Tips & Ideas for Saving Your Money, Time and Resources – Top Money Saving Ideas for Australians

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Practise smooth driving techniques. Do not accelerate rapidly, do drive at a constant speed and slower if possible, as changing speed and braking frequently uses a lot of petrol.
Make sure your tyre pressures are right and even. Low pressure and uneven tyres consume more petrol.

Do not carry excess weight on your car. Remove any unnecessary items from your vehicle, like the luggage rack on top of car and the unused tool box in the boot. The heavier your car the more fuel it uses, not to mention a luggage rack on top of car increases wind resistance.
Car pool with someone to work. Either ask around your network of friends or use car-pooling websites, many of which are free to register and contact other members.
Organise school rounds with other parents. Take in turns with other parents to pick up and drop off children to and from school.

Walk or ride bike for shorter trips. This is better for your health and environment too.
Plan your trips better to minimize multiple trips to same location. Visit the grocery store once a week and make sure you take your shopping list and buy everything you need all at once.
isit petrol stations on Mondays to Wednesdays for cheaper petrol. This also depends on which state you are in, and never fill up the couple of days before a long weekend.
Visit petrol station early in the morning. The weather is usually cooler, and as the petrol is denser so you get more value for your litre of fill-up.

Fill up when your tank is half full to minimise petrol evaporation. Evaporation occurs more quickly when there is more air space within your tank.
Avoid purchasing GPS and the latest street directory books. Look up directory instructions from free online sites like www.streetdirectory.com.au or www.whereis.com.au. These sites also provide indicative travelling time as well as toll vs. non-toll options, and other features, all for free. Keep an old street directory book for the odd chance that you are lost in the middle of somewhere and need some directions on the spot. GPS are very expensive, and are being made redundant by smart phones with a GPS equivalent.
Do not fill up your car when a fuel tank is refuelling. When the fuel truck is refuelling the petrol is being stirred up along with dirt and other debris that usually settles at the bottom, and you end up putting traces of that gunk in your tank.

Make use of 4 cents off supermarket vouchers. These discounts add up over time.
Switch your car off or shift to neutral gear when idle for long periods at traffic lights. Even when parked and engine left running, your car is still consuming fuel. If you are stuck in peak hour traffic or there is an accident up ahead holding everyone up, switch off your car instead of braking.
Minimise wind resistance. Roll up windows as having them down and your arm hanging out causes wind resistance which consumes more fuel as your vehicle needs to work harder to reach the same speed.

Avoid air conditioning your car. Air-conditioning consumes energy. Tint your windows and use sun shields.
Use cruise control and over drive functions. Use cruise control on quiet freeways and long road strips to minimise changing speed and acceleration, and make use of over drive as it keeps your RPM down which contributes to reducing fuel consumption.
Buy a smaller fuel efficient car. In the long run smaller cars really pay off. They usually require less maintenance, use less energy, and are easier to park in parallel spots.

Turn-off headlights during the day. Lights consume power.
Buy transport tickets in multi ticket packs, or yearly and monthly tickets rather than daily. Daily tickets are the most costly.
Salary sacrifice with your annual transport tickets. This involves paying with pre-tax money so you don’t get taxed on the amount you spend on public transport. However not all employers offer this form of salary sacrificing.
Wash your car with bucket and sponge. Don’t use drive though washes as you save money as well as water. Alternatively, let mother nature clean your vehicle next time there is a heavy down pour of rain.

Have regular car maintenance checks. This helps to prevent excess fuel usage from transmission problems, dragging brakes, and clogged air filters.
Complete a defensive driving course. Under 25 drivers, can save money on car insurance by taking a defensive driving course. Many car insurers will charge you less if you take such a course through them. It takes about half a day and costs a lot less than the amount you will save.
Consider purchasing used cars. Cars depreciate significantly in value as soon as they hit the road. There are many good quality, ex-company cars for sale, especially at auction centres.
Buy new cars during old model run-out sales. These usually occur at the beginning of the calendar year when manufacturers are trying to get rid of previous models to make way for the latest one. Manufacturers provide incentives such as free registration, free on road costs, free airbags and other enhancements.