Running Errands

Pump less. Shopping online is one way to save gas, but if you must put tires to asphalt, consider the following tips from Joanne Helperin, senior features editor of the automotive site Edmunds.com:

Plan your shopping route accordingly so you’re not backtracking or covering the same ground.

Drive at a moderate speed. It saves up to 37 percent versus driving fast.

Consult real-time traffic reports at www.traffic.com to avoid snarls, since constant stop-and-go driving burns extra fuel.

Shop after 8 p.m. to avoid rush-hour traffic. Most stores and malls are open late for the holidays.

Shut off your engine if you’re waiting for your daughter at the mall for any longer than one minute. It saves up to 19 percent in fuel consumption.

Shipping

Shop around for postage. Before you head to the nearest shipping company to send packages, compare rates online. RedRoller (redroller.com) offers quotes for Eastern Connections, DHL, Overnite Express, and the U.S. Postal Service. The site iship.com compares costs for FedEx, DHL/Airborne, UPS, and the post office. This year Christmas falls on a Thursday; using ground service from these shippers, send packages no later than the following dates to arrive by then:

U.S. Postal Service, December 15.

UPS, December 16.

DHL, December 17.

FedEx, December 17.

Organizing Finances

Get what you’re owed. In the end-of-the-year haze, consumers may forget to retrieve money due them, whether it’s funds from an employer’s transportation reimbursement program, a flexible-spending account, or a gym reimbursement from a health-insurance provider. Don’t leave money on the table: Submit the necessary paperwork (usually receipts and forms from your employer’s benefits department) for cash relief when January bills arrive.

Making Gifts

Use your hands. A homemade gift doesn’t have to be a strain on your time, patience, or bank account. A few ideas:

Bring vanilla sugar — a simple hostess gift that requires nothing more than combining a vanilla bean and one pound of granulated sugar in an airtight container and letting it sit for a week or two. The cost? About $6.

Whip up a beauty scrub for friends by blending a cup each of oats and almonds and a tablespoon of baking soda in a food processor, suggests Nava Lubelski, author of The Starving Artist’s Way (Three Rivers Press, $14, www.amazon.com). “I add a note that says to mix with water for a great facial,” she says.

Give someone an inexpensive journal that you start for her, with favorite quotations or an entry about a shared memory.