Cheap things you do vol. every dollar counts

[whywesteppin]

I had a car for a short time after I graduated

Sure it was more convenient, but really at the end of the day it didn't seem worth the extra cost given how I was moving

smart move. the money saved is helping you survive biden's economy and the egg inflation.

car culture is one of the worst things about the USA. it's not just the $$. sitting in traffic is soul-crushing. car infrastructure destroys cities. and every time you get behind a wheel, you take on huge liability. it's unfortunate there's only a few places you can live car-free here, and even fewer where half the city isn't devoted to cars (which triples the amount of time it takes to walk anywhere). driving itself is great, of course, but having to do it every day and at high cost is not.

since this thread is about saving money, no single move will save you more money in life than going car free.

 

[jamie dimon]

smart move. the money saved is helping you survive biden's economy and the egg inflation.

car culture is one of the worst things about the USA. it's not just the $$. sitting in traffic is soul-crushing. car infrastructure destroys cities. and every time you get behind a wheel, you take on huge liability. it's unfortunate there's only a few places you can live car-free here, and even fewer where half the city isn't devoted to cars (which triples the amount of time it takes to walk anywhere). driving itself is great, of course, but having to do it every day and at high cost is not.

since this thread is about saving money, no single move will save you more money in life than going car free.

tl;dr NYC > Cali

 

[MakeNTGreatAgain]

My girlfriend has a car. If I ever need one, I use that.

Vegas is not that big compared to other metros.

When I was in grad school, I most took the bus, maybe a Uber hear and there, or got rides from friends

When I graduated I could ride the bus to work, and use Uber.

Now I work from home, and I get a commuter stipend, so I take a couple Ubers a week to get to work

Even after doing the math and putting a dollar value on my time, not owning a car is still better.

I get some people need a car. But a lot of folk let the expense creep up because they mainly want it for the convenience and buy a more expensive car than they need.

It is such a minute inconvenience, and saves me hundreds every month. The trade off is worth it to me.

props to you
i personally love driving
also live in los angeles so its kinda i would say impossible to live without a car here

 

[mplsdunk]

I think the best public transportation goes to Bay Area, dc and Chicago.

I’m not an expert but I had no trouble getting around, maybe it’s different if you live there though.

 

[darthska]

I would love to know how anyone who lives in an area that experiences snowy, icy winters would get to work every day to a job over 10 miles away and public transportation is a crapshoot at best (population under 30k).

If we're talking about going carless in a city that has great public transportation, doesn't experience snowy, icy winters, and where there are plentiful jobs within a 10 mile range, awesome. That's not even close to the entire country. Not. Even. CLOSE.

 

[TSCQ]

Houston public transportation is horrible. If you’re okay waiting 30 minutes for a bus which is the average wait time in 90° plus weather you have signed yourself up for hell. Houston is a city built for cars, you need a car since most businesses are far apart from each other, unless you live in midtown or downtown which is okay, but I wouldn’t recommend women walking around alone with how this city sidewalk is setup. Get a car, rent a car is highly recommended if you drop into Houston.

 

[townbidness]

I bought a washer and dryer set on monday. They just delivered yesterday. The charge was removed on my account and the full amount back in my account

 

[whywesteppin]

I would love to know how anyone who lives in an area that experiences snowy, icy winters would get to work every day to a job over 10 miles away and public transportation is a crapshoot at best (population under 30k).

If we're talking about going carless in a city that has great public transportation, doesn't experience snowy, icy winters, and where there are plentiful jobs within a 10 mile range, awesome. That's not even close to the entire country. Not. Even. CLOSE.

living in a small town plus having a 10 mile commute is a special case (83% of Americans live in urban areas). if you're in that 17%, get a car, yes.

as for the weather, even in the wintery climates I've lived in, the number of days a year where it's so bad that you don't want to be outside for even 5 minutes is just a few times a year. on those days, I can Uber. and when the weather is really bad, I feel safer on a train or a bus than driving my car on an icy road full of other drivers who may or may not know what they're doing.

the question you should be asking is why, even in high population centers, we built everything to be so far apart.

 

[darthska]

the question you should be asking is why, even in high population centers, we built everything to be so far apart.

We? Iain't build ****.

I get what you're saying but I'm done asking questions about things I have ZERO control over or contribution to.
¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[moe200069]

I think the best public transportation goes to Bay Area, dc and Chicago.

I’m not an expert but I had no trouble getting around, maybe it’s different if you live there though.

DC and Chicago public transit were some of the best i’ve experienced in this country. there is a train and/or bus stop for every part of the city. in chicago their metro lines seemed timed so that if you needed to transfer from one train/bus to another, you wouldn’t have to wait too long.

the problem with the bay area’s public transit system is that our main train line (BART) crosses thru three counties and traverses thru 15-20 different cities. it’s good at covering large distances but once you get off in your preferred city, it can be a mess, waste of time and absolute cluster **** using public transit to get to a specific location. SF has a pretty good trolley and bus system that spiderwebs thru out the city, but outside of that, most bay area cities’ transportation is unfortunately butt cheeks. not to mention, cost of fare is rising out here and the vehicles and trains almost always tend to have some wild, foul **** going on

 

[mplsdunk]

Everyone I know works odd hours, we have snow and I commute to the country from the city for work.

