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Article Series:
Save Money On Gas
Reducing Cars and Saving Money
on Gas
One sure fire way to save money on gas is
to not have to spend money on it in the first place! If you
are one of the many two-car households in the United States,
you are not alone in wanting to cut costs. The quickest solution
is to use only one car. But how can a household exist
with just one car? The answer is that not everyone can, especially
if it is a two-income family where each wage earner works in
opposite ends of town. In addition, if you live in the country
and commute to work, it can be hard on the household not to
have a second car, especially in an emergency.
Cutting a car out of the equation is best tried by those families
who are within walking or biking distance to work or to a multitude
of stores and shops that are utilized quite frequently. On
those great weather days, walking is a great way to get where
you are going. Not only are you enjoying the outdoors, but
you are also getting great exercise as well. In addition, you
will eventually meet all your neighbors and become more integrated
into your community. Biking also offers similar benefits.
If
your children are old enough, they can take the bus to
school or they can walk as well. Depending on where you live,
the school bus will either pick up your children or you could
pay a nominal fee for the privilege. Even with a fee, you would
come out cheaper than having to pay for gasoline as well as
account for any wear and tear on a vehicle.
Car
pooling, public transportation or ride sharing are great
options for those families looking to reduce costs by cutting
out their second vehicle. If you work in a city area that has
concentrated work centers, catching a bus is a great option.
Not only are you saving on gasoline and maintenance costs,
but you are also receiving practically curb-to-curb service!
Not only that, you do not have to worry about parking either.
In some cases, you might have to drive your car (or have your
spouse or a carpool drive you) to a bus terminal where you
can then hop on that particular mode of transportation.
If
you live in a large city, there may be a light rail or
subway system you can ride. Once you have determined that public
transportation can help your bottom line financially, you could
invest in an easy pass for one of those public modes of transportation.
It is cheap and costs just a fraction of what your maintenance,
insurance and gasoline costs would be for that second car.
Of course, without a second car, your family will have less
impulsive trips to the corner store for a quart of milk or
whatever items you could pick up from a quick jaunt. Trips,
both during the week and the weekend, have to be more carefully
planned than before. No longer can the family split up with
one half going to the movies and the other half going shopping.
Consolidation is the name of the game when it all boils down
to owning one car.
As a one-car family, you will notice that you start
planning errands in large chunks rather than spreading them out over
the course of a week. You will find that you are spending more
time with the family and less time away from them. Bus and
subway schedules become your friends and you develop into a
proponent of car pooling. Most of all, you will enjoy the savings
not operating a second vehicle brings.
Just think about not having the responsibility of that second
car. That means there is no extra gas tank to fill up! Ka-ching!
Maintenance costs go down to nil. Without a second car, you
do not have to pay for regular oil changes or new tires. And
the insurance! You will save hundreds of dollars alone by not
having to insure a second car. Ka-ching again!
The bottom line is that one-car households become more creative.
You discover new ways to get from point A to point B, whether
it is through car pooling, public transportation, physical
exercise or all three. Families become closer because more
time is spent with one another rather than going separate ways.
Before you know it, your pocketbook is healthier and so are
you!
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by SolveYourProblem.com
: 2007
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