With the price of petrol hitting the roof recently and the poor rate of exchange many of us have been left wondering how we are going to make ends meet or, for that matter, whether we will have enough petrol to get to either end. We have put together some suggestions on how you can save petrol and reduce your monthly fuel bill.

EASY CHANGES
USE THE A/C SPARINGLY. The more you used the air conditioner, the more fuel is being used.
REDUCE EXCESS WEIGHT. Don't use your vehicle as a storage unit. Clean out your car and avoid driving around heavy items that will use up excess fuel.
KEEP WINDOWS CLOSED. Keeping your windows open, especially at higher speeds, increases car drag and decreases fuel economy by up to 10%.

PUTTING YOUR PEDAL TO THE METAL
DON'T ACCELERATE QUICKLY. Pushing the pedal to the metal uses a lot of fuel. Take your time accelerating from a stopped position.
AVOID AGGRESSIVE DRIVING. Do not alternate between accelerating and braking hard, instead gently accelerate to reach your desired speed and relax, you will reach your next hazard with a little more time to brake and give your passengers a smoother ride. "Jack Rabbit" or stop and go driving can use up to 40% more fuel.
CHOOSE THE RIGHT GEAR. Driving in a gear lower than needed wastes fuel. So, without accelerating more than necessary, switch up through the gears and into top gear as soon as possible.
DRIVE THE SPEED LIMIT. Don't be tempted to speed since the faster you drive the more fuel you use. SET YOUR CRUISE CONTROL. Maintaining a constant speed results in better fuel economy.
TURN OFF THE ENGINE. If you are caught up in a traffic jam, turn off the engine instead of letting it idle. One minute of idling uses more fuel then simply restarting up the engine.
PARK IT. Once you have reached your destination park your car and opt for walking anywhere else you want to go. Get some exercise and save some fuel.

MAINTENANCE
CHECK THE AIR PRESSURE. Check the air pressure in your tyres at least once per month to make sure they have enough air. Having a single tyre under inflated by 2 PSI, increases fuel consumption by 1%.
CLEAN YOUR FILTERS REGULARLY. Dirty air filters causes the engine to work harder, with the result that you use more fuel.
CHANGE YOUR OIL REGULARLY. Getting your oil changed regularly is  an inexpensive way to keep your engine running in tip-top shape…the result is better fuel consumption.