Who doesn’t want a swanky car, or at least a snazzy bike? A car or a bike is often the most prized possession for most people. A vehicle is not just a means of transportation! It symbolizes independence and can showcase a lot of style too. But what happens when you have a beautiful car in your garage, but no money to buy the fuel for it?

As the world economy shows signs of recession, this is exactly what is happening to people worldwide. Crude oil prices have shot up steeply over the last few months and fuel has become very dear. Whether it’s petrol for your car, or diesel for your generator, or your humble LPG, everything has become very costly these days. As someone rightly said, “Buying a car is the simple part. Maintaining it is the difficult one!”

So how does one deal with this “rising fuel price” situation? How can you continue to live your life in the same style as you used to, without becoming debt ridden? Simple, yaar! Just become smarter, and try to save both money and fuel. With our simple and practical fuel-saving tips, you will find yourself less worried about the fuel prices.

• The most effective way of dealing with fuel prices is to rely on public transportation, as much as possible.

• If you feel that public transportation is too messy and uncomfortable, you could go for a car pool. A car pool can be used not only for your commuting to work, it can also be used for dropping kids off at school.

• Drive efficiently to save fuel. This means no abrupt braking or quick starts, staying within speed limits, and utilizing overdrive gears.

• When going out for some work, try to combine errands and take the optimum route through them all, to reduce the driving time as much as possible.

• Keep the car trunk/bike storage compartment as light as possible. Never carry excess weight in the trunk.

• It is very important to maintain your vehicle. Always keep the engine tuned, keep tires properly inflated and aligned, change the oil, and replace the air filters regularly.

• Wherever possible, choose the option of telecommuting. Working from home not only saves fuel, but also saves time and other costs.

• It is not always necessary to go for those meetings. Maybe you can have teleconferencing or videoconferencing instead!

• Ride a bicycle/jog to work or to the market if possible. It will also help you stay in shape!

• The best way to deal with fuel price rise is to look for alternative sources of energy. Today we have electric bikes and cars in the market. Slowly these vehicles are finding acceptance as word of mouth creates awareness. Contrary to what you might be thinking, it is very practical to have a car/bike that works on a rechargeable battery.

• Get a solar cooker to help you cut costs of LPG in the kitchen. Again, very simple and practical!

• Try cooking dal & chawal in the same cooker, in different containers placed inside the cooker.

• Soak your beans, pulses, grams and rice before cooking. This can reduce the cooking time noticeably.