Save $10 in 10 Minutes: Safer Driving Saves on Gas

Summer is fast approaching, and that means a lot of different things. But for me, I always think of road trips. Before you hit the open road this summer, take 10 minutes to save some bucks on gas with these easy-driving, cash-saving techniques: 1. Keep your speed down This is a 10 minute tip that will save you money over the long run. While going faster may seem like a good idea, it’s more dangerous and expensive than a lower speed On the highway, if you’re driving 120km/hour instead of 100km/hour, you’ll burn 17% more gas on average over the same distance. Is the few minutes you reduce on travel time worth the extra cost of fuel (or the pontential expense of a ticket)? We say: no! 2. Avoid aggressive braking and accelerating This is inline with tip #1, but we think it’s worth checking out. You burn excess gas most often when you accelerate rapidly. To combat this, pull out of rest stops with some ease, and try to anticipate traffic ebbs and flows, instead of pounding the gas and then accelerator over and over again. Experts estimate that you can cut nearly

How to Save Over $10 in 10 Min on Gas in The US

As you’ve probably heard, the Canadian Loonie is doing better than ever. The buck has hit a 4-year high and is currently trading at about $1.04-$1.05 $USD. That gives us Canucks some great purchase power. Because of taxes, transportation and pricing, filling up at the pumps is usually quite a bit cheaper south of the border. If you’re close, then this is a great way to save some bucks on a fill-up. I live in Vancouver – so trips down to Washington State are a pretty regular occurrence for me. Now that the dollar is strengthening, it gives me even more reason to head down, catch a Mariners game, and stay for a cheap weekend. One thing I’m always sure to do before I head back is to fill up the gas tank of my car. Gas is usually cheaper across the line and that is just more relevant now than ever. When you’re planning your trips south, try and stay conscious of the gas in your tank. If you have enough in the tank to (safely and easily) get across the border (seriously, consider lineups, stops, etc – nobody wants to help push you

Save $10 in 10 Minutes: 5 Tips For Better Gas Mileage

Any time you hit the pumps with your vehicle, one thing crosses your mind: “Oh man, how much is it going to be this time?” As the price of fuel continues to jump, budget conscious smart spenders (like the ones who read this blog) need to do all they can to maximize their mileage. Here are 5 tips (that take less than 10 minutes to do) that will easily save you $10 this month at the pumps. 1. *Small Car? Keep your weight down* No – we’re not talking about that extra donut in the morning, but we’re talking about the loads you carry in your car. Excess roof racks, bike racks, canoes can make your car heavier and less aerodynamic. That excess weight and wind make your car work harder (which uses up more fuel). 2. Check your air filter Do you remember the last time you checked or replaced your air filter? Experts recommend changing it up every 5000km. An overly dirty one can use up 10% more fuel in any given tank – which can really add up. For about $20 at any quick oil change place, you can get 10% more from your tank. 3. Under

Save $100 in 10 Minutes: Amazon.ca

It’s gift giving time and we’re all working our way through our naughty-and-nice lists. Here is a great online shopping tip that may take less than 10 minutes and save you well over $100. If you are new to online shopping, this is a tip that will save you a ton of cash and time this holiday season. Head over to Amazon.ca. Amazon.ca used to lag behind the .com American version of the site. For years it was books only, but the .ca version of the web’s biggest online seller is all grown up. Great Deals Amazon used to be the best place online to buy books, and now it’s the best place online for: Books Music Movies & TV Shows Electronics Home & Garden Watches Software Video Games Sports & Outdoors And more! Expect to pay a fraction of retail price across the board. Until today (December 2), they’re running some really great Black Friday deals – and I was able to cross off 50% of my Christmas shopping list at 50% of retail pricing. Because the site is so big (literally the biggest ecommerce site out there) expect to get a ton

Save $10 in 10 Mins: Buy Coffee, But Stay in the Black

Some finance blogs will tell you to totally cut coffee out of your budget and reap the financial rewards. But when morning comes, and you were out with friends or up with kids, you might still need that shot of espresso to keep you going. We’re going to stay realistic, but thrifty. As we’ve said before, if you plan for it, you can actually save money – with almost anything. For this example, we want you to spend a little money to save some money. Head to your favorite coffee shop and buy yourself a gift card. (Some independent shops will let you prepay for a few cups and record the credit – ask if they’ll do it!). Why it Works For Me I can’t help it – I drink coffee every morning and sometimes I don’t have the time to brew a pot at home before work. To combat extra expenses, I went straight to the source: Starbucks. I normally get a standard cup of coffee, costing about $1.87 – less than $10/week – but I found I was spending more than that overall. As soon as I switched to the prepaid method, that stopped. How it

Save $10 in 10 Minutes: Make One Cut Per Week

We want you to save money at the Mogo Stop The Pain of Overspending Blog, but we also know we’ve got to be reasonable about it. We’re never going to tell you  to Never go out and get a coffee! Or Always get the cheapest option at every restaurant! But there are some great things you can do each and every week to keep up with your savings cycle and barely notice you’re spending fewer bucks. This is an easy and rewarding way to save on the little things – that will eventually add up – make one cut a week. What To Do: Find out some of your usual week-to-week expenses (coffee, lunches out, Friday night movie, whatever) and see what they actually cost you. Identify one item to cut from the list for the next 7 days. That’s it. On your last grocery trip did you find a great deal on sandwich supplies? Make your lunch for the entire week instead of going out for a similar sandwich (that costs much more). How it Works: This process only works if you figure out how much each cut will actually save you. If you miss out on

How I Saved $10/Month On My Phone Bill In 10 Minutes!

This Save $10 in 10 Minutes savings tip is easy and quick – anyone with a cell phone should stop texting for a minute and read on. Who knew that using my phone could save me cash? But that’s what just happened. You know the drill – you sit down to open your mail, you get hit with your phone bill and it’s almost always bigger than expected. Did I really talk that much? Yes, apparently I did. People often assume that a cell phone bill just costs what it costs, and that’s the end of it – but those people are missing out on a great chance to save cash. Many people sign up for their cell phone plan and never look at it again. If your plan isn’t exactly what you need, then you could be throwing money at companies that really don’t need it! Any of the big Canadian wireless companies have a big variety of talk/text/data plans that fit any number of users. Take a few minutes to review your bill and ensure you’re not wasting any cash on features you don’t use. Take me for example: I was spending