Transport: One of your biggest saving options

Driving your car every day is an expensive exercise, what with the price of petrol not to mention the incidentals - running costs such as:

• Insurance
• Registration and warranty
• Repairs and maintenance
• Tyres
• Vehicle depreciation as the mileage increases

There are several ways you can save in this area. One of the simplest is to downgrade your car. Choose a small, light vehicle with a low CC rating, and see your insurance costs drop, your petrol costs drop, and depending on your choice of model, possibly your maintenance costs too. This is often an overlooked facet when purchasing a car - popular small makes are often cheaper to repair and maintain.

Carpooling was once popular, but in these days of school runs and the "instant" society, no-one wants to wait or have the "bother" of having to go home at a certain time. But rethinking these ideas can save you a lot of cash.


Even if you carpool two out of five days a week, or combine the school run with your neighbours, there are opportunities for saving. Maybe you and your neighbour start at the same time, and you and your spouse finish at the same time, and there's a way that can be combined?

Public transport is often the best way of saving money. Not only do you save on gas, you also don't have to pay for parking. Check out public transport options in your city - buses, ferries, trains.

When you use public transport, look for discount deals. Often there are monthly passes, ten trips, and other combination tickets that deliver extra savings.

TOP TIP: Many public transport options have chep deals *after 9am*. If you are able to start after 9 and employ flexi-time, even one or two days a week, this can deliver a SIGNIFICANT saving.