Making ends meet: how people can manage the fuel price increases

Durban - Petrol prices are set to sky-rocket by over R2 on Wednesday, making transport a real money guzzler for South Africans.

The Department of Mineral Resources and Energy has announced that the price of petrol for both 93 and 95 ULP and LRP will increase by R2.37 and R2.57 per litre respectively.

With the price of petrol is edging closer to the R30 a litre mark, as well as the worry of food price hikes, higher inflation and an increase in interest rates, people have started to look at new and different ways of saving money.

While you may want to budget enough money for petrol, other ways to save money when it comes to transport is to look at new ways of travelling to work or other destinations.

Here are some tips from the experts:

• During the week, people travelling to work can carpool with co-workers.
• Instead of getting stuck in traffic, save your petrol and your time by commuting to work or any other destination outside peak traffic hours.
• Negotiate with your employer to see if you can work fewer days in the week.
• Save fuel by driving at a moderate speed when on the road.
• Switch off the air conditioning/heater in your car and open your window to cool down, or add jerseys to keep warm.
• On weekends, limit the number of times you need to drive by only using your car when necessary.
• Plan your day by doing all of your activities such as shopping or seeing friends in one trip.
• Find or switch to an insurance provider that will reward you for driving. Some insurers will offer drivers cashback for driving less.
• Look into purchasing an economical car that will not be heavy on petrol.

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