It's so simple in theory!

Trishiapp

Skinnylatte wrote: »

Good morning, I'm glad yesterday went well, another hurdle over!

I do a lot of driving in my job and have been trying to perfect the art of economical driving, so here's my tips...

• Keep your tyres pumped up to the recommended pressure (use the pump as Sainsbury's its free!)
• Try not to over rev or drive to fast, as a rule I try and keep the rev counter below about 2000, that means I drive about 55mph on the motor way, so allow plenty of time!!
• I put my clutch in and free wheel down the hills
• Try not to carry to much weight around or drive in heavy rain!
• I have been experimenting with slip streaming behind big lorries like the cyclists do, but have come to the conclusion it doesn't make much difference and probably isn't very safe lol

I manage about 58mpg in my 1.4 diesel.


Have a lovely day x

Hello Skinnylatte.




Thank you for taking the time to provide me with a few useful driving tips


Wow, 58 mpg! That's incredibly impressive! I don't think such performance is possible in my car since it's 1.6, but I will definitively slow down a bit. Generally I do stick to speed limits, but I am guilty of sometimes driving quicker than its necessary ( especially on the way back from work.)

I think part of my problem is leaving home too late! However, I am addressing this already and left for my family lunch earlier than normal.


Talking of which, the lunch was lovely and I got to see my brother, who lives just outside of London. As we were catching up on each other's news, he told me about the expense of living on the outskirts of London. I was shocked to hear that, despite good wage ( £40.000 + partner's income) he finds it difficult to make ends meet!


I questioned him about the possibility of moving into a cheaper area, but he is not prepared to do so. Of course, its up to him, but I do wonder whether living in a cheaper part of the country would provide him and his partner with better quality of life? Surely cheaper area equals less expense, thus less time at work and more time for meaningful activities?


Having said that,( unlike me) he doesn't appear to need more free time and seem to enjoy the fast-pace of London's life. Unfortunately, we can always make more money ( if we really want to) but we cannot make more time!

asparagus1968

sounds like you had a lovely weekend.
beautiful weather here in NW. hope it lasts a few days at least, as its half term. managed to sort some activities out, some free, some not!
I second keeping tyres properly inflated, check them weekly, and drive so revs are less than 3000.

I splashed out on a takeaway last night, £7, felt bad so split it and had other half tonight, shows how greedy I am when I usually eat the whole thing!

Skinnylatte

Bedsit_Bob wrote: »

Free wheeling is dangerous, and wastes fuel.

A modern car, when on overrun (clutch engaged and foot off the throttle) uses absolutely no fuel. It also saves wear on the brakes when descending hills.

When idling (stationary, or rolling without the clutch engaged), the engine consumes a bit of fuel, to keep it from stalling.

If your car has a fuel computer, take a look at the Instant MPG reading.

On overrun, it'll be reading 99.9mpg (indicating it isn't using any fuel), but at idle, it reads about 0.2g/h.

"g/h" stands for gallons per hour.

Well I never knew that, apparently it's also illegal too, so please ignore my fee wheeling advice :silenced: thanks Bedsit. It's amazing what you learn on here!

Trishiapp

Good evening asparagus1968.

I will definitely adopt some of the driving ideas, including keeping the tyre pressure correct. I do wonder whether the garage checks it when the car goes for service? I might just find this out since just had my car serviced.


I think it's very difficult for us parents to keep the cost of child entertainment to a minimum ( everyone wants money!) Luckily for me, my two children rarely ask to go anywhere special, but I do understand that's not the case for everyone. Enjoy the half-term whatever you are doing!


I know a lot of people who spend at least £ 30.00per week on take-aways. Your £7.00 sounds like a bargain, especially since you've divided it ( that's £3.50 per night ) I bet it was delicious!


I wish you a lovely and peaceful evening.

Trishiapp

After five weeks off work, it's my first day back today. I'm feeling slightly apprehensive, but I know this is only natural. No doubt, after an hour in my office, I'm going to feel like I've never been away.

Since I'm on the subject of work, I spoke to my children about the idea of me going p/t. They were not that bothered about the drop in my income, and got excited at the prospect of me having more time for baking!


With that in mind, last night, I assessed our outgoings. Truthfully, there's little room for improvement ( the only thing that could go is Sky.) Which means, before I even think about going p/t, I must pay off my debts and build up a sizeable emergency fund. Alas, this could take some time.


I, somewhat naively have thought that I could go p/t later this year. But having looked at our outgoings, I suspect it's going to take much longer ( perhaps two years?)


I must confess, I felt rather disheartened about it. However, there's no point in dwelling on it and so...I'm tweaking my mind set, instead of pushing for a quick change, I shall look at the bigger picture.


So, the plan is...


