Tips for Driving in the Snow, Frugallyby Mary Ann Romans | More from this Blogger 11 Dec 2008 12:16 PM
First, it almost goes without saying that if you don't need to drive in the snow then don't. A missed day of work will cost less in the long run than will repairs to your car from an accident, towing fees to get it out of the snow or worse hospital bills! Be prepared with snow tires. The easiest and most effective way to do this is to go down to the junkyard and pick up four snow tires that are already on their rims. This way, you can switch them out easily every year yourself and save money. If you want to be really frugal, opt for two snow tires for the drive wheels. All-weather tires just don't have the same ability and handling in snow as special snow tires. One word of warning, most tires today are put on by a machine that tightens the bolts. This can make it more difficult to change tires yourself. You can ask your garage to hand tighten the tire bolts the next time it is serviced. Carpool with someone who has four-wheel drive. Offer to kick in a few bucks for gas and tag along to work or the store with someone who has a four-wheel drive vehicle. Add weight to the back of your car frugally. With weight over the rear wheels, you are less likely to spin out. Stock up on something that you made need anyway and place it in the trunk. Some ideas include stones for your spring landscaping, kitty litter, play sand, etc. As a bonus, some of these materials, such as the sand or the litter could be used in a pinch to provide traction to a spinning wheel. Click here for more articles by Mary Ann Romans. Home Heating Costs: Have You Done the Snow Test? Frugal Fun: Make Your Own Snow Paint
Just look to the right of this blog and find the subscription center (it looks just like this picture, although you'll have to find the "real" one just above the category listing ). Click on "Subscribe via Email". You'll be instantly subscribed and the email address that you registered at Families.com with will receive an instant notification whenever we post a new Frugal Living Blog! Don't miss a thing - subscribe now! Learn more about Mary Ann Romans  Mary Ann Romans is a freelance writer, wife and mother of three children. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband, the kids and a 16-pound cat. Relevantfrugal tags User Comments Tashi (1013) 11 Dec 2008 12:44 PMMy mom always hid our Christmas presents in the trunk of our old cars. Until we found out. LOL But it helped her maintain traction, whatever! My additional tip would be, the most frugal action is to BE CAREFUL. Taking care when driving in the winter will save you UMPTEEN dollars -- car repairs, tickets, legal fees, hospital and medical bills. And Heaven forbid, you should drive carelessly and end up passing away. Your survivors would be left with less than frugal bills for the funeral, etc. A drastic, morbid, but realistic thought. Living in Minnesota all my life has taught me to BE careful while driving in the winter. Watch out for the other folks, too. There are a lot of careless drivers out there, and you really need to be on the ball. Tashi (1013) 13 Dec 2008 11:37 AMYeah, you could say that. :-) 1) If possible, use any main, busy roads by your home when driving in wintertime, especially after/during a snow storm. The side streets are always nerve-wracking for me as I drive to a park and ride bus station on my way to work every day. I make it a point to get onto a main road, and take it (and a couple of other busier roads), instead of the more slippery, sliding, dangerous roads by home. Yeah, it might take more time. But I make sure I leave plenty of time, still allowing for weather and traffic. Maybe I use a little more gas this way, but really, not too much. Besides, what's your safety worth? It pays to sometimes take longer routes, even to nearby places, simply because the side roads are never as safe as the more well-traveled and better plowed and sanded roads. If someone wants to zoom on by me because I'm driving a little slower in this Minnesota winter (DUH, hello!), so be it. I'll pray they don't cause an accident, and I'll remain the cautious, safe driver I was taught to be. (Was that a long enough tip for you? :-) Sorry, I was on a roll. They won't always be soooo long.) Community Tags driving in snow, finding snow tires, frugal living, snow in New Orleans Discuss this article
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