Many people consider a commute to be a part of life, but the truth is that it’s costing you more than just the gas it takes. There are costs to commuting that you don’t necessarily think of, but they’re adding up every day you drive a long way or sit in traffic trying to get to work. If you haven’t yet realized how much your commute is costing you, it’s time to sit down and add it up so you can see if it’s time to make some changes.
Wear and Tear-
Extra commuting time wears down your car parts and your tires, increasing the number of oil changes, belt replacements, and tune-ups you need to get, as well as making your car need to be replaced sooner. Less time spent on the road gives your car a longer life and spreads those fixes out over a longer period of time.
Insurance
If you don’t drive your car that much, you can get onto cheaper insurance plans and save money each year simply because your car gets less miles, but commuters don’t get that luxury. Also, more time on the road makes you more susceptible to tickets and accidents, which will increase your monthly costs significantly and drop even more money down the drain.
Lost Time
Time spent doing nothing but driving is wasted time that could be used to get more done. If you didn’t have to sit and drive, you could put that time to good use. If you would otherwise spend that time working, you can consider that as a loss of your hourly wage, but the cost could be much greater if you would be using that time to connect with your family more and enjoy some peaceful hours at home.
Alternatives
The best thing to eliminate a commute is to live close to your work, even if it cuts into your paycheck or necessitates a move to a slightly smaller place. It may seem like a sacrifice at first, but you quickly adapt to your surroundings, and the savings in time and money will make up for the first inconvenience. If you can find a similar job, or even one that pays a few thousand less, close to your home, you’ll soon realize that it’s worth the change and the loss of income.
If you can’t change where you live or where you work, at least try to change how you get there. Carpool with others and split the costs, take the bus or subway and make use of the time, work from home a few days a week, or any other ways you can think of to save on driving. If you get creative and put a little time into thinking and planning out how to lower commuting costs, you can save yourself thousands of dollar.
Commuting wastes time and money, and it often leads to frustrations and unhappiness. If you understand all the costs of commuting, you’ll quickly see how detrimental it is to you. Find ways to lower your costs and, if at all possible, lower the amount of time you spend sitting in the car staring out the windshield. It’s worth it.
See Also:
What You Need to Know About Deducting Travel Expenses
Term vs. Whole Life Insurance – What Should You Choose?
High Performance Savings Accounts
Car Insurance Savings That Most Drivers Overlook
 Photo credit: Morning Commute by Peter Kaminski, on Flickr
