tips to save money

Creating Professional Baby Shower Invitation – 9 Tips To Save Money

Do you want to throw a baby shower but the costs behind it worries you? There’s no real reason to fret. You can now print off baby shower invitations that won’t take up a chunk of change that you have budgeted for your baby’s future.

How is this possible? The Internet offers all kinds of things for those who need it. Baby shower invitations are also available. The typical format is in either file extension .jpg or .bmp. A guide on how to use these websites and files are listed down below.

1. When you find what you like on the website, clink the link associated it the file to download. Should there be more than one file, the files may be compressed or zipped into a folder, click this link.

2. A picture viewer software should be installed on your computer already. If so, with its help, open the file. If you do happen to have a group of files zipped, unzip them and then do the first step. Choose the baby shower invitation you wish to use.

3. Most printers will print out on a full letter sized sheet of paper. Invitation cards are a quarter of that. The page which can be divided into four parts, can be folded into that quarter size part.

4. Some of the invitations are set up with a demarcation line that will divide a page into four parts. Should this not be the case for the one you went with, not to worry, it’s still pretty simple to put together.

5. While it may not seem like an easy task, the first thing to remember is the left top part on the page is the very front of the card. You noticed that when the design came out printed, it was inverted; when put together right, it will turn out upright.

6. Like most cards, the bottom left part of the page is blank.

7. Some sits allow free baby shower invitations to have poems printed on the right side, inside, of the page. However, others do leave this blank for you to fill in information about the party.

8. Usually on the top right portion of the card the website address where the invitation was downloaded from will be printed. This is the back page of the card.

9. Assembly the card from all this is pretty easy. In a crosswise direction, fold the paper in half and repeat it again until it is reduced into four quarters. The design that was to be on the front will not be inverted but rather upright. You can use glue as a way to glue the edges together.

Should you be more hands on computer tech, you know you can customize what you have downloaded. Using a free photo editing or even desktop publishing software, you can add your own text and add other pictures to the card. This gives the invitation more of a professional look than if you had just handwritten them in yourself. You must remember though, this is not your work… you need to keep the website’s credits on the back.

One final thing… using plain white paper is good but it is bit boring. Using colored paper whether it be blue, pink or a shade of yellow and greens, give the cards a bit more pizzazz to it. Use a baby scent to spray on the invitations to make it more festive. Try to find envelopes of the same color as well.

It’s not hard to make invitations. In fact, people may be wondering where you got your idea after all is said and done.

Abhishek Agarwal
http://www.articlesbase.com/babies-articles/creating-professional-baby-shower-invitation-9-tips-to-save-money-740190.html

Save At The Gas Pump – Real Money Saving Tips

There are numerous no- or low-cost steps you can take to combat rising gas prices. Most cars can run on regular unleaded 87 octane. High performance vehicles will usually require 91 octane or higher. Check your owner’s manual to determine the right octane level for your car. It’s also usually written inside your gas lid, door panel, and sometimes right on your dashboard under the fuel gauge. It will say something like ‘Premium Unleaded Only’ which means 91 octane or higher. All gas pumps must post the octane rating.

Gas Cards

Check out gas card offers from gas stations and credit card companies. The can save you an additional 1% to 5% off every gallon or earn you free gas.

If you put 20 gallons in your car at $3.00 per gallon, that’s $60. A 5% cash back would save you $3.00 making your effective cost per gallon just $2.85. It’s like getting a free gallon of gas with every fill up!

Drive more efficiently:

Stay within posted speed limits. The faster you drive, the more fuel you use. For example, driving at 65 miles per hour (mph), rather than 55 mph, increases fuel consumption by 20 percent. Driving at 75 mph, rather than 65 mph, increases fuel consumption by another 25 percent. This is caused by the amount of energy it takes to push your car through the air and the amount of drag created by your cars body.

So if your car gets 25-mpg highway at 55 mph, driving 65mph will drop it down to 20 mpg! Driving 75 mph drops it down to just 16 mpg!

