Stretch your weekly gas allowance

The hard times are indeed here, and everyone is tight-ening their belts nowadays. As history shows us, the price of fuel is directly proportional to the price of basic commodities. You know the drill. And for sure, this has given you the jitters. How then do you budget your weekly allowance so that you will have enough for everything you may need, including gas, transportation, food, and of course, gimik and leisure time expenses? Here are some tips that you may employ to stretch your weekly allowance:

• If you haven’t planned your schedule for this term, plan it in such a way that you travel to school during off-peak hours. The demands of the daily grind will take a tremendous toll on your fuel allowance, especially when the traffic volume is high. You can also plan your day in such a way that you will have all your full meals such as breakfast or lunch at home, and just eat snacks in between breaks while in school.

• Analyze your trip, no matter how short or long it is. Start by computing for figures such as your total distance traveled and your total travel time.

With some computation, you will be able to get your trip’s average speed. If your average speed is between 20 and 25 km/h or less, it’s time to plan a different route. The goal here is to avoid unnecessary stops as we all know that when a car is stationary and the engine is running, the consumption is zero km/l as the car is not going anywhere. Analyzing your trip also involves surveying the roads that you usually take, and noting its peak times.

• Learn to compute and track for fuel consumption in the correct units, which is in distance per volume. Most Filipinos express it in days per pesos, which is the incorrect way. This way, you will be able to predict and conserve your gas allowance more accurately.

• Fill up with the correct fuel. Nowadays, fuel is not just mere fodder for your car. Gasoline such as Shell Super Unleaded E10 is formulated with 10 percent ethanol, which is a cleaner burning and renewable component.

It is also P2 cheaper than your average gasoline, and will not  only benefit your car and your pocket, but the environment, too.

• Organize a carpool. Get acquainted with classmates, schoolmates, or even office employees that work in the vicinity of your school, and get them to join your carpool. If most of your peers also have a car, you can alternate between days on who will be the carpool lead. This way, you will be able to share your fuel expenses and reduce the number of vehicles on the road, given the very meager amount of roads this country has.

• If you normally drive to school, maximize the personal space that you carry by bringing packed lunch or food. Leftovers from last night’s dinner will do the trick if there would be no one to prepare it.

• If feasible, you can assign yourself a drive-free day and take public transportation. Public transportation is one area tightly controlled by the government and is not easily swayed by rising fuel prices. There are more modes of transportation available nowadays if you are not fond of riding the ubiquitous jeepney, such as the FX shuttle services or even the Metrorail.

• Plan your night outs. Make a valid, honest reason for going out, for example, after an exam or a thesis defense. This will make your unwinding time well worth it, not to mention that you will not have a hard time asking permission to stay up late from your folks, and convincing them that you deserve a reward after a hard day’s work. This way, unplanned gimik and drinking sessions will be out from your to-do list, and you will also have more time to focus on your studies.

Start the school year right with these allowance-saving tips and make school life a meaningful experience. Remember, learning doesn’t take place only in the confines of a classroom, and life by itself is a learning experience, so make the most out of every day.