Ease back on your gas pedal and save a few bucks
Gasoline is hitting record prices, so every little action you can take to be as fuel-efficient as possible helps. The easiest way to improve efficiency by as much as 20%? Drive the posted speed limit. Driving faster doesn’t typically get you where you’re going any sooner, and riding the gas pedal wastes a lot of fuel. Also, if you do need to accelerate to, say, pass a car, avoid flooring it to cut back on fuel waste.
FOLLOW DIRECTIONS
One way to utilize smartphone technology and save gasoline, too, is to use step-by-step driving directions on your phone’s map as your GPS. By using the app to anticipate upcoming traffic, you can plan to slowly decelerate your car and avoid slamming on the brakes. It also will take you on the shortest route to your destination, often adding side streets or little-used roads that may be beneficial to your drive time. This way of driving is safer, too, since you know what traffic is ahead.
SPRING CLEAN
The heavier your car, the more fuel it uses. So take this time to do a spring cleaning and remove any unnecessary items that have been left in your car. Every 50 pounds of extra weight increases your car’s fuel consumption by 1%. Don’t think of your back seats and trunk as extra storage; instead, lighten the load by removing unnecessary sports equipment, boxes and store purchases, and save a little at the pump.
GARDEN PREP
This is a good time in most parts of the country to prep your garden for spring plantings. The most important step is to remove dead plants that can be composted into beneficial mulch. This includes dead weeds with seeds so you can prevent those seeds from germinating. Place those plants in the middle of your compost so the heat kills them. And any mulch that’s very broken down can just stay put in the garden.
LEAVE TREE UNTIL FALL
If there’s a tree in your yard you are thinking of cutting down, it might be best to wait until fall. In the spring and summer months, trees are habitats for small mammals, birds and other animals. They build nests and burrow inside the trees, and they could be harmed if the tree is removed. If you must take down a tree, be sure to do a thorough inspection to ensure it’s free of any wildlife. The same goes for bushes; animals may be nesting inside.
AVOID SNACK PACKS
Individual snack packs may be convenient for packing lunches or for having a snack on the go, but they are a nightmare for the environment. All of the excess packaging is considered single-use plastic and almost none of it gets recycled (the latest studies show a whopping 91% of plastics don’t get recycled). Avoid snack packs and try making your own using reusable silicone bags and boxes instead; buy in bulk so you can fill and refill again and again.
SELL OLD BOOKS
Yes, the collection of old books in your home could be cash in your hands, and there’s no need to set up a yard sale to get it! The website Cash4Books.net makes it simple: All you do is type in the International Standard Book Number (ISBN), which is a unique identifier given to each edition of every book in the world. The website will tell you what the book is worth, and once you ship your books to Cash4Books, you’ll be paid that amount. It really is that simple!