My personal experience with my 98 VW Beetle: I drove to New York at the posted speed limits between 55 and 65 mph. I got about 35mpg and 450 miles on one tank!!! When I drove to Florida the posted speed limits were between 55 70 mph. I actually drove about 75 mph most of the way. I only got 27 mpg and about 350 miles on one tank. I lost almost 100 miles distant per tank! I couldn’t believe it.

– Use overdrive gears. Overdrive gears improve the fuel economy of your car during highway driving. Your car’s engine speed decreases when you use overdrive. This reduces both fuel consumption and engine wear.

Most automatic transmission cars will have an overdrive button right on the gearshift. Look for a ‘D’ and/or ‘O/D’. You will see a light on the dash indicating weather it’s on or off. Check your owner’s manual to be sure. If your car has a tachometer, you should be able to tell by watching your engine’s rpm speed on the highway. Buy switching the overdrive on, your rpms should drop significantly.

Use cruise control. For longer trips using cruise control can help you maintain a constant speed and, in most cases, reduce your fuel consumption. Set it to 55 mph on highways.

Avoid unnecessary braking and acceleration, and improve your fuel economy by 5 to 10 percent. In city driving, nearly 50 percent of the energy needed to power your car goes to acceleration. Go easy on the gas pedal and brakes. ‘Jack-rabbit’ starts and sudden stops are wasteful. Let off the gas early when approaching yellow and red lights, stop signs etc. Most fuel-injected cars will cut off the fuel supply to the engine while you slow down saving you even more gas.

Combine errands. Several short trips taken from a cold start can use twice as much fuel as one trip covering the same distance when the engine is warm. It takes about 15 to 20 minutes for a car to reach normal operating temperature. Until then, your car is using almost twice as much fuel to keep the engine running!

Remove excess weight from the trunk. Avoid carrying unneeded items, especially heavy ones. An extra 100 pounds in the trunk reduces a typical car’s fuel economy by one to two percent.

Maintain your car
Keep your engine tuned. Studies have shown that a poorly tuned engine can increase fuel consumption by as much as 10 to 20 percent depending on a car’s condition. Follow the recommended maintenance schedule in your owner’s manual; you’ll save fuel and your car will run better and last longer.

Keep your tires properly inflated and aligned. Under inflated tires on a car is like running on the beach with no shoes. Car manufacturers must place a label in the car stating the correct tire pressure. The label usually is on the edge of the door or doorjamb, in the glove box, or on the inside of the gas cap cover. If the label lists a psi (pounds per square inch) range, use the higher number to maximize your fuel efficiency. Under inflated tires cause fuel consumption to increase by 6%.

Change your oil. Clean oil reduces wear caused by friction between moving parts and removes harmful substances from the engine. Change your oil as recommended by the vehicle manufacturer.

Check and replace air filters regularly. Your car’s air filter keeps impurities in the air from damaging internal engine components. Not only will replacing a dirty air filter improve your fuel economy, it also will protect your engine. Clogged filters can cause up to a 10% increase in fuel consumption. Imagine running up a flight of stairs with only using one nostril in your nose to breath.

John Pawlett
http://www.articlesbase.com/finance-articles/save-at-the-gas-pump-real-money-saving-tips-96696.html

These Five Tips Will Save You Money On Your International Prepaid Phone Card Purchase!

The international prepaid phone card has come to the rescue of thousands of international travellers and immigrants who have taken advantage of the extremely low and cheap rates to stay in touch with family and friends.

Once upon a time, picking up the phone to dial overseas was almost a social event; it just wasn’t done on a regular basis given the exhorbitant costs facing consumers. Well, it seems consumers are having the last laugh over traditional calling methods.

Reuniting with Loved Ones Over The Phone

For immigrants, the international prepaid phone card allows new migrants to phone relatives for cents in the dollar. People who have lived in their adopted countries for 30 to 40 years have been able to contact friends and relatives they haven’t spoken to for a similar length of time.

The downside is the amount of options available to people. Options are usually a good thing but in the world of phone cards, it has created a lot of confusion. The phone card industry has received bad publicity over the years with “fly-by-nighters” and scam artists causing problems and while it’s cleaned up it’s act, there are still some well worn guidelines you can follow to ensure you find the right company and card best suited to your needs.

