinger’s Free E-Newsletters
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice on investing, taxes, retirement, personal finance and more - straight to your e-mail.
Profit and prosper with the best of expert advice - straight to your e-mail.
Step 2 Remove your roof rack when you’re not using it (a fully loaded rack causes a 5% decrease in fuel economy). Even when the rack has nothing on it, the additional drag also drags down your mpg.
Step 3 Take a trip to the gas station and inflate your tires to the maximum pressure recommended by the manufacturer. Doing so can improve your fuel economy by as much as 10%, and the only trade-offs are a slightly rougher ride and a bit more noise.
The payoff You shell out less money for gas.
-
Stock Market Today: The Dow Adds 15 Points To End Its Losing StreakEquity indexes opened higher but drifted lower as markets priced in new Fed forecasts.
-
What Is a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD)?Tax Breaks A QCD can lower your tax bill while meeting your charitable giving goals in retirement. Here’s how.
-
What Does Medicare Not Cover? Seven Things You Should KnowHealthy Living on a Budget Medicare Part A and Part B leave gaps in your healthcare coverage. But Medicare Advantage has problems, too.
-
Five Ways to Save on Vacation Rental PropertiesTravel Use these strategies to pay less for an apartment, condo or house when you travel.
-
How to Avoid Annoying Hotel Fees: Per Person, Parking and MoreTravel Here's how to avoid extra charges and make sure you don't get stuck paying for amenities that you don't use.
-
The Best Banks of 2024Making Your Money Last Kiplinger's list of the best banks, based on interest rates, fees and other features.
-
Protect Your Retirement Income from InflationMaking Your Money Last Costs are rising, and the market is bearish, but that doesn’t have to jeopardize your long-term security.
-
What to Know About CD Ladders, A Flexible Way to SaveSavings One way to keep your earnings on track is to spread out your cash.
-
Retirees, Take the Off Ramp to a New CareerMaking Your Money Last For many seniors, changing careers can be a long and daunting process. But the rewards can be rich.
-
10 Alternatives to Amazon Prime for Free Shipping and MoreAmazon Prime You don’t need to pay Amazon Prime’s juiced $139 annual fee to get free shipping where there is a wide swath of products online at different retailers.