Public transit just isn’t good enough in mn unless you live on the light rail.

When I just stayed in the metro and didn’t need a bus at odd hours it was fine except with snow.

 

[you go boy]

Went to McDonald’s the other day and grabbed some lunch with my mom… I noticed some lady brought one of those 32oz water bottle and was filling it up with soda

 

[picasso swerve]

Aint nothing like a long day of doing xyz then sitting in your car after you park just for a few min to chill a bit, maybe finish that one song that was on, etc. If you know you know.

 

[whywesteppin]

ain't nothing like a long day of work then sitting on the train to go home and wanting to chill for a bit, enjoy the thought of saving a couple dollars on gas, then for some guy across the aisle threaten to stab you, etc. if you know you know.

 

[mplsdunk]

I’ve had it all happen on the bus. From getting ugly girls numbers to almost being robbed.

It’s always some **** **** happening

 

[antbanks81]

Way back in the day, long long time ago, I would step on money at the strip club and drag it back to where I was sitting. I also would be pocketing the tip money while I was getting lap dances. Used to make that **** last longer. I also had a short phase of tearing the dollars in half.

 

[moe200069]

ayoooo scammin strippers tho??

i wouldn’t be surprised if dancers started using QR codes that linked to their venmo because of this fraudulence. my guy was trynna get a BOGO discount on the lap dances

 

[darthska]

So if you live in a metropolitan area, you have the advantage of a functional public transport system that provides the opportunity to be carless, saving you hundreds every month.

Of course the cost of living is 3x-4x higher than rural areas and small towns, so not having a car in the city won't matter when considering if the home you're never going to be able to buy has a garage or not. It all works together perfectly!

 

[edshoecator]

Imagine getting body lice cause you’re too cheap to buy a car

 

[picasso swerve]

Theres a subreddit /****cars. Bunch of weirdos.

So you just staring at dude chillin in his car for an hour? Or checking on him every 10 min? Mind yo damn business.

This one of the comments:

Equating this to watering the grass during a drought.

Then theres this Captain Planet over here

Ill be damned someone told me to turn my engine off. How else imma listen to this Yeat.

Car is too long for the parking. These car haters really got nothing better to do.

 

[waukeganwill]

I bought a washer and dryer set on monday. They just delivered yesterday. The charge was removed on my account and the full amount back in my account

This happened to my Dad last month. Got some new windows for the crib, came out to like 6k. Paid for it with his credit card and the charge was pending, then dropped off. He was like I aint gonna say nothin

 

[aNYone]

DC and Chicago public transit were some of the best i’ve experienced in this country. there is a train and/or bus stop for every part of the city. in chicago their metro lines seemed timed so that if you needed to transfer from one train/bus to another, you wouldn’t have to wait too long.

the problem with the bay area’s public transit system is that our main train line (BART) crosses thru three counties and traverses thru 15-20 different cities. it’s good at covering large distances but once you get off in your preferred city, it can be a mess, waste of time and absolute cluster **** using public transit to get to a specific location. SF has a pretty good trolley and bus system that spiderwebs thru out the city, but outside of that, most bay area cities’ transportation is unfortunately butt cheeks. not to mention, cost of fare is rising out here and the vehicles and trains almost always tend to have some wild, foul **** going on

Yea, BART is like town to town.

So even after you get of the train you still gotta bike or take the bus or drive home or near home.

For all it’s worth, I’m still taking the MTA in NYC over most places. Moving that many people on the daily is a feat, and they’re pretty efficient.

 

[aepps20]

Denver has a solid public transit system but in order to get to the outdoor activities we like to do you need a car to take you and your bike. If you ski or snow board the cost of an Uber to even the nearest slope will bankrupt you. With said, I used to take the light rail to work when I lived in the southern part of Colorado and worked in Denver. Saved me a ton on gas. That was back when I owned a Jeep Grand Cherokee that got 11 miles to the gallon. Even though I live in Denver I like riding my bike for short trips when the weather isn’t bad. Longer trips I’m letting da V8 growl.

 

[mplsdunk]

I like riding bikes and commuting on my motorcycle but yeah I’m not ubering to use da epic pass or hit da trout crik. That would be insane.

 

[mplsdunk]

Theres a subreddit /****cars. Bunch of weirdos.

So you just staring at dude chillin in his car for an hour? Or checking on him every 10 min? Mind yo damn business.

This one of the comments:

Equating this to watering the grass during a drought.

Then theres this Captain Planet over here

Ill be damned someone told me to turn my engine off. How else imma listen to this Yeat.

Car is too long for the parking. These car haters really got nothing better to do.

They’d have a heart attack if they saw my job. Letting twin engine diesel machines that get gallons per mile idle all day.