Personal finance briefs

Fuel savings add up with car maintenance

Barack Obama got ribbed by John McCain when he advised drivers to fill their tires, but the Car Care Council, a nonprofit funded by an auto trade group, agrees with the Democrat.

Car care, the group says, can save a lot of fuel and money, based on $3.96 a gallon gas:

• Once a month, check that your tires are properly inflated. Gas savings: up to 12 cents a gallon. Boost in fuel economy: up to 3 percent.

• Replace clogged, dirty air filters. Check them every 3,000 miles. Gas savings: up to 40 cents a gallon. Boost in fuel economy: up to 10 percent.

• Use the right grade of motor oil, and change it regularly. Gas savings: less than 1 cent a gallon. Boost in fuel economy: 1 to 2 percent.

• Tune up your engine, about once every 30,000 to 100,000 miles, depending on the car. Gas savings: 16 cents a gallon. Boost in fuel economy: 4 percent. The group also recommends keeping your gas cap on tight and replacing spark plugs.

FIRED AND REHIRED

Downsized and out of a job can be a rebirth

So you got downsized. It's happening a lot this year -- 579,260 job cuts reported so far, according to outplacement consultants Challenger Gray & Christmas Inc. -- but experts say you shouldn't see it as career death. In fact, it can be a rebirth.

"A majority of people end up telling you it's the best thing that ever happened to them," said Marc Cenedella, CEO of jobs site TheLadders.com.

How to move on:

• Get rid of the negativity: Write an angry letter to your boss, then rip it up. Take a vacation. Get relaxed and refreshed so you can be positive in interviews later.

• Make a plan: Interested in a new field? Here's your chance. Investigate retraining programs, take classes. "Reassess what you want to do," said Tony Santora, senior executive at Right Management, an employment consultancy. Take note of your strengths.

• Network, network, network. "Over 50 percent of the jobs out there are found through networking," Santora said. Reach out to friends, family, former colleagues. Use online sites like LinkedIn.com. Call up trusted recruiters.