What can your friends tell you about saving money? (part 3)
Sorry for this late submission:
AB Says:
1. Hybrid vehicles? Be careful on the hybrids and really look into what you are buying, and make sure it fits your driving needs. For example, I have a 2006 Honda Civic Hybrid. When I bought it, hybrid vehicles were fairly new to the road, and I wanted to get in on it. My car has what’s called IMA (Integrated Motor Assist) electric motor and that is the hybrid feature. IMA helps when you accelerate by assisting the gas engine in turning the wheels, and it also works when you are stopped at a light/sign by turning off the gas engine and keeping the car powered until you press the gas pedal again. What this means, however, is that if you do a lot of highway driving without a lot of accelerating or decelerating, the IMA engine never comes on and you are burning gas the whole way. You will only see a bigger benefit if you do a lot of city stop-and-go driving…. so make sure you research exactly which features the hybrid offers and match it to the driving you are doing.
2. Gas – I apologize if this is a repeat, but this really does work. DO NOT put the gas handle at the pump on the full speed setting. You know how you can squeeze the handle, and it will continue to pump gas until your tank is full? Make sure you set it at the lowest possible setting. Otherwise, when you pump at full speed, it can cause gas vapor to form in your gas tank, and gas pumps have a vapor return feature that pulls the vapor out of your car’s tank. While a useful safety feature, it amounts to you paying for gas (in vapor form) and giving it right back to the gas station. Gas prices are at an all-time high, so giving the station free gas will not help your wallet.
3. Heating/cooling – If you elect to set your thermostat higher during AC season and open windows instead, remember to check your air filter RELIGIOUSLY. Opening the windows allows dust, pollen, etc. into your home and when the AC does finally run, your filter will have to take those back out of the air. If you do not check often, it will reduce the efficiency of the A/C when it does run, causing it to run longer and add to the heating/cooling bills.
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