Phone Card Checklist

Here’s my shortlist of international prepaid phone card checks when I’m shopping for a card.

1. How long has the company been in business? You can check online and if the they’ve been plying their craft for any reasonable amount of time then they get a plus in my books.

2. Can the company be contacted? This is vital. Recently, I required a copy of my phone card records for immigration purposes. I rang my company and following a request, the information was provided to me within a week. The big factor here was I was able to call them.

3. Customer service was touched on in the previous point. It was excellent. Being able to talk to a real live person when you require assistance makes such a big difference.

4. Can the card be topped up over the phone? Being able to dial a central number when you haven’t got internet access is another plus factor for me.

5. Check for hidden fees… these can eat away your payments in no time. Avoid them.

This is a shortlist of things to look out for but in the end, the first three points are the most important in my book for shopping for an international prepaid phone card. When you find a phone card company you like and it works well for you, stick with it and resist the urge to change to a cheaper rate. Sometimes, cheaper is definately not better!

Dean Caporella
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/these-five-tips-will-save-you-money-on-your-international-prepaid-phone-card-purchase-110023.html

Tips to Help You Save Money on Your Vacation Hotel

With the economic crisis looming over heads every day it seems like less and less people are willing to take their vacations, and while it is smart to take care of your finances it doesn’t mean you have to give up your vacations to do so. There are new developments in helping someone have a great vacation without breaking their bank account.

The first step in helping your vacation costs is to use the Internet to your advantage. Many websites are now offering a place to look for deals without having to go any farther than the comfort of your home. You can open your favorite search engine and quickly find many websites that allow you to use their database in finding a place to stay during your vacation stay. Some websites even offer traveling packages that will combine your airfare with your hotel stay, helping you save money that you can use for other things for your trip. If you plan on booking your hotel online you can also find promotional coupon codes that will also help you save money. One way to find these is by joining a travel message board. Most are free to join, and members are there to offer tips, advice and goodies – including coupon codes, where to find the best and cheapest deals, and hot spots. You can even read their reviews for consideration.

Even with all the help you can find online, there are still a few other things you can do to help save money on your vacation. One is to book your vacation in the off-season of the year, or even styaing in a hotel during the week. Most people like to book their hotel stays during the weekend, and hotels like to take advantage of that by raising their prices. If you are willing to do without some amenities that most popular hotel chains like to offer you might be able to find some luck by booking with an independent hotel. This also will help if you don’t mind staying a little farther out than your actual vacation destination. Don’t hesitate in talking with your family and friends. You might be surprised in finding a great deal of information about a place you haven’t thought of before. Using the hotel managers to your advantage by approaching them with the best of intentions might also help you save even more money than you would have expected. They are there to willing to help guide you in you use the right approach. They might even give you a few pointers towards a better deal!

Many people feel shy or worried that they won’t get the best out of their vacation, but with a little research you can end up with more bang for your buck. Having a great vacation doesn’t mean you have to deal out a bunch of money. By cutting some unnessecaries, you’ll end up giving yourself even more options so that you can feel better and enjoy your vacation.

Nick Green
http://www.articlesbase.com/travel-articles/tips-to-help-you-save-money-on-your-vacation-hotel-685533.html

Tips to Save Time & Money Christmas Shopping Online

So Christmas is a few months away. Seems like a lot of time but
we all know how quickly time passes to the holidays. It feels
like you have plenty of time to get all the shopping, cleaning
and organizing done before the holidays hit. But do you ever get
it all done without stressing out?

Get a jump start this year and shop early online. Here’s a
couple of big time and money saving tips that will relieve some
of your holiday stress.

Many sites will wrap your gifts in holiday or any occasion gift
wrap. Some online gift shops will do this service for free and
year round as well! It is well worth your time to do a search
for free gift wrap and can save you several dollars a package.
It also saves you the time and trouble of buying gift wrap and
wrapping each gift. Many shops will include your personal
message and gift card as well, again saving time and money.

