Saving on Thanksgiving Holiday Travel.

(Ed. Note) It’s no secret that the unemployed like to or have to save money where they can.  As such an important component of our lifestyle it was only right to team up with FrugalNYC, a premier resource for frugal city living, as we present Frugal Fridays! Enjoy.

The Thanksgiving holiday is just around the corner and many of you are making plans for your long weekend.  Whether you are driving or flying, there are always steps you can take to save a little bit more without compromising too much.  Planning and budgeting will help cut costs down.  Here are some tips to help you do just that…

Driving

• Be aware, gasoline will be around $3 /gal
• Properly inflated tires can improve gas mileage by approximately 3 percent
• Energy-conserving motor oil can increase gas mileage by up to 2 percent.
• Proper maintenance, including a tune up for an underperforming car, can improve a vehicle’s gas mileage by up to 4 percent. Maintenance is recommended for cars that are out of tune or have failed emissions tests
• Traveling during off-peak hours.  There will be fewer headaches and less traffic to deal with.
• Drive at or under 60 miles per hour (mph). Fuel costs spike by 24 cents or more per gallon for every five miles per hour over 60
• Maintaining a consistent speed can save up to 5 percent on city streets and up to 33 percent on highways.
• If you are renting a car, return your rental with a full tank of gas to avoid higher charges from the rental company.
• Find more vehicle tips here

Flying

• According to Priceline, airfares are down 10% this year compared to last year.
• Be aware of new or additional surcharges, many of the larger airlines are now increasing surcharges on the busiest travel dates.
• Travel on Thanksgiving morning instead of on Wednesday evening, you can save hundreds of dollars this way.
• Use sites such as http://www.farecompare.com/, http://us.lastminute.com/ or http://www.bing.com/travel/ to get the best prices.

Do you have additional holiday driving or flying tips to share?

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