7 tips to beat the petrol price blues

Want to beat Wednesday's petrol price hike? Fill up now‚ carpool to work or walk more. These are some of the tips from Sanlam Personal Finance solutions manager André Wentzel ahead of the record high fuel price increase.

Petrol is expected to rise by up to 85 cents a litre‚ diesel by up to 87 cents and illuminating paraffin by 82 cents.

Wentzel said on Tuesday there were short-term‚ medium-term and long-term solutions to save money.

Short-term solutions:

• Fill up before the increase; be prepared to wait in queues at petrol stations. 
• Fuel is an input cost for most things‚ so you can expect prices of other items to go up. But these may go up at different times at different stores. So if you’re not someone who normally shops around for the cheapest item‚ it's worth starting to do this.

Medium-term solutions:

• Start carpooling with co-workers.
• Make use of safe and reliable public transport.
• Walk more; instead of driving to the shops or the gym‚ walk if it is safe and close enough.
• Consider purchasing a bicycle to travel the distances that are too far to walk.

Long-term consideration:

• Consider the type of vehicle you buy; make sure to ask questions about its fuel consumption and opt for models with low fuel consumption.