FUEL & More

How to save ...

To save on fuel for your car, buy an electric vehicle or hybrid, preferably a tesla cyber truck with self-driving. It will pay for itself eventually, and this is how.

For $100 down, you can register a cyber truck and save for three years while you're on the waiting list. I decided to put what would have been a downpayment into the stock nearly three years ago, and I thought I'd buy stock each month just like I'd be making a payment on a car, but the initial "down payment" was enough to pay off the vehicle in just a few months. I was lucky. It's still a good plan. The tesla cyber truck is financed through tesla for 2% interest and insured, including roadside service. The average vehicle costs $500 for 72 months plus gas and insurance. Then there is maintenance which is double the automobiles' original price. With just paying tax and tags plus ten percent down, my payments will be around $900 a month for the six-passenger truck with the 10 by 10 trunk (the size of a bedroom). The same price I would be paying for a car, but a tesla is practically maintenance-free. But I'm buying two. I'm using them for ride-sharing. Some people do this already and make $30,000 without much effort. I'm a fan.

Here's how you save money now. Shop for groceries on gas card weekends. By fifty dollars in groceries and get a gas card for $10 off $50, saving 20%. Cover the groceries with coupons, as I explained in the FOOD article. Next, get perks of 10 cents off a gallon. We get a Shell gas card and get our perks with T-Mobil Tuesdays app. Winn-Dixie also has a program. Sign up for the fuel rewards program at your gas station, where you'll also earn perks. We get 120 from our three devices per month which we use twice a month to fill up two cars. At $4 a gallon, we pay $2.60. If you use your vehicle for business, check out the Shells Fleet option. Get savings on top of savings with GasBuddy to find the cheapest gas and get upside to getting gift cards rewards from buying gas and restaurant food.

As for electricity for your home, If you need help, there's a grant for low-income people called LIHEAP grant sponsored by the housing authorities and community action for your county. Call them first if you fall behind. They can catch you up and/or pay a portion of your monthly payment. The Catholic church and senior services will sometimes offer help with water payments as well. Apply in October when they get their renewed government deposit. Most of the time, electricity is too high because of energy leaks like gaps in the door or windows without tinting. To handle this, apply for WAP (weather assistance program). They'll inspect your property and determine where your issues are, like a gap in the door to an air conditioner that needs repair.

The most expensive housing repair is the roof. Instead of just replacing it, why not solar panel it. Yes, it costs more, but it's guaranteed for up to 50 years. Right now, most rooves last 20 to 30 years max. Sooner or later, all homes are going to require solar energy. The cost can be applied to the mortgage in some states.

There's a major tax benefit, and you can sell the excess energy back to the electric company.

Some quick and easy way to save on electricity is a solar generator as cheap as $100. A Mister Cool portable air conditioning unit is as cheap as $1000. Roof rain-catching water filtration systems cost about $1500 and $2000 for the distribution system. Room heaters that plug into outlets cost $15 to $50, and they are very effective.

My number one pick is a Tesla Power wall which can be rented for $65 per month. In less than 10 years I believe home electricity will be free and internet and cable. As far as cell phones are concerned, mine is free because I'm on social security, but a company called Mint out of Canada charges $15 a month.

Take a little time and make a little effort to get a lot of freedom.

#Fuel # Groceries # house-repair # vehicle