If you’re a car owner, the chances are that you’ve baulked at the rising cost of motoring and maintaining a vehicle. There’s good reason for this too, with a recent survey suggesting that the average British motorist will clock up a staggering 556,764 miles in their lifetime and spend £168,880 on maintaining their car.
This includes a hefty £70,000 on fuel, along with a bill of £40,000 on MOTs, servicing and unplanned repairs. Incredibly, Brits will also spend around £9,404 on parking during their lifetime, so it’s little wonder that we’re looking for ways to reduce these costs in a difficult economic climate
One way in which you can achieve this is to set up your own home garage, which would enable you to handle simple repairs and reduce the cost of maintenance. Here are some tips to help ensure that you invest in the right equipment for your garage:
Understand your Skill Level
If you’ve ever browsed the websites of equipment suppliers like SGS Engineering, you’ll know that there’s a dazzling array of garage equipment available online.
However, you’ll need to tailor your investment to suit your existing skill level, as you prioritize buying tools that you know how to use and enable you to complete tasks within your comfort zone.
Otherwise, you’ll end up kitting out your garage with expensive and high-end equipment that sits idle, as you have no idea of how to use this safely or efficiently over time.
So, take the time to understand your skill set and type of tasks that you intend to complete at home, as this will inform your spending and help you to get the best value for money.
Prioritize your Purchases and Multi-purpose Tools
The next step is to prioritize your purchases, as you look to initially invest in multi-purpose tools that can help you to complete a range of simple tasks.
Let’s take spanners, for example, which can be used to remove and secure nuts and bolts when working on your car. Unfortunately, the nuts and bolts used on vehicles are not standardized, meaning that there’s a huge range of sizes available across various models of car.
This means that you’ll need several spanners or adjustable tools that afford you flexibility, enabling you to work freely and complete tasks as and when required.
Tyre changers and tool boxes are also key items of equipment, with the latter helping you to keep your garage organised and at its optimal level of efficiency. You may also want to invest in hoists, as so much repair work is done with the vehicle in an elevated position.
Manage your Spending Over Time
They say that Rome wasn’t built in a day, and the same principle should be applied to building your home garage.
More specifically, you should look to manage both your expectations and your spending, by making responsible purchases that do not exceed your monthly disposable income levels.
You can partially achieve this by setting a budget and prioritizing your purchases, but you should also maintain a disciplined mindset that prevents those pesky impulse buys!
