With the economy as it is I believe many more people will be looking more closely at their finances in an attempt to become more secure and in control. Over the next few weeks I will be creating various blog entries that may be useful for helping to make financial changes. Here is the first one on fuel costs that looks at alternative methods of reducing the cost of running a vehicle:

In my research fuel costs have proven to be one of the greatest household outgoings. The problem being that very often the journeys do have to be made. There are other useful articles on the internet which aim to help but in different ways. The aim of this article however is to provide a few alternatives that you may have not considered before. Consider fuel in the sense that when it is spent it is gone forever.

Here are some possible positive alternatives:-

1/Leave for your destination earlier: Even if this means just 5 minutes earlier you have gained that extra time on your journey meaning that you can slow down a bit.

2/Avoid being a speed demon: It is not cool thrashing your car about even if you think it is and it is costing you too. Most other people aren’t impressed either.

3/ Learn to respect what you drive: This does not apply to everyone but if you consider your current vehicle to be an old banger then you will be less likely to look after it and will probably give it a hard life. You may find it difficult to do but if you try to learn to appreciate what you are driving, i.e. be grateful for what you have you will probably also save money. It may be worth remembering that someone else would probably really appreciate your vehicle.

4/ Keep your car clean:  Leading on from the above but you may be someone who drives your vehicle hard/abuses it and very often this happens when it needs a good clean inside and out. Having a clean car regardless of make, style, age, mileage will look better and feel better to travel in. There are many newish cars on the roads that look like complete wrecks and older ones that still look great.

5/ Eliminate as many niggles as you can: Does your car have any really annoying traits? A simple maintainance job that needs doing or a cracked windscreen, for example?  Even stuff rattling around in the boot or on the dashboard? If they are bothering you when you drive then you are not in the most resourceful state behind the wheel. Chances are you probably want to get to your destination as quickly as possible and will drive your car hard as a consequence.

6/ Try to avoid arguments before you set off or while you are driving. When you are feeling hot-headed the car may be taking the brunt of it.

7/ Find ways to feel really relaxed before your journey and during your journey: When you are feeling in a good state rushing about seems pointless and you are less likely to react in negative ways i.e. road rage. To help to feel good whilst driving it may benefit you to play music that you enjoy.

8/ Work out whether or not you really need the gas guzzler: If you have a car that you know to be expensive to run, do you really need it? I can appreciate that often it is your pride and joy but also consider what else you are getting/hoping to get from your vehicle. If it is approval, status or confidence for example then realise that you are looking outside of yourself for these and that it is possible to generate good feelings internally in other ways. Its how you feel inside that matters (Another post coming soon!) Pay attention to advertising and fashions too. Marketing companies are paid big money to seduce you to buy that car that will change your life.

9/ Bulk buy purchases when out to avoid over use of your vehicle. If you are making loads of trips to the shops, including those short trips and sitting in traffic then this is costing you more money than it need to. It may save you money to work out what items you can bulk buy so that you can do your shopping less frequently. Alternatively consider an online delivery bulk shop. 

10/ Plan your journey in advance: Avoid lengthy diversions by knowing your route before you set out. It may also help to carry drinks or snacks so that you do not have to make detours to find somewhere to re-energize. However it also pays to watch the amount of liquid you consume before your journey to avoid any off route toilet stops!

11/ Set boundaries with any other drivers: If anybody else uses your car make it clear to them that you are trying to save money and would prefer them to drive it efficiently.

12/ Work out why you want to save: Then if you have a goal e.g.  clearing my debt by September 2010 or to go on an exotic holiday by a date then these can be stuck on the dashboard to remind you of why you are saving.

13/ Set yourself a fuel allowance: This could be per week or month for example. By doing this you will know that you have only so much to spend on fuel and this should help to make you think, Do I need to make the journey? or Is there an alternative?

14/ Ever considered a moped or even better a push bike? If you are not going very far on a regular commute/journey, you travel on your own and drive an uneconomic vehicle, either of the above will definately save you money.