Start your Christmas shopping now so you can easily compare
products and prices before you buy. A lot of gift shops are now
offering a “Price Match” guarantee. Read each stores info on
their program so you can take advantage of their offer to match
competitor’s prices. This is a great way to know you won’t be
paying too much for your gifts.

Here’s a big secret in saving time and adding lots of
convenience to your online shopping for Christmas. Some shops
will actually let you purchase in advance and then specify a
“ship by” date, i.e., buy in May and have it shipped in
December. This is rarely advertised on sites but a quick e-mail
to the shop may give you surprising results. No need to pay
extra shipping having it shipped to you when you buy early, then
you having to pay, again, to have it shipped to your recipient.
This saves a lot of Christmas bucks!

How cool is that? Shop for Christmas in July, have it gift
wrapped for free, free gift card and message and shipped in
December! Look at all the money you can save and time you have
left for cleaning, organizing and you!

Kim Wutzke
http://www.articlesbase.com/advice-articles/tips-to-save-time-money-christmas-shopping-online-120.html

Save Money and Reduce Your Irs Bill With Simple Year-end Tax Tips

10 things taxpayers can do before December 31, 2008 to reduce the tax bill due on April 15, 2009

In this troubled economy, tax planning has never been more important, and small businesses and individuals can get started on trimming taxes now, before the end of the year. It has been a bad year for many, so it’s crucial to employ financial strategies that can help alleviate potential IRS increases and minimize tax liability. What I do as a tax resolution specialist is help reduce a client’s IRS debt, which is essentially conducting financial planning in reverse. So I know how important it is for people to know their taxpayer rights in the first place so they can avoid tax trouble as well as save money.

For 2008, savvy income and deduction management can help taxpayers make the most of a bad year. People will also want to consider maximizing annual contributions to retirement plan accounts, using long term capital losses to offset long term capital gains, and taking advantage of popular tax breaks extended for 2008. These days, no one can know for certain what their future income will be like or what direction the financial markets will take. Plus tax rules can change, especially with a new Presidential administration and a new Congress. Therefore the general rule is that the more prepared you are now, the less you will likely owe later when the taxman comes.

So start getting your 2008 taxes ready with these simple tax tips that can help you reduce stress and save money.

1. Accelerate your deductions into 2008. You want to essentially bunch together your deductible expenses into 2008 if you can. For example, if you make state estimated state income tax payments, you can make them on December 31 so you get the deduction (on your federal return) in 2008. You can also charge these expenses on your credit card(s) in 2008, receive the deduction in 2008, even though you won’t be paying for them until 2009.

2. Defer income into the 2009 so you don’t pay taxes on it in 2008. If you’re self-employed or an independent contractor (like a carpenter, electrician, plumber, psychologist, psychiatrist, chiropractor, doctor, etc.) you can do work now in 2008, but not send out the invoices to your customers till January 1, 2009. This is perfectly legitimate and you won’t have to pay taxes on that income till you receive payment in 2009.

3. File your return on time, even if you don’t have the money to pay your tax bill. If you can’t afford to pay your taxes, you can still file your return on time and save 25% on the failure to file penalty right off the bat. What many people don’t understand is that filing an extension just puts off the inevitable, because it’s not an extension of time to pay, it’s just an extension of time to file.

4. Accelerate your medical expenses. If you itemize your deductions, there’s a limitation on medical expenses and you may deduct only the amount by which your medical care expenses for the year exceed 7.5% of your adjusted gross income. So if you have any medical procedures or dental procedures that you’re putting off, now is the time to get them done. You don’t have to pay for them necessarily, you can put them on a credit card and just pay the minimum balance on the credit card, but you can take the full deduction of the year that it took place.

5. Pay you’re an extra’s month’s worth of the mortgage. Make your January mortgage payment in December, so you get can deduct that interest in 2008.

6. Pay your property taxes early. Pay your property taxes that are due in 2009 by the last day of 2008 to accelerate that deduction.

7. Long term capital losses can be used to offset long term capital gains. If you had gains at the beginning of the year and losses now, you can use those losses to offset gains. If you have more losses than gains they can only be used to offset 300 of ordinary income per year. Please keep in mind though that unrealized (not actually sold) losses, especially those in retirement accounts are not deductible.

