How To Save Money on Family Cars

How To Save Money on Family Cars

Cars can be really expensive to buy, to drive and to simply own. For many families, a big chunk of the household budget goes towards car expenses but luckily there are some ways that you can save money on family cars. We’ll explore a few in this article.

• Choose Used Cars

New cars are very expensive and decrease a lot in value straight away so if you are shopping for a new family car, opt for used over new. Check online and visit local used car shops to find good deals near you. A quick search for used cars for sale in Glasgow will give you lots of options to explore. It’s a good idea to research car models before you start shopping so that you have an idea of what you’re looking for and what’s a good price for that type of car.

• Save Money on Your Car Insurance

A big part of owning a car is that you have to pay car insurance, and this can be a big cost. Never auto-renew – always use a price comparison website to see if you can get a better deal and even if you’d like to stay with your current provider, ring them up and see if they can beat the deals that you can find elsewhere. They usually can if they know you might leave!

• DIY Car Wash

Having your car washed and cleaned on the inside is a lovely treat but the costs of the trips to the car wash do add up over the year. The savvy way to wash and clean your car is to do it yourself. Get the whole family involved and make it a fun job with some music and have a treat ready to enjoy together afterwards. Sharing the task makes it a manageable job and knowing how to hand wash a car is a good life skill to teach the kids. You don’t really need many things to clean a car either – a bucket of warm soapy water, a few sponges and cloths and a vacuum cleaner. If you have a pressure washer, this is handy for the wheels, the floor mats, and the exterior of the car.

• Protect Your Car

Kids are prone to getting things dirty and breaking things… Even cars! There are little things that you can do to help keep your car in a good condition when you have little ones. We use car seat protectors under our children’s car seats which work great and also have car seat kick mats on the back of the front seats to protect them from muddy boots and shoes. These also have handy pockets for storing all those things kids need – little toys and books, water bottles, tissues, snacks etc. You can also use blankets to cover the seats to protect them and floor mats are great to have too. We rarely let the kids eat in the car or, if we must, we choose things that don’t make too much of a mess if anyone were to spill.

• Drive Less

Last but not least, a great way to save money on your family car is to simply drive less! You’ll use less fuel and there will be less wear on the car. During spring and summer when the weather is nicer, look for ideas for more local outings within walking distance to save you money, get your family moving and enable you to enjoy the fresh air and the great outdoors too.

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