The cost of gas continues to rise and there appears to be no end to the high prices in sight. It’s difficult to budget your transportation costs when the cost of gas continues to increase. So there’s no better time than now to decrease your vehicle-related costs. Here are some tips to help you save money on your transportation expenses.

Take Public Transportation

Instead of wasting money on four or five dollar gas, take the train, the subway or the bus to work. You will be helping the environment and your wallet as well. Taking public transportation is much cheaper than dealing with the cost of purchasing a vehicle, maintaining it and filling up your tank every week. It might even take you less time getting to work taking public transportation rather than driving to work yourself.

There’s another advantage to taking public transportation. You can’t really accomplish much while driving to and from work so that time can be considered wasted. But while you’re on the train, subway or bus you can do things you can’t do while driving. You can take out your smartphone and make some phone calls, send text messages and update your Facebook status. You can take out your tablet and play some games or read a book. You can even take out your laptop and get some work done while on your way back home. By doing these things during the commute you’ll be able to accomplish more things in your day.

Don’t Buy A New Car

If you need an upgrade from your current vehicle you should buy a used car, not a new car. When you buy a new car you are overpaying merely because the car has the title of new. The moment a new vehicle is driven out of the dealership the value of this new car has already dropped.

You should buy a car that is 2-3 years old because the value of a car grossly devalues during the first 2-3 years. After that period, the price continues to drop of course but not as drastically. It’s common for someone to keep a car for about 100,000 miles. So there’s little difference in taking a car from 0 to 100k miles and taking one from 30k to 130k miles. A well maintained vehicle can continue working well past 130k miles.

When buying a used car, don’t go to the dealership. You can almost always find a better deal on a used car when you buy it from a person rather than a dealership. Sure, the dealership will say their cars are inspected, certified and come with a warranty, but it’s not worth the expense. When you’re dealing with a person selling their car, go with them to a mechanic before buying the car to ensure the car is in good running condition.

Save On Gasoline

Here are several ways you can save on your gas costs.

• The price of gas at each gas station is different. Use a smartphone app like GasBuddy to check for the lowest price of gas in your area or along your commute. Just saving a few cents per gallon can translate into saving about 50 bucks per year.
• You can also save on gas by changing your driving habits. When on the freeway, drive the speed limit. When on the street, don’t accelerate too quickly and coast your way into a stop.
• Getting routine maintenance on your vehicle because a well maintained engine will consume less gas.
• Properly inflate your tires to the correct air pressure.
• Reduce the weight of your car by removing extra items you don’t need from your trunk.
• Unless your vehicle requires it, do not put the most expensive gasoline in your car. Those are for luxury or sport cars only.