15/ Finally- Do you need to make the journey or is there an alternative: If you really want to save it is possible to work out whether the journey is essential or come up with alternative methods of getting to where you need, e.g. walking.

This is definately not a comprehensive list but it does provide some alternatives that may work for you.If you enjoyed this article there are many more to come, therefore keep coming back or bookmark the blog.

Enjoy your savings!

However thinking over this article I feel it is a perfect time to consider the benefits that your holiday normally generates and to look at the positive alternatives you may have not considered.

This article began a couple of days ago after discovering a brochure for woodland holiday cottages – the perfect get-away.

The pictures and description transported me there and I began to sense the feeling of peace, calm and tranquility that the company aimed to generate from their advertising.

The lodges look fantastic and I will probably go one day but looking at the price and for the amount of time a holiday lasts this started to make me think.

Holidays in my mind are fantastic, a way of recharging the batteries, a way of feeding our senses and giving positive feelings and they are a great escape.

However a holiday is only temporary, perhaps only 1 or 2 weeks a year, then there are the holiday blues, and that gut feeling of knowing what there is to look forward to now back at home.

Another aspect to consider are annual costs of going away, budgeting for travel, acommodation and spending money.

Searching for alternatives I thought ‘What if the good feelings we experience whilst away can be felt when back at home.

How would you feel to wake up everyday and know that you are going to enjoy your day?

What would it be like to lose that sinking feeling of arriving back home?

If a holiday is labelled an escape or a get-away then how would you feel if you had nothing to escape from?

What if everyday could feel like a holiday?

What can we do?!

There are many options and the information I am providing is not extensive. I believe it is always worth listening to your own opinion too.

This article considers the money saving benefits we can make but is really based around sustainablility:- How to create the temporary 1 or 2 week  joy we feel on holiday for the rest of the year. 

Listed below are some of my positive alternative for you to consider:

1/Losing the getting away from/escape factor:

What are you trying to escape from? A negative workplace, excessive workload, a demanding boss? Feeling drained? There are articles all over the internet that can help. You could try firing questions at Google e.g. What to do if workload is too much or How to cope with a demanding boss? You may have to be prepared to take action be it learning time management skills or to be more assertive but the pay-offs will be much greater because of this. The other option to consider include alternative working times, flexitime or shorter hours, for example.

2/Getting the emotional benefits of a holiday back home:-

 How does a holiday make you feel? Relaxed, cared for, appreciated, exhilarated, challenged? If you are going on holiday to receive these benefits and feel that they are missing back home then it would benefit you to find ways to feel these benefits the rest of the year. Ask yourself questions; What can I do to feel great?, What makes me feel loved, pampered, excited, challenged? etc. We all deserve good things, there is no need to feel guilty. I will be writing about this soon!

3/The environmental gains:-

 This includes the people you surround yourself with on holiday. If a holiday gives more time with your family it may pay to look  to spend more time with your family throughout the year. Small changes include consciously choosing to allow more time e.g. setting a limit on how late you work, making space in your diary for family time or learning to delegate tasks at work or home.

The other aspect of environmental gains to consider are the people, activities, culture and accomodation associated with your holiday choice.

 If you think about why you choose to go away it may be because you want to embrace a particular lifestyle associated with your destination. If the people and culture provide this then you can embrace what you enjoy in your own home. My home for example is very meditteranean influenced because of my love of the food, the people, the scenery and the lifestyle. Because of this I am always interested in meeting local people who are from meditteranean countries and have  many pictures, crafts, cooking ingredients, books and much else associated to the  counries and regions I have travelled. I have found that there are masses of products available now that can be purchased locally or online.

If there are activities that you only get to enjoy for the short amount of time that you are away then it may be possible to find similar nearby fascilities or other challenging things to do that you had previously not considered, e.g language classes, cooking classes, scuba diving lessons, dance classes.