8. Use gift contributions to lower your tax liability. In terms of gift giving, you can transfer up to $12K per person per year without paying gift tax on the amount transfers. If you have married grandparent, they can give $24K per person by splitting there fist. In 2009, that exclusion rises to $13K each. Persons over the age of 70 1/2 can contribute up to $100,000 from their retirement accounts to a charity of their choice without paying taxes on that income.

9. Maximize annual contributions to retirement plan accounts. This is important because ones year’s limit cannot be added to the next year’s if not taken in time. Now contributions to IRAs may be applied retroactively, if made before the filing deadline and an individual’s elective contribution. As many plan account owners have realized in 2008, it is that managing a tax preferred retirement account is not a “set it and forget it.” Now in 2008 you can deduct up to $15,500 per individuals. If you’re 55 and over, I believe that goes to $20k , and you can have an arrays of different investments in your 401K. As the individual, you can choose the type of asset allocation or risk that you want.

10. Take advantage of tax breaks. The Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 includes several tax breaks that may offer a little help to the average American. Many of the provisions extend tax breaks that had expired at the end of 2007. Some of the popular tax breaks offer opportunities for tuition deduction, extended write-offs for sales taxes, help for disaster victims and some Alternative Minimum Tax relief.

For more advice and information on reducing your IRS debt, visit www.taxresolution.com for a free tax relief consultation or call 866-477-7762.

Michael Rozbruch
http://www.articlesbase.com/taxes-articles/save-money-and-reduce-your-irs-bill-with-simple-yearend-tax-tips-686332.html

Save Money on Groceries – Six Tips

You have probably read articles on how to save money on groceries. They tell you to have a list and sticking to it, use coupons, go to discount membership stores (like Sam’s Club), shop sales and stock up when things are cheap. All of this works, but there are less common ways too. Here a few of them.

Store Loyalty Cards

The “loyalty cards” many grocery stores promote give members special prices on various items. That much you know, and it does save you money on your groceries. But it can cost you money and privacy at some stores. Some grocery chains have been selling your purchasing information. Health insurance companies have been some of the buyers.

What does this mean? You might not smoke, but suppose you buy cigarettes for your friend or neighbor. If they are bought using a card with your name on it, you might pay more for insurance as a result. No matter what information you put on the application, the card still works, so be John or Jane Doe. At least put your middle name as your first, or use a different spelling.

Once you have a membership card, keep it in your wallet or purse so you don’t forget it. Depending on what you buy, you can get 10% or more off your total bill, and sometimes they have particularly good deals for members, so you can stock up on something you use regularly. Some cards are also good for a discount off each gallon of gasoline at many stations.

Forget The Coupons

Coupons sometimes work, but they are almost always for the name-brand products. Name-brand saltine crackers cost $3.29 as I write this, while it was just $1.29 for the store brand we just bought. A 50-cent coupon still leaves the expensive ones twice as expensive. Often the same crackers are in different boxes, with a store label for one and a brand label for the other, so experiment to see if the quality is the equal (the $1.69 ones we tried were terrible, while the $1.29 ones taste great).

Coupons rarely save you enough money to make a product cheaper than other brands that are available. An exception is some pharmacies that carry groceries and have really good coupon deals. They’re willing to lose money on certain products to draw customers into the store. When they have half-priced olives, nuts or canned goods, stock up.

Watch For Mistakes

Mistakes ringing up your order are common and almost never in your favor. The most common reason is sale prices that were never entered into the computer system. Keep an eye on that register, and have any mistakes corrected on the spot. Otherwise, you might spend three dollars in gas to go get your two dollars back later that day.

Don’t Bring Children

Teaching your children to be smart shoppers is a great idea, but most of the time they should be left home. They grab things and beg. Perhaps you give in to their demands less than most parents, but why torture them and make shopping more stressful for you? It’s almost certain that you’ll save money on groceries if you don’t bring the children.

