Frugal Fridays
Published by ashley on Friday, September 08, 2006 at 8:59 AM
Crystal at Biblical Womanhood is hosting a weekly "column" on Frugal Fridays. I thought it doesn't hurt to jump on the bandwagon, and frugality is an area where I need vast improvements. I figure I will probably be listening more than posting, but hopefully this will help me get better at spending unnecessary money!
My Frugal Friday tip is about avoiding the cost of gas. My husband takes the train to work every morning, even though it adds about a half hour to his trip. We have found that to be an excellent way to save money. It costs $3.50 round trip, which is probably the same as he would spend in gas. It also saves on parking costs downtown, wear and tear on the car, and on routine maintenance associated with driving like oil changes. It is also better for the environment - less emissions, less gas being used, less traffic on the road. Another hidden benefit is that he can spend the entire time in the train in the Word and in prayer!
Once he starts fulltime at the place he is now (right now he's considered contract), he will be given free train passes so that will make it even cheaper! It's been a great situation so far, and I encourage other people to consider public transportation. A lot of people in this area view it as a method for low-income people to travel, which might be true, but that shouldn't make you too proud to use it - especially when it's a fairly clean, reliable, and safe environment.
Of course, it's because we only have one car and then Livi and I can get things done during the day. Josh suggested we take the bus to Wal-Mart and then we wouldn't even need gas. But then I reminded him that the driver likely wouldn't wait for me as I unloaded my 5-10+ bags of groceries and ran them into my apartment a few at a time. :-D
I agree with you about people being independent. We are a very "me" focused society. We figure that if we are willing to pay for it, then we should get anything we want. There isn't a sense of "I shouldn't do it because it's bad for others or for future generations." Just look at the number of SUV's on the road - I bet a 1/4 of them are actually used for what they intended to be (all-terrain vehicles with many passengers). All these people, getting like 13 miles to the gallon, and not caring because they're willing to pay the gas costs. What they don't realize is that their children are going to pay for it in the long run as natural resources are depleted. Sorry, my soapbox. :-)
Turns out it wouldn't really make a difference financially anyway because fare is the same as spending the gas to get somewhere.