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 | 3 Comments

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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.

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Comments

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

Denise (26 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 (7 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.