When you think of car-related expenses, you think of auto loans, car insurance or fuel when you have to fill up your tank at the nearest gas station. These aren’t the only car-related expenses that you need to think about.
As a driver, you should add these other expenses to your budget. You can’t afford to skip them.
Roadside Assistance:
Do you have roadside assistance included in your insurance policy? If you don’t, you should include it. Roadside assistance will give you coverage for services required in roadside emergencies, like towing your vehicle after it breaks down in the middle of the road.
An Emergency Fund:
In addition to roadside assistance, you should have an emergency fund set up in a savings account. You can use the savings in this account to cover an urgent, unplanned car expense, like a new tire after you get a flat.
If you don’t have an emergency fund and you don’t have the budget to cover urgent expenses, you will have to turn to an alternative means of payment. You could turn to your credit card, or you could look into short term loans online as a potential short-term solution in this stressful situation. As long as you meet all of the qualifications for a short-term online loan, you can apply. You will quickly find out whether you are approved for it or not. If you are, you can use the funds to handle your emergency expense and then focus on repayments afterward.
An Emergency Kit:
An emergency kit is another essential that can get you through all sorts of roadside emergencies. The kit will contain tools to do simple repairs on your own and to ride out circumstances when you need to wait for a tow truck or emergency responder to arrive.
You can buy pre-made emergency kits for vehicles. If you’d rather build your own, these are some of the items that you should add to it:
- Jumper cables
- Road flares
- Tow rope
- Tire gauge
- Seatbelt cutter
- Flashlight
- First aid kit
- Bottled water
- Non-perishable food
For the winter months, you should add a snow brush, ice scraper, small shovel and box of cat litter to your car’s trunk. Use the cat litter to add traction under your wheels when you’re stuck in a slippery snowbank. Add more accessories to stay safe in the cold weather, like extra blankets, gloves, hats, scarves and pocket warmers.
Maintenance:
You should bring your car in for routine maintenance checks at your neighborhood auto mechanic. These routine maintenance checks will cover services like rotating your car wheels, changing your engine oil and checking your brake pads.
Why can’t you skip this expense to save money? These maintenance checks will help your mechanic uncover any problems early on. If those problem areas go unaddressed, they could deteriorate over time and lead to expensive repairs — or worse, dangerous collisions.
Seasonal Tires:
Does your area get a lot of snow and ice in the winter months? Then, you need to invest in some seasonal tire changes. While it may seem like an unnecessary expense, it’s best not to take the risk — both for your safety and your finances. Seasonal tires can prevent some serious collisions in the winter.
Don’t skip these expenses just to save yourself some money. Skipping them could cost you more in the long run.
