Not everyone can afford a new hybrid vehicle.  Sure, they boast great mileage per gallon, but the struggling economy makes it difficult for all of us to purchase a new car just for the sake of saving gas.  There are other ways to utilize your current car to save gas.  Here are a few.

Watch your acceleration and speed. Gradually moving faster instead of slamming your gas pedal makes your engine use less gas.  Keep your speed steady, as that is the most efficient use of your gas.  Speeding up and slowing down will use up more gas, such as aggressive braking, speeding up, and accelerating quickly.  Build up speed when going up a hill, instead of accelerating furiously when you are on it.  You will notice a difference.

Roll your windows up once you start driving over 45 miles per hour. The open windows will create more resistance for your car and use up more gas than needed.  However, if you are driving below 45 miles per hour, the windows do not effect your gas mileage.  You can save yourself some energy by having the windows down on a hotter day to avoid using the air conditioner.

Wash your car. Believe it or not, that dirt and residue can actually cause air drag.  Another tip is to remove those bike racks or vinyl/leather tops on top of your car because it also creates air drag.  Unloading unnecessary items from your car can also reduce how much weight your car has to haul.  Do you really need two cases of water in your trunk?  Probably not.  Keep them in the garage and grab a bottle before you run out the door.  Don’t use your car as storage!

Plan your trips. Know ahead of time what errands you have to run and plan accordingly.  You then avoid driving back and forth, wasting time and gas.  Combine your trips and save yourself trouble and money.  Avoid unnecessary idling.  If you have to wait longer than 30 seconds, roll down the windows and turn off the engine.  Commuting with coworkers or friends reduce use of gas, and if you’re really looking to cut back, biking is even better.  Check out our article about how biking to work can even earn you more money.

Maintain your car. Keep your tire pressure to the proper measurement noted on the side of the wheels and vehicle manual.  Under-inflated tires can reduce your mileage by 1 mpg.  Never over-inflate, because the tires will wear out faster.  Change your oil and filter at the recommended times, because dirty oil will create more friction between the parts, reducing efficiency.  The same goes to keeping your parts in good condition or replacing parts that are in need of changing.  Cracked pipes and dirty filters can seriously reduce the mileage and lifetime of your car.  Check out our article on Repair Pal, which makes sure you don’t get cheated by your mechanic.

What are other ways you save gas?

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Target features a wide range of household items that are eco-friendly and easy on the wallet.  They offer good quality bed sheets that are 200 thread count made of cotton and bamboo ranging in price from $19.99 to $50.99.  You can also purchase a 3-drawer set made of organic wicker, priced at $69.99 and more eco-friendly furniture at great prices. Look through the website, and you will find baby clothes, bath accessories, soy candles, and rugs that are both eco-friendly and beautiful. Target is also selling pre-owned iPods and televisions, rechargeable batteries and reusable shopping bags.

Reduce your impact on the environment by choosing furniture, electronics, and clothing from companies that are organic. Target is a great place to get started. Purchase responsibly.

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Work in a cubicle or a windowless office?  It’s time to revamp your space with a bit of life and color.  Here are a few simple ways to freshen up and revitalize your desk space.

Greenify Your Cubicle. You may not be sitting on the lawn with your laptop, but this doesn’t mean you can’t bring the garden to you.  Consider stocking a flower vase with seasonal flowers from your local farmer’s market, or for a less-costly alternative, a small plant or two can bring the same effect.  If you’re worried about watering your plant, then go conservative with a cactus!

Inspire Your Day. Tack up your favorite quote or poem to start your day off on a good note.  It’s easy to get caught up in our morning flood of e-mails and memos, but don’t let that be an excuse to ignore your inner muse.  A happy you means a happy job.

Bring in the Family & Friends. Not literally, of course, but don’t be hesitant to bring in your favorite photos of your family and friends.  Just don’t bring in anything you don’t want your supervisor seeing.  That may cost you the promotion you’re hoping will get you out of your cube!

Love Your Colors. There are a ton of ways to add more colors to your desk space.  You can opt to deviate from the bland, generic yellow post-its for more vibrant colored notepads, or you can throw a colorful scarf or shaw over your chair to lend your outfit more tone during those chilly morning meetings.

How do you spruce up your work space?  Share your ideas with us!

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We all have CDs.  Tons, in fact.  From soundtracks to albums to basic singles,  more than a few of us have shelves upon shelves of discs in plastic cases collecting dust.  The digital wave in music have most people downloading songs online and advances in digital radio allows us to listen to our fave genre of music without a bunch of commercials and ads.

With iPodmeister, you can exchange your CDs and DVDs for a new iPod, and your songs can all be converted into MP3s so you can store them on your gadget.  Not only does this decrease the amount of space your CDs used to take up, but it definitely requires less equipment and energy to play from an iPod instead of some massive CD player.  Plus, no more worries about scratched discs or skipping songs when the CD player hits a bump on the road.


iPodMeister offers a NEW iPod or iPhone in exchange for your CDs and DVDs:

• All iPods/iPhones are brand NEW
• Full Apple warranty
• FREE pick-up & shipping in the U.S.
• No cherrypicking, no list required
• Proven 3-year track record

How many CDs do you need to send in? 150 old CDs/DVDs give you an 8GB nano, and another 50 will have them convert them all for you into MP3s.  If you have tons and tons of CDs, this is the way to go.