No car means no cruising for Dogwin!
I’m not religious, but most years I give up something for Lent to remind myself what sacrifice feels like. It makes me grateful for all that I have, and mindful that many others have much, much less. It’s also a fun way to challenge myself to save money. Last year I gave up meat after calculating how much more expensive meat is than vegetable protein.
This year I’m considering giving up my car after reading that driving takes $7,095 out of my community each year. My yearly auto expenses are much less than $7,095 because I paid for my used MINI out of pocket. But certain auto costs do go out of town. My insurance company is out of state and if my car broke down, there is not a repair shop in town to service it. By not driving I am redirecting out-of-town dollars to in-town dollars, in theory.
What makes giving up a car interesting is that I’m not sure I’m going to save any money by not driving. A trip to the airport (likely to come up during Lent) via taxi could blow any savings. My monthly car costs are about $103, including insurance, gas, and registration. Airport parking and repairs would bump that figure up considerably.
In fact, one trip to the airport during Lent may wipe out any savings from my car sacrifice. Here are my costs for getting to the airport by:
Car – Cost of driving 54 miles at $.50/mile = $27 + $70 to park my car for 7 days ($10/day) = $97. Time: 50 minutes each way.
Taxi – A RT taxi ride would cost $166 plus tip. Time: 40 minutes each way.
One RT taxi ride to the airport basically negates my savings from not driving ($166 versus $97 + $103). Of course, even I if I don’t drive I still have to pay registration and insurance. So I don’t save my $103 in monthly car costs unless I give up my car for good. For this experiment, it’s only gas and wear and tear I’m saving. Cheaper airport options:
Bus – RT cost is $5 for ticket and transfer. Time: 1 hour 45 minutes each way.
Shuttle – Local shuttle service is $50 per person RT, a great option if I am traveling alone. Time: 1 hour each way.
As long as I take the bus or shuttle to the airport, I’m saving money by giving up my car.
So, do you think I should give up my car for Lent? Are you giving up something for Lent?
Next post: I’m giving up my car for Lent, except…
Welcome to Bargain Babe! I’m Mara, and I’m so glad you’re here. I am an obsessive bargain hunter and penny pincher, and I am determined to live a full life without EVER paying full price.
I think giving up your car is a GREAT idea. it will make you think of ways to combine trips so that you don’t have to take the bus or a taxi as often as you might have driven. I think that a shuttle to the airport is a totally reasonable option, and one I would consider even if I *did* have a car available.
I lived for over a year without a car in a city that doesn’t have very good public transit, and it was not as bad as I thought. It got me biking and walking more. I got a bus pass. I only took a taxi occasionally. Even if it isn’t a big money saver it’s good for the environment and it might lead you to ways you can conserve money and energy when you do go back to using your car.
If you are fairly certain you’ll have a trip to the airport I would say this would not make sense. Maybe you could select something different this year and save this idea for next year (if a trip to the airport is not likely).
yes! I set out on a 40 day fast from driving after a car was totaled, which turned into 4 months of public transportation. Although I have a vehicle now, I prefer walking where possible. My niece has since coined the phrase… using our Chevro-legs.
Less is more…
@Carmen That’s hilarilous! Just as @Tamara said, there are many hidden benefits to giving up my car, including more exercise!
GIVE UP MY CAR!!! No way! But, I live on top of a steep hill in a huge city, far from public transport. BUT, if I still lived in a small town within walking or biking distance to most things and if I had no kids that needed to be carted around 24/7, I would certainly give up my car for Lent. There are many good things that could come out of it. I suspect if you start walking more you will get to know your neighborhood and neighbors much better. Looking forward to reports of your adventures. I’m going to give up cauliflower for Lent – kidding.
@Bobbi So then what ARE you going to give up for Lent? 🙂
I live out in the country no taxi or bus out here! About a hour and half drive to air port! But the way I see it with gas $3.50 a gal. diesel $3.76 a gal. And reported to go higher….we all my have to give up our cars and trucks!
