Beat High Gas Prices

I got gas today and it cost me $3.19 per gallon for the lowest grade gas at the pump.  It cost me $30.04 to fill up.  I know its higher in some places but this is still causing myself and people around me financial strain. 

So everyone knows you can save money by cycling but most people don’t think it’s enough to really make a difference.  That’s so not true.  Here’s how it works out:

1 gallon of gas = $3.19

My Honda Civic gets about 24 miles per gallon in town which is were you save money by doing the short in town trips on your bicycle.

I drive 4 miles one way to my office each day so that is 40 miles per week just to work and back. 

So lets do the math on this: 

40 miles per week / 24 miles per gallon = roughly 1.67 gallons of gas per week, which equals $5.33 per week or $277.16 per year spent on gas just driving to and from the office. 

I know $277.16 per year doesn’t sound like much but that’s only one daily trip and only based on gas savings at the current price.  There are many other short trips around town I can ride my bike on instead of driving.

What if the gas prices hit $4.00 like its predicted to this summer?  How much do oil changes, tires, filters, car washes, depreciation due to mileage all cost?  You can reduce all of these automotive costs by simply riding your bicycle on some of your short weekly errands. 

The other benefit to cycling is exercise.  There are many many medical reports and studies that show the benