Living Largely on the Cheap

You could drive some vans, or you could save some money and walk in your Vans.

Cars are overrated. They pollute, you get stuck in traffic, they get scratched, gas is expensive, your tires blow out, your insurance sucks, everybody else seems to have a better car than you, the guy next to you at the traffic light always seems to be playing Britney Spears at full blast. Not that there isn’t fun in watching him lip sync, there definitely is, but you still get the feeling that life would be better if he’d turn it down.

Bikes are better, but they still have problems. If you don’t have an iPod, you might have to carry around a full-size home stereo system. They still have tires that can blow out, you can fall off, there’s the stigma that comes with wearing bicycle shorts. Not that you don’t already wear bicycle shorts, you definitely do, but you still get the feeling that life would be better if nobody saw you in them.

I could keep going, but I think you get my drift. Some of the best equipment to travel in is the stuff that you have had since birth. Walking is a great way to get some exercise, see the sights, and if you decide to change out of those bicycle shorts, no one will judge you if you’re walking. Sure, you might have to go through pairs of shoes like water because of the increased usage, but if you go to Payless and don’t mind the blisters that their shoes provide, it would equal out to about as much as you’d pay for oil changes.

Remember when Forrest Gump decided that one day to go running, and he ran from coast to coast a couple of times? If a slightly mentally handicapped movie character can get up the courage to give up other forms of transportation, you can too! If your job is to far to walk to in a reasonable amount of time, just quit and get a new job closer to where you live. Or, better yet, sell your house and get a new house closer to your work. The housing market is so bad, you won’t get your money’s worth for your house, but that new house won’t be as expensive, either. It’s even stevens!

The real benefit, though, is money. Do you know the real cost of keeping your car? With the average car payment of around $300 a month, that’s $3,600 a year. Then, if you get three oil changes a year, that’s another $150. Then there’s gas. At 15,000 miles a year, at 30 mpg, and if gas is $2.00 a gallon, your out another $1,000. Insurance, depending on your age and previous driving history, will lighten your wallet by roughly $1000 a year. The factory’s scheduled maintenance, that will set you back $350 or so. Oh, and you have to go through that car wash every once in a while, so we’ll add another $50. You know, as I mentioned in a previous blog, you could save an awful lot by washing the car yourself. So, at a grand total of $6,150, is it really worth it?

I mean, that is a lot of Air Jordans.