I’m going to do what I did last year. I gave up all deserts and candy….anything sweet like that. Instead I had fruit. It nearly killed me in the beginning but by Easter I didn’t mind one bit. Now, being the fool that I am, I took one look at what the Easter Bunny left for me and that was the end of no sugar for me. My mid section can attest to that. Sooooo, here I go again, but this time I’m writing a letter to E. Bunny asking him not to bring sweets this year.
@Kathy I don’t think I could give up candy and desserts and sugar. Just today I was thinking about making brownies. Even eating fruit, I wouldn’t be able to satisfy my sugar cravings! I (sort of) blame my parents, who both eat tons of sweets.
Sorry, never answered your question. If giving up your car will really be a struggle for you….not financially, but “oh I wish I could drive my car” type of thing then go for it. Make sure whatever you do it’s going to really be a sacrifice.
It’s not only the monetary you’d be saving but the Lents worth of pollution you’d not be putting into the environment.
Are there any options that would allow you to lower you insurance or registration based on non-operation?
@Gen Good questions. I don’t think it’s be worth the time spent in hold with the insurance company to find out. But certainly if I gave up my car for months at a time and had a place I could park it off street, I would look into suspending the insurance for a time.
Here’s a tip that may help someone who lives far from an airport (and doesn’t want to pay parking fees to leave their car at airport –
We live about 75 miles from the airport. On our last trip, we had a friend who could pick us up but we had to find a way to get to the airport. The most economical way was to rent a car for a day near our house and make the drop off location be at their airport location. Then the rental car place shuttled us to the airport. Cost of the rental was only about $35 including taxes & fees.
@Chris at yardsalequeen.com I have NEVER thought about renting a car to get to the airport. WOW! What a fabulous idea! Can you tell I’m excited from all the CAPS?! I’m definitely going to use that one in the future.
get a ride to and from the airport..
I use public transportation, and for $48 a month for a bus pass, you cant beat it. No insurance to pay, no car repairs, no filling up with gas over the top, yep , I like it pretty well!
Hi there, I know this is off topic but I was wondering if anyone had any $10 off or 20% off amazon codes for diapers. I am trying to help my sister’s family and mine by saving every dollar we can as both of our family’s are struggling right now. I know many people are hurting for money but if anyone has any code they can’t use or want to share I would be so grateful! marissa_rostad@hotmail(dot)com
Here’s another vote for giving up your car! Good for you, good for the environment and a helpful hint to the rest of us.
Take the bus!! Many people have NO options except the bus. It will help you to have empathy for those with no car at all.
Most of us have too much. In many countries, people have to walk where they want to go, no matter how many miles.
I was hesitant to start taking the bus to school because what would be 35 minutes to drive was 1 hour or more on a bus. Not to mention walking downtown to the bus station. But once I tried it a couple times, I realized that instead of LOSING that time, I was REGAINING that time. Instead of 35 minutes focused on the road, burning gas and dodging rush hour traffic, I had 15 minutes of exercise plus 1 hour of reading, knitting, napping, whatever. The bus is definitely worth a shot.
Is Dogwin a dachshund? He looks JUST LIKE my dachshund Buddy!
@Mary Scott Dogwin is a mini-daschund. His name is actually Darwin, but I like to call him Dogwin sometimes. His other nickname is the little monster, hehehe. In a good week, I only use that once or twice.
I haven’t driven a car for about 2 years. Part of that time was in LA where I was only 4 blocks from a bus route. I did drive a moving van when needed. Now I live in an area where I am several miles from the nearest bus route and am looking into other transit alternatives.
I would either take the bus or the shuttle, if I needed to get to and from the airport.
By the way, if you want to find out how much any driving trip will cost at the current average price of gasoline, go to GasBuddy.com and you can plug in the two addresses and get the cost of the trip in gasoline. You select your own car, and it tells you your MPG and the size of your gas tank. You can also get the cost of gasoline at gas stations in your area within the past 24 hours as well. Try it, it’s a great website!
But to be really accurate, you would also add in the cost of maintenance and repairs to the equation; a bit more work than most of us would probably want to do.
Finally, factor in the chances of getting into an accident or becoming delayed due to one, and possibly missing your flight, plus the chances of your car being vandalized while parked at the airport, and it becomes more attractive to take alternative transportation.