As the economy plummets and causes the world to engage in a time of small cars, fewer Christmas presents, and cheaper bottles of champagne on New Year’s Eve, I sit back and wonder, how have I decided to conserve money through this recession? At the beginning of the semester, I would routinely wake up around 9am; eat breakfast at the local café, hop into my mini cooper, and drive to USF with at least 20 minutes to spare in order to score a parking spot that wouldn’t leave me $60 poorer due to surpassing its two hour limit, or blocking someone’s driveway. The scary fact that I would receive at least 4 parking tickets a semester never hit home quite like it did over the past couple of months, when filling a mini cooper gas tank cost roughly $50. It was a combination of the war in Iraq and my rapidly decreasing bank account that made me realize, what is a 23 year old college student doing with a mini cooper? Why does she think it is ok to rack up parking tickets? And is there a hole in my gas tank, or is something serious happening in the world?
This was the beginning of my obsession with fixed gear bicycle riding. I felt that by buying a Specialized Langster, London Edition, fixed gear bike, I was saving myself a couple parking tickets, and making a bold statement that the increased prices of gas and economies status may be a consequence of the war in Iraq, something that I will not support. In my mind, I was killing two birds with one stone, saving money, and taking a stand against the Bush administration. At first, I thought that by riding my bike to school I would need to wake up about an hour earlier, sacrifice my daily double nonfat cappuccino with extra foam and bowl o’ granola at my favorite café, and start my evening about an hour later. I was completely wrong. It takes about the same amount of time to get to USF by bike as it did by vehicle, and about half as much time to lock it up on a bike rack. I was also saving myself the anxiety of frantically circling campus searching for the gold prize, a guaranteed, ticket free, parking spot.
Making this minor change in my life has been nothing but positive. I am in better shape, I don’t spend over $200 on parking tickets a semester, I don’t drive around San Francisco looking for the cheapest gas prices, and I can still afford a bottle of ‘96 Dom Perignon Rose when the clock strikes midnight January 1st, 2009. Although I have to make personal changes in my life due to the economic turmoil this country is currently experiencing, I am making the best of it, and still enjoying every moment.
Saving Money in the Current Economy
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