The How-To site for Indians World-wide

Reduce the usage of your vehicle Try to car pool with a few friends or colleagues at work. This can potentially cut your fuel bill by about 25% or more each month. The few extra minutes it will take to pick up all your car poolers is well worth your savings. In addition it will get you more disciplined in getting ready for work each day.

Try taking Public Transportation like bus, train or shared auto/taxi if available in your city or town. In addition to saving you money you will not have to deal with the stress of driving in India’s congested roads.

If you currently rent a house consider moving to a different location that is closer to your work and/or your children’s school. Not only will you save money but will also have more time to spend with your family.

Another alternative is to avoid using your car for 1-2 days of the week. Several cities around the world have started putting in such a restriction to reduce fuel consumption as well as to relieve traffic congestion.

If you are a white-collar worker gather the support of your colleagues at work to request the company to allow you to work 1 day of the week from home. Several companies in the U.S. and Europe allow employees to work from home and studies have shown that this practice actually improves productivity.

Also consider using a two-wheeler or taking a walk for doing your shopping. Or talk to your neighbors and create a combined shopping list, and take turns doing the grocery shopping.

Increase your vehicle’s fuel efficiency Keeping your vehicle’s tires inflated at the recommended pressure, performing the oil changes on time and keeping the engine well tuned can save you 10-15% on fuel efficiency.

Consider converting your vehicle to use LPG or Natural Gas. An investment of about Rs 40,000 – Rs 60,000 will result in a 40% savings on operating costs and will also reduce the amount of pollution caused by your vehicle. This type of conversion allows your vehicle to be operated with both petrol or gas.

Avoid busy roads as your vehicle burns more fuel when running on lower gears. Also reduce the amount of braking and fast acceleration.

Switch off you’re a/c when your car is running at low speeds. Lowering your windows at high speeds will increase wind resistance and reduce fuel efficiency so always run your car with the windows up on highways.

Be Smart when purchasing a New Vehicle When planning a purchase of a new vehicle consider the fact that fuel prices will continue to go up significantly for the next 5-10 years. Keeping this in mind buy the most fuel efficient vehicle that will serve your family and work needs.

Consider buying a vehicle that will run on LPG or CNG. Both Maruti and Hyundai are offering vehicles that run on either forms of gas and more manufacturers are sure to follow.