{"id":186376,"date":"2018-09-07T14:30:13","date_gmt":"2018-09-07T12:30:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/?p=186376"},"modified":"2018-09-07T18:20:58","modified_gmt":"2018-09-07T16:20:58","slug":"fuel-thought-5-ways-can-save-money-ease-pain-pumps","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2018\/09\/07\/fuel-thought-5-ways-can-save-money-ease-pain-pumps\/","title":{"rendered":"Fuel for thought: 5 ways you can save money and ease your pain at the pumps"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s the first week of September, and you know what that means.<\/p>\n

Yes, spring has finally sprung.<\/p>

<\/div>\n

But also, the petrol price went up. Again. And even though it\u2019s only going up by five cents per litre, that\u2019s enough to make a big dent on an already strained pocket.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile there\u2019s nothing you can do to change the price of petrol itself, there are some clever little tricks that you can use to make your petrol go further,\u201d said Faisal Mkhize, managing executive of Absa Asset and Vehicle Finance.<\/p>

<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n

Here is why SA officially plunged into a recession<\/a><\/p>\n

This is how you can reduce your data usage<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

These are some of Faisal\u2019s top tips:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Check your tyre pressure regularly<\/strong>: Making sure that your tyres are at the recommended pressure (to know what that is, check the sticker inside the driver’s door) improves your fuel efficiency because there is less rolling resistance with the road. Research shows that as much as 23 percent<\/a> of the petrol used by a car goes towards overcoming rolling resistance.<\/li>\n
  2. Drop the bad habits like speeding and accelerating or braking harshly<\/strong>: Aggressive driving uses up petrol unnecessarily, with studies<\/a> showing that you can waste between 10 and 40 per cent of your petrol in stop-and-start driving and between 15 and 30 per cent on highways. That\u2019s a lot of petrol going to waste for no reason, so keep an eye on the way you drive and if you catch yourself speeding and accelerating or braking harshly, stop and try to remember to drive more gently in future.<\/li>\n
  3. Don\u2019t over-rev that engine<\/strong>: Revving means that your engine is working too hard, which uses up more petrol. So when you hear your engine rev, change gears \u2013 and change up gears as quickly as possible to keep the rev count low. You\u2019ll be surprised how much petrol it saves you.<\/li>\n
  4. Keep it natural – don\u2019t overuse the aircon<\/strong>: Although modern cars are designed to be more fuel efficient, overusing the aircon can waste petrol because it needs power from the engine to run the compressor pump \u2013 which requires fuel. If you are driving at lower speeds, in particular, rather switch the aircon off and use your windows to regulate the temperature inside your car.<\/li>\n
  5. Make your rewards programmes work for you: <\/strong>You can earn up to 15 per cent cash back when you fill your tank at Sasol if you are a member of Absa Rewards, for example \u2013 and you can also cash out that money and put it towards filling up. These days most rewards programmes have partnered with petrol stations to help South Africans cope with the ever-rising price of petrol. Take the time to get yourself familiar with yours so you can save yourself some money when you fill up.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \u201cIt\u2019s not going to be easy to build in this latest price increase to a budget already stretched to its limit, but by making these small changes to your routine, you should be able to save yourself some much-needed money and make your petrol go that much further,\u201d Faisal said.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    Have a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za<\/a><\/strong>or Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>or\u00a0Kgotsofalang Mashilo (journalist)\u00a0kgotsofalangm@caxton.co.za<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

    Remember to visit the Germiston City News on the following social media platforms:<\/p>\n

    Facebook<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Twitter<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Instagram<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    YouTube\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

    Or add the GCN on\u00a0<\/b><\/span>WhatsApp 079 406 1181<\/strong>\u00a0<\/span>or\u00a0BBM (BBM Pin: 7F102137)<\/strong>\u00a0<\/b><\/span>today, to get all the latest news.<\/p>\n

    Catch-up on more local news with our sister newspapers\u00a0<\/span>Bedfordview Edenvale News<\/a><\/strong>,\u00a0<\/span>Alberton Record<\/a><\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Kempton Express<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

     <\/p>\n

    \n