I don’t know about you but lately I find that I would rather pay for parking fees than having to go back home or make my car go around the block several times.

I always tell my driver, “Mas mura na magbayad tayo ng parking kesa sa magpa gasolina tayo…” The way gasoline prices have soared is unbelievable. And it looks like it will get worse, before it gets any better. Yes, sanay tayong mga Pinoy mamaluktot as I always say, and in the same spirit, I think we could help each other out here if we share gasoline saving tips that we have proven to be really cost efficient.

One of the best tips that I really practice is this — Keeping my vehicle regularly serviced. Yes, I know it costs money, but a well-maintained car keeps it operating at peak efficiency. An inefficient engine—with fouled spark plugs, for example—won’t make optimum use of fuel. Be sure your air filters fuel filters are clean. Put in new ones if they’re not. Another tip is to Plan your trips. When it’s time to pickup the kids from school, the younger one has to wait for the older one in my office. Even if our home is very near to where I work and where they study, the traffic going to and fro is such a killer and a fuel nightmare. It’s cheaper for me to pay for my son’s merienda and the attendant parking fees, rather than have the car go back and forth in horrendous traffic. Plus, it gives me some time to bond with him. He’s at that age where he can just sit quietly in one corner, fiddle with a vacant PC or do his homework. Also, when I send the driver off on errands to pay bills, rather than use the car, he now commutes to and fro, using my office as the base. It’s a good thing that all the baks are just one jeepney ride away. Transport fare is way cheaper than gasoline and parking fees combined.

Downsize. Just at the comc strip here illustrates, it’s such a blessing nowadays to have a smaller, fuel efficient car. SUVs are no longer politically correct unless bumabaha. I’m even looking towards getting an even smaller car to replace one of our old and trusty “tanks” at home. It’s just no longer practical to use the big 4×4’s unless there is major flooding in your area. Even if they run on diesel, they are still such gas guzzlers lalo na pag ma traffic.

What about you? What is your gasoline saving tip?