So the realisation is finally setting in, and now you're accepting that something has to be done about those fuel costs. High petrol and diesel prices aren't a blip, and we have to learn to live with them.

We've been here before but its likely that not too many of us actually remember the OPEC-led petrol price shocks of the ‘70s and ‘80s, which had many motorists in a panic to the point that some even buried spare cans of petrol in their gardens because they thought shortages were with us forever.

Well, we got on with our motoring lives, and things settled down. And in fairness, things will settle down again and we'll adjust to the higher prices, in tandem with continuing new developments that give us more efficient cars and alternative fuel sources. I'm old enough to be an optimist, you see.

But in the meantime, it hurts the wallet. Oh, how it hurts. So while waiting to get used to the new regime, it is no harm to relearn a few old truths and tricks to help us survive. There's nothing ground-breaking here. Just like keeping the body fit by some regular not so difficult exercise, you can trim the flab from the petrol bills in a similar fashion.

First, look at the family driving lifestyle. A lot of driving probably revolves around the needs of different family members doing different things and operating to different agendas. Spend a week or two keeping tabs on the car journeys. First, keep an eye on your own (relating to work, social and leisure needs) and then other trips by spouse and children, either you driving them or them taking their turns in the family car.

At the end of the monitoring period, sit around together and do an analysis. What journeys were actually necessary? How long were they, whether a distance commute to work or slipping down to the corner shop to pick up the newspaper? How many extra journeys were made picking up people just because of small mismatches in collection times?

Indeed, how many of those trips could just as easily have been walked, without much difference in overall time, certainly when accounting for the search for parking spaces and such? How many of the trips were spur of the moment, or was thought put into whether or not they were necessary? For those that were needed, was there some planning about the best route to take, to avoid being stuck in fuel-hogging traffic jams?

Was there an alternative mode of transport, such as a local bus to school or shops, where fares would possibly have worked out cheaper than the 76 cents per kilometre which your car costs you? Could a couple of the individual pickups have been managed with one trip by one party either waiting a little longer, or by walking to the location of the other collection? Was it really necessary to drive to Woodies on the Sunday afternoon just for the sake of going somewhere?

Get warmed up

Remember, at 76 cents a kilometre, the current cost of running a Band C car, you probably have to work for an hour to earn the cost, after tax, of travelling 13 kilometres. OK, it isn't quite that simplistic, but you get my drift.

There are other reasons to reconsider taking the car key out of your pocket every time you walk outside the front door. If your trip is just down the road, 10 minutes walk away, the car won't have warmed up by the time you park it. And a cold engine can use a staggering amount more fuel than one that's up to proper operating temperature.

If you do opt to drive, don't hang around after turning the key. Once upon a time it was deemed useful to idle for a while and get the engine warmed up, but for the reason mentioned above, you should get on the road straight away so it warms most quickly.

Anyone who has done a few fuel economy competition runs will know that the most frugal way to go is to know what's happening far enough ahead of you so you can adjust your driving accordingly. Powering up to within a car's length of the slower traffic ahead and then braking is simply very wasteful of fuel. Having to brake means you were going too fast for the upcoming conditions anyway, when you could have had the car slowing naturally without having to touch the middle pedal.

When moving in slow traffic, get the hang of not using the accelerator a lot of the time. Today's engines will simply pick up as you release the clutch gently, moving you slowly off. If you're stopped in traffic and know that it’s going to be for a minute or more, switch off the engine. It costs more to idle than to start again, and this is why stop-start devices are increasingly being fitted to many new models.

And however many 'comfort' devices you might have in your car's specification, you don't have to use them all the time. Air conditioning, for instance, uses a noticeable percentage of extra fuel and ideally, ought to only be used to cool down an overheated car that has been standing in the sun, for instance. Besides, too much air conditioning dries out your sinuses and can cause chronic health problems.

Equally, those heated leather seats don't really need to be switched on unless your car has been sitting in sub-zero temperatures all night; how long has it been since that happened?

On the other hand, driving with the windows down, especially at higher speeds, also robs fuel as it upsets the aerodynamics of the car. Designers go to a lot of trouble in wind tunnels to make sure their shapes are as slippery as possible, and you can literally be throwing the benefit out the windows if you keep them open.

Similarly, that roof rack or cargo box that you really only need for the holiday trips should be off the roof otherwise, as they increase airflow resistance, requiring more fuel to overcome it. And it is no coincidence that the latest cars from most manufacturers, like Mazda's 2 and 6 models, are lighter than their predecessors. So is there a bootload of stuff behind you that you don't need to be driving around all the time?

If you have cruise control, use it where safe to do so, as it will even out your driving on a run. Even driving is economy driving. And do stick to the speed limits, because there's no way the speeder's extra fuel use is worth the couple of minutes he only MIGHT save at the other end of the journey.

Go easy on the loud pedal

Smooth gentle acceleration is as important as slowing down naturally. Nissan has just announced an accelerator pedal that pushes back against your foot if you're being too eager to floor it.

And know the 'sweet spot' in your engine rev range. All handbooks tell you where the maximum torque occurs, and there's no point in going beyond that in most instances. Stay as much as possible in a 'green' band of power.

Add all that up and you could probably save your fuel bills by as much as a third, with no noticeable loss of lifestyle quality. Who knows? You might even get that bit fitter. One thing’s for certain though, your wallet will feel a lot more healthy.

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FOOD FOR FUEL CONSUMPTION THOUGHT

• Fast starts and hard braking can increase fuel consumption by as much as 40 per cent.

• Raising your cruising speed from 90km/h to 120km/h can cost as much as 20 per cent more fuel consumption.

• Under-inflated tyres can increase fuel consumption by as much as 6 per cent.

• Using an air conditioner on a hot day can push up fuel consumption as much as 10 per cent.

• A poorly maintained engine can quickly increase fuel consumption due to clogged filters and off timing.

• An extra 50 kg of stuff in your boot can increase your fuel bill by 2 per cent.

Pullquote: However many 'comfort' devices you might have in your car's specification, you don't have to use them all the time. Air conditioning, for instance, uses a noticeable percentage of extra fuel.