Pay Attention To Unit Prices

Check the price-per-unit tags to find the best deals on each item. Larger sizes were typically cheaper per-ounce in the past, but this is changing. Many grocery stores now have the larger items at a higher per-unit price – possibly an attempt to trick you. Do the math.

Eat Before You Shop

Perhaps the easiest way how to save money on groceries is to eat before you go to the grocery store. Not only will you buy less than if you are hungry, but you’ll probably buy healthier foods as well.

Steve Gillman
http://www.articlesbase.com/personal-finance-articles/save-money-on-groceries-six-tips-580793.html

5 Tips to Save Money on Your Home and Garden Purchases

Everyone likes to have a beautiful home and garden; however, paying for all the best decorations and extras is not always easy. There are many things you can do to save money on home and garden items; you just have to know where to look and what strategies to use. Consider the following five tips when you are planning your next purchase.

1. Mix It Up – When you are designing your home and garden area, use a variety of colors and patterns. Consider using a theme for the room or garden area and then all you have to do is shop for items along that theme. This is a great way to save money on clearance racks and closeout sales. While you may not find six matching linen napkins, you can probably find six green linen napkins. You can also mix up your plates. Instead of a matching set that costs hundreds, buy individual plates along the same theme.

2. Shop Exclusively – Forgo the department stores and shop at stores that exclusively have what you are looking for. While everyone knows large retail stores are known for cheaper prices, it is often easy to find even better deals at a specialty store. Consider the bedding you need for your home. When you shop at a bedding store, you will have a larger selection and there will be more markdowns and clearance items as well.

3. Compare Prices Online – Use comparison tools online to find the best prices on your must- have items. These sites will crawl through the web and find every site that is offering the item you are looking for. This can save you a lot of time and money in your search. You might even check out online auction sites to look for a specific item; many businesses list their inventory online.

4. Shop Out Of Season – For garden items, you can find great deals if you shop during the winter months. Garden furniture and decorations are often marked down up to 50% off. Buy items that need to be put together and save them for great spring projects. Many plants can be bought in the off season as well. Since these items are less popular in the off season months, you can find great deals.

5. Coupons Are Worth Their Weight in Gold – While it can be a pain to use coupons, you can save hundreds on a project if you will take the time to use them. Look for coupons that are a set amount off of purchases or coupons for free shipping if you are ordering online. There are many great sites online that offer coupons for many different stores. You can download or print coupons for many different stores all in one place.

6. Take Your Time – Impulse buying can cost you a lot more than you will pay if you take your time. If you take the time to shop around, you can often find items at much better prices. You might even be able to find a similar item to the one you saw in the store for a much better price online.

Joe Deacon
http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/5-tips-to-save-money-on-your-home-and-garden-purchases-715422.html

Five Tips To Save Money While Shopping

Buying stuff for our loved ones, surprising them pleasantly with unexpected gifts, these are the things many people enjoy most. After all, we earn money to make lives of our loved ones happier. Is it not? Of course this does not mean that we throw money away. No sir. I am very clear that whatever I purchase should be worth the money that is spent on it.

Here are the a few tips that I follow to make sure that I am getting back my money’s worth, while shopping.

Online Shopping

First and foremost, Shop Online. Online retailers can afford to offer cheaper prices not because they want to cheat you but they genuinely have lesser operating costs and overheads than your local retail store. Shopping online also means using credit card. Many credit card companies let you get back a percent or so on all the purchases you make. Of course make sure that you are spending within your capacity to repay. This can amount to a sizeable chunk if your shopping budget is high.

Online shopping also means you are not getting out of the house. You are not taking out your car. That means you are not wasting the precious gas.

Product Comparison Sites

Getting your money’s worth implies that you get the best deal possible for a given product. Savings on gas can be really huge if you want to compare prices hopping from store to store. Get onto information highway and compare the prices of the product you want to buy, sitting in the comfort of your home, without taking your car out. Product comparison sites are specialized search engines that let you search for the specific product from all registered vendors. You can see the prices from various vendors for the same product on one page. Of course make sure to check the credibility of the vendors. If someone is offering at suspiciously low prices, just avoid them.

