I Cut My Fuel Expense in Half Today

How I Cut My Fuel Bill in Half!

Posted on October 21, 2008
Filed Under Spending, budget, frugal living |

Gas prices have driven my fuel expenses up until they are the highest expense that I have. The recent drop in price has helped quite a bit but it is still my highest expense. I stumbled onto a way to cut my fuel bill in half yesterday and I jumped at it.

I have been driving a 1991 Toyota Previa (mini van) for the last year and a half. It gets decent gas mileage (23-25 MPG) even for a mini van. Even at that it takes between 5 and 6 gallons per day to commute to the shop and back home so for the last 12 months my fuel costs have averaged approximately $20 per day. This means that when I get to work, I groom my first dog just to pay for gas and my second one to pay for overhead at the shop. I only make money on my 3rd dog and I only do an average of 3.5 dogs per day. As you can see, fuel has been taking a full third of my income.

A friend mentioned yesterday that they wanted to sell their Geo Metro. I had a Metro when they first came out and LOVED it!

Mine averaged 40 MPG on the highway. I didn’t have the cash to buy it but it worked out that he was looking for a mini van. We negotiated an even swap and I am now the proud owner of a 1993 Geo Metro. I’m not the only one who has found that the Metro is a car that meets todays needs as you can read in th

is CNN article.

The Metro should not use over 3 gallons round trip which should effectively cut my fuel costs in half. With gas prices dropping, I should be able to keep my fuel expense in the 10-15% range of my budget. I am a lot more comfortable with that percentage than I am with a full third. Of course there are sacrifices. The Metro has a lot less room to haul things back and forth to and from work. It is not a comfortable car for more than 2 adults so families with teens may want to look at another option.

They stopped making Metros a few years ago when fuel costs were down but there are still a few used ones floating around. With 3 cylinders and 49 hp, they aren’t a power car but if you are looking for a car to commute in, you can’t beat the price or the mileage.

If you enjoyed this article, you may want to subscribe to my feed by RSS or get updates in email.

Comments

3 Responses to “How I Cut My Fuel Bill in Half!”

Denise (15 comments.) on October 21st, 2008 5:53 pm

Oh, I’m so excited for you! Until last year I had a 1988 Yugo. Yes, a Yugo! She got 43 mpg and I loved her! I wish I had that car now. *sigh*

Enjoy that car!
cindys on October 21st, 2008 6:13 pm

Gosh, I had a Yugo the first year that they came out. It was a fun car but just didn’t hold up to the mileage that we put on it. I liked my Geo much better and put over 300,000 miles on it. Even then we sold it for around $500. I have looked online and Geos are priced anywhere from $1000-$8000 right now.
Mrs. Accountability (4 comments.) on October 26th, 2008 9:22 pm

Wow, that’s a great swap! I pay nearly $20 day for going to work so I can feel your former pain.