Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Warning: Discombobulated Driver!

I recently got my car out of insurance jail. This is probably not what you think. It is not the impound lot where your car goes when you get a ticket for driving uninsured. Although that may also be called insurance jail.

I purposely put my car on an insurance storage plan. In other words, my car was still insured should one of my neighbors choose to hit it or break into it, or should my building fall on it; however, I could NOT drive it. I even had to give them my odometer reading.

I rarely drive these days. I live 2 miles from my job, I take public transportation most places I go during the week or I walk. I found myself driving my car once or maybe twice a week and sometimes not even once. I decided I should figure out how much it was costing me to own this car I never drive. Approx. $225 a month, when all gas, maintenance, insurance, etc. was added up. And that doesn't even include a parking fee, which I am now paying at $75.00 a month.

So, I embarked on the great Zipcar experiment. I stored my car on November 17th, 2010 and got a Zipcar membership the next day. From then until January 27th, 2011 I did not drive my car. If I needed to get someplace I rode public transportation, rented a Zipcar, or rode with someone else. i kept track of all money spent, including gas split with my sister to go home for the holidays. And it was MUCH, MUCH cheaper than owning my own car. Even with the small amount I was paying for storage insurance, I spent far less on transportation than what it cost to maintain and own a car.

And I lost 10 pounds.

And I got to drive some pretty fun cars.

And I rode the train, which is by far the most comfortable way to travel I've ever found.