Creative Carpooling and Other Driving Savings: Shel Horowitz’s Frugal Fun Tip, Sept. ’07
September is back to school time–and a good time to look at lowering your transportation costs, in both time and money.
Think creatively!
Here are three examples from my own life that allowed me to use my car less and helped give me “karma credits” on the global warming issue:
1. A few years ago, we organized a carpool to our kids’ school 12 miles away–which doesn’t sound unusual until you realize that the four families didn’t live anywhere near each other–but it was still less gas and driving to meet at a central point and carpool the last six miles.
2. Recently, I had errands in town (7 miles), and then a doctor’s appointment in a community three miles farther. I threw the bike rack on the car, drove to town, did all my errands including the doctor by bicycle, then picked the car up on my way home.
3. I used the bike rack again when I had to visit four stores and one office, all in half-mile increments. I drove to the only store where I’d have a lot to carry, then biked around to all the others.
As an alternative, I could have walked to the different stores. In the center of town, I often walk. The stores are closely concentrated, I only have to park once, and its healthier and not much slower.
Incidentally, if you live in an urban area (I don’t), it will not only be cheaper to use a bike, but if the distances are 3 to 5 miles or under (which account for the vast majority of trips), the bike will be faster. Rail transit will also be faster than a car. A bus will probably be slower, but when you factor in the costs of parking, gas, maintenance, etc., it’s likely to be cheaper than driving alone–especially if you buy discounted monthly passes. As an added bonus, when you take a bus or train, you can read, use your computer, play a game, whatever.
If you live in a more rural area, at the very least, look at combining several errands on a single trip.
For more frugal fun hints, get your own copy of The Penny-Pinching Hedonist: How to Live Like Royalty with a Peasant’s Pocketbook, all 280 pages, for just $8.50 as an instant download–just click here.
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