The accomodation on holiday may also provide short term benefits like luxury, comfort, beauty etc but there may be options to make your home or office much more desirable. Areas to consider being the cleanliness, order and furnishings of your home for example. Take advantage of the free online resources for making the most of your home, ‘being able to make your bathroom into a sanctuary’  for example. 

Finally I haven’t forgotten the climate or landscape gains of the holiday though these are ofted not possible to recreate at home! I will say that for some people the solution to this has been to physically relocate to another country but it is worth remembering that many people visit where you are from for your local surroundings. Reality often can differ from the illusion of how something may seem and you probably have many great things right on your doorstep. I can remember reading a book once that said:-

On holiday we are looking for and focussing on the good things and the beauty. Why not try doing this at home?

Why hadn’t I noticed this before?

I began to wonder how often the sky had looked like this in the past. I was unable to answer.

The problem as I see it is due to the pace and preoccupation of our routines it is very easy to filter out what else is around us.

We live in worrying times, have routines, preoccupations etc etc…  but just looking for that small moment of time outside of the everyday distractions  made me realise it is possible to choose what we focus on and that there is greatness that doesn’t cost a penny!

There are many hidden treasures if we choose to look for them, the birds singing, a beautifully detailed building, rustling leaves, even a smile from a stranger, hundreds of others. All extremely useful in helping us feel a certain way.

Take the above examples and think about how they can be utilised in a positive way if we choose to focus on them for a short time. The bird song to disassociate us from the often negative thoughts of the day ahead that provide us with a sense of calmness or peace. The smile from a stranger to remind us that people can be friendly. 

We have a choice and what we focus on is up to us. If a typical day provides similar results, day in day out, then maybe paying more attention to the details of the day is not a bad thing?

Say for example you decide to set a goal – lose weight, save money etc. What normally happens is that the path to achieve what is wanted involves going without or depriving yourself of something that was in your life before you set out on your good intentions.

From personal experience I have found that this often leads to cravings of one kind or the other. The cravings seem to take over and soon what you are craving is all you can think about. The knock on effect is a gradual decline back to the starting point (I bet im not alone?)

What can be done instead?

 Well an approach that seems to produce better results is to continue the same habits as before but to reduce the source of what was previously going to be eliminated.

An example for me is my addiction to chocolate biscuits! I can easily eat half a packet and not really register what I have eaten. However if I was to take the biscuits away completely I would be saying ‘I wish I could eat those biscuits’ and then go and eat them. (Im honest!)

Therefore the alternative or compromise could be rather than devour 5 biscuits I will have 3 instead (best to have the packet taken away mind you) This way I am still having some but not craving because I had none. This is a positive alternative as well because even though I would be loading up the calories, sugar etc I am still having less than before. A step in the right direction.

I believe the reduction principal can be applied in any number of circumstances. Take blogging for example. If your partner is beginning to resent the amount of time you spend at the computer you can reduce your time to work a compromise rather than have a full blown argument, file for divorce etc!

 Also if the creative juices are drying up due to too much time spent thinking about what to write, a bit of time out may be what is needed to stimulate new ideas or come up with that one blog you are most proud of.

Give it a go and let me know!

Lewis

I think that we all want to live the best life that we can but somehow life seems to get in the way. My background and journey so far has taught me that living this great life does not come easy but that there are things that we can do that enable positive results in order to live well.

This blog is named simply because there are positive alternatives that can be made that can affect any area of life including, health, relationships, finances, career etc..

I am not an expert on life and am learning and relearning, with every day bringing new insights. I will admit too that sometimes when I feel that I am growing and things are going really well I get knocked back by a new obstacle and this reminds me that I still have plenty of growing to do. However by making adjustments in  my thoughts, behaviours, patterns and habits I am able to assess what works with what does not.

I would appreciate your patience as I adjust to a blogger’s lifestyle and hope that anything I write about in the future may inspire action and give you great results.

Best of health- Lewis