Consider Shipping Costs

When you are buying products online, the inevitable aspect of it is shipping. The true cost of the product you are purchasing online is equal to the cost of the product + shipping charges. This is very important while comparing the prices.

Plan your Purchases Well in Advance

Online shopping means waiting for the product to arrive. It can take a few days. Make sure that you are making the purchase ahead of time so that shipping time is not a problem for you. Many a time good deals are out of our consideration because we do not simply have that much time to wait.

Use Coupons

Many retailers publish Coupon codes at their affiliate sites that can give you a rebate of up to 20% or so. Check the retailer website once you have decided on the vendor. Do a web search. It is worth the effort.

In summary, to save money while shopping: 1. Do not bother taking your car out, get onto information highway. http://2.Use product comparison sites to locate the best deal. 3. Consider Shipping costs while deciding on the vendor/deal. 4.Make sure that you are planning well in advance so that shipping time is not a reason for missing a good deal. And finally, 5. Search for Coupons of the retailer that you zeroed in on.

With these 5 simple and commonsense-based tips take advantage of the Internet and save money.

Jonathan White
http://www.articlesbase.com/internet-articles/five-tips-to-save-money-while-shopping-124949.html

6 Great Tips On How To Save Money And Help Protect The Environment While Driving Your Vehicle

With our economic down turn condition of our country these days, everybody wants to save money including truck and car drivers .It was just few months ago that the price oif gasoline was high. The price has come don some during the past few months, but I believe this reduction in price is only short-lived. We are still dependent on the foreign oil tor our fuel needs.

One particular issue today is the concern of pollution of the environment.The toxic emissions thast come our from the tail pipes of trucs and cars are a big factor in the environment pollution. So how can we car driviers and truck drivers help?

There several ways to help protect the environment and save money while driving your car or truck. These ways are discussed in this article including pointers in selecting fuel additive products.

It has been estimated by experts that emissions from cars and trucks are responsible for 30 percent of the pollution of planet Earth. So you can say that it is a civic duty of everyone to help protect the environment.

There are several attempts by people concerned about cleaning the environment. Some car manufacturers are starting to develop electric cars to try to solve the pollution problem.

Some companies are trying to promote their respective fuel additive products. Some are good, some are not proven by testing agencies. Some credible testing agencies have tested and recommended a fuel additive product.

What I want to discuss in this article pertains to a car or truck driver, how he can help reduce the toxic emissions that comes out from the tail pipe of his car or truck. There are several ways that a car or truck driver can do to help reduce emissions.

1. Properly Inflated Tires. This can improve gas mileage by up to 3 percent. Consider this: if you drive15,000 miles a year and get 25 miles per gallon. A 3 percent improvement will save about 17.5 gallons of gasoline, which at $4.00 a gallon is $70.00. Of course the gain means less oil consumed and fewer greenhouse gas emitted.

2. Tune Up. It is known that tune up can improve mileage by 4 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Energy

3. Replacing.Clogged Air Filter. This can raise fuel efficiency by as much as 10 percent.

4. Driving 65 miles per hour instead of 75 mph..can improve fuel economy by up to 15 percent

5. The Use of Fuel Additive. There are fuel additives available today that has been proven to decrease emissions from 30 to 50 percent and to increase mileage 10 to 20 percent. These products can save you from 10 to 20% from your fuel bill.

6. In selecting a fuel additive, be sure that is is marketed by a company with good credibility and the products has been proven by reliable testing agencies.

The solution of the pollution problem does not only concern us today. It also concerns our children and our children’s children. The air we breath when it is polluted is a source of those so-called free-radicals that are bad for our health because they destroy the cells of our bodies.This
is the theory of some researchers and some studies are still trying to prove that these free radicals cause cardiovascular and degenerative diseases, and even cancer in our bodies.

So it is everyone’s civic duty to help clean the environment and anything that we can do to reduce or eliminate tail pipe toxic emissions is a welcomed effort.

Ariston P Awitan,M.D.
http://www.articlesbase.com/automotive-articles/6-great-tips-on-how-to-save-money-and-help-protect-the-environment-while-driving-your-vehicle-681731.html