I will become completely debt free this year, and stay that way! Once I'm debt free, I will start paying into my emergency fund ( the money that went toward paying off debts will go into my savings.) This is perfectly doable


I will continue with my frugal life and test out the minimum money we can comfortably live on. I might cancel Sky at some point, but not at the moment ( we don't go to cinema or do other expensive activities.)


I will continue working full time, but will actively reduce my stress levels via meditation, spending time in nature ( gardening and my animals) studying, listening to music and more cycling. Also, I wonder whether I can negotiate some days of working from home? This would not only save me money on diesel, but also provide me with much needed peace and quiet.


Above all, I must stop taking live so seriously and enjoy it moment-to-moment.


I wish you all a wonderful day

Trishiapp

Good morning lovely people.

I am happy to report that, my first day back at work went very well-it was great to catch up with my colleagues. I've had a 'Return to work' meeting with my manager and agreed phased-return plan ( half-days this week.)


Also, I've reduced our Sky package yesterday by almost £11.00 ( I cancelled the HD channels.) And.... due to mindful driving, ( I've taken all the tips on board) my car computer thingy read: 54 mpg (!!) on the way back! I honestly could not believe my eyes as I normally average 42mpg.


Altogether, productive and happy day


Earlier I have checked my bank account and I'm still well on the road to pay £300 towards my o/d. Who knows, with the wind behind me, I might just manage £400( I'm getting paid on the 25th and only a small shopping trip planned at the end of the week.) Since the town I work in has Asda, I might do my shopping there for price comparison.


Right, I better start getting ready for the day ahead...


I wish you all a wonderful day

Oh yes, one more thing...


Yesterday, someone told me that, there are plans for Aldi to open one of its stores in my home town! How great is that!?

Trishiapp

Today I've had a big surprise! It transpired that, over the past year, I've been underpaid for my work mileage ( apparently I didn't get the excessive mileage!) Astonishingly, the payroll will investigate this matter, and if indeed they owe me money, I should get it next month! At this point, I am not sure how much, but of course, every little helps

I'm doing very well on the driving front and have not gone over 50mph ( on an A road.) This meant that, for most part, I was jammed between lorries, but I didn't mind. In fact, each time a car zoomed passed me, I was thinking, " You are throwing money away by driving so fast." Also, I've not noticed a great difference time wise ( perhaps 5 minutes?) My goal is to reduce the diesel cost from £40 to £30 per week. As long as I continue being mindful of the revs and speed, this should be perfectly doable.


Onwards and upwards...

Skinnylatte

I'm so pleased your return to work has gone well and :j:j on the mpg!

It annoys my kids that I drive so slow, but I really don't care what any-one else thinks, I just feel really smug looking at 58mpg on my dashboard :A

I cancelled our Sky HD in december, I think was switched off mid January, and to he honest no-one has noticed yet :rotfl:

Trishiapp

To be honest, I've never really noticed any difference between HD and normal channels. When I called Sky, the guy on the other side of the phone told me how, after upgrading his TV, he could not believe his eyes at the sharpness and detail of the picture. I told him that, perhaps with the new televisions HD makes a big difference but, seeing as I have an older type , I cannot tell the difference. He was lovely and understood my reasons for reducing my Sky package.

Sure, I could go out and buy ( on credit as I don't have any free money yet) a big, all singing, all dancing TV, but what would be the point? I already have perfectly adequate one. Generally, I don't replace things, unless they break and are beyond repair, anything other than that is a waste.


Last-night, I've run out of washing powder which means, I will either wait until the end of the week ( when I do my planned shopping) or get it today. The advantage of not getting it today is extra no spend day. I know that, pondering this may sound a little petty to some people, but for me, this is about reprogramming my brain to be disciplined and patient. Also, who is going to check my laundry basket?


Talking of household chores... yesterday, when I came back from work, I've managed to spring clean my house. Everything feels fresh and new! Honestly, I can't wait for spring to arrive! Each time I venture out into my garden, I notice more buds on tree branches getting ready to open! Such sight feels me up with joy and sense of renewal.


In comparison to other parts of the country, the weather here was not that bad. Yes, we had strong winds. Yes, my garden structures got damaged, but at least my washing dried in extra quick time Also, because of the mild temperatures, I've not used much heating. Despite my good fortune, my heart does go out to all the flood victims.

Trishiapp

Since my current energy deal is coming to an end, I called my provider to find out what they could come up with ( money saving wise.) Well, I almost fell of my sofa, when he informed me that, based on my current usage and price increase for this year, my direct debit will go up from £70 to £114 (!) should I choose to stay with them!

I kindly declined his 'best' offer and shopped around. Luckily, I found another deal, with another energy provider, which will only increase my current bill by £93 per year. That's better! Massive saving of £435!


I am somewhat surprised by my current provider's quote, seeing they had to provide me with a refund as I was overpaying! Mind boggling...


Looking through my current energy bills, I am spending below national average. This really is not surprising since, the three of us are very mindful of our energy use