Do-It-Yourself Car Repair

My husband and I are not what you would call handy do-it-yourself people.  Which is a shame, because whenever you can do something yourself, you can save A LOT of money.  But even if you don't know much by way of car repair, there are a few things you can learn to do:

• Change your oil.  It requires a few special tools and some time, but it can definitely save you a good chunk of change.
• Change your air filter.
• Replace a bulb.  Light burned out?  It's a simple procedure.  Just follow the owner's manual for your specific car...each make and model is different.  We recently "saved" $15 by doing it ourselves rather than letting the car repair place do it.
• Replace your battery.
• Replace your windshield wipers.

I'm sure there are other skills that can be easily learned.  Probably most importantly, find a repair shop that you trust for all the big unexpected repairs.

Where have you found a trustworthy mechanic?

Best Day to Buy Gas

You've probably realized that the price of gas fluctuates during the week and that it increases for the weekend.  According to several articles I've read, TUESDAY is the cheapest day of the week to buy gas.  Fill up first thing in the morning to maximize your savings.  The reason is that, as the day progresses and warms, the gas becomes less dense.  When you fill up in the afternoon, you are paying more for fumes than you would be in the morning when the gas is cold and dense. 

Jamie