Strategies to reduce your monthly gas bill
Even with the recent dropping gas prices, it is still having a negative effect on small businesses throughout the US since they can not easily increase their product and services prices. Here are some strategies to reduce your monthly gas bill whether it is for running errands or delivering bouquets for your flower business.
Group Appointments: Try to schedule back to back meetings in the same location or cluster weekly errands to reduce the number of trips in a week.
Online Meetings: Don't forget about the power on and cost savings of doing online meetings instead of traveling out of town by car or plane. The two most popular are Webex, which is now owned by Cisco, and Live Meeting, which is the old Placeware and is now owned by Microsoft.
Reduce your shipping expenses: Re-evaluate your shipping procedures and materials used for packing orders. Any plastics are usually a by-product of oil and getting more expensive. Consolidate customer shipments and find lighter weight alternatives.
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Use your phone: Reach out and call someone instead of seeing them everytime. Also call to confirm the day of your appointment to make sure it has not been cancelled.
Park and Walk: Find a central location between appointments and walk to both of them. You can also burn a couple of extra calories from that business lunch.
Alter your working hours: Get out of sitting in rush hour traffic and wasting a lot of gas and your time.
Dont eat out as much: Pack a lunch just like your children do a couple of times a week and you will save money on gas and get a cheaper meal to boot.
Look in the Trunk: Do you have an extra 50 pounds of stuff in your trunk or under the seats. Leave it at home and save a little bit on gas everytime you drive. While you are at do check your tire pressure it does make a difference.
Buy a Hybrid Vehicle: The Toyota Prius is certainly the most popular, but the check out the cars offered by Ford, GM, and Honda as well.
