For many of us, the daily commute has become a non-negotiable aspect of working life. In fact, as can be seen from sites like www.washingtonpost.com, we spend as much as nine hours getting to and from work every year. That’s a whole lot of travel time, and given that we aren’t paid for the privilege, it can seem like wasted money.
Of course, in many ways, this is a catch 22 situation. If you don’t spend to travel, you can’t earn what you need to pay your way in other areas. But, that doesn’t mean you have to get stuck in the commuter spending silo.
In actual fact, if you turn your attention to the issue, you should soon start seeing that savings here are easily within reach. Even better, dedicating yourself to this cause can see you earning far more overall for every hour you work. Simply ask yourself, are you falling into these commuter costs without realizing?
Paying for car repairs on an if and when basis
It’s never nice to think about car repairs when we rely on our vehicles to get us to and from work. Sadly, ignore them as we might, it’s never long until repairs arise, a fact that can see us paying as and when they happen if we haven’t put plans in place. That’s terrible news considering that the need to get on the road alone can see us paying through the teeth. Instead, then, you’d be far better off accepting that repairs will arise and investing in warranties like those found on https://optimalwarranty.com/basic/ ahead of time. While these may increase your monthly spending, they allow you to budget and thus avoid significant financial stings for the sake of your commute alone.
Buying tickets daily
Many of us commuting by train or bus make the mistake of buying tickets daily. For the most part, this is because of the extreme upfront costs of annual passes by comparison. But, when you consider how totally unaffordable spending on a ticket-by-ticket basis can be, this is a no-brainer. While it might mean saving at the start of each ticket season, an annual pass will, without fail, save you a fortune.
Failing to shop around
Whether you’re buying fuel, tickets, or other, failing to shop around is another mistake. After all, costs on fuel especially vary a great deal, while the difference between bus and train tickets is larger than you might realize. Hence why, if you want to cut costs, shopping around is essential. Even if the cheaper technique means adding a little time onto your day, don’t discard it. After a few basic sums, you might just find that it’s still a fantastic way to make your working days more lucrative.
Commuting isn’t anyone’s favorite part of the day but, for most of us, it’s a work addition that’s here to stay. With that in mind, it’s past time you focused on cutting costs and ensuring that you get paid for working, not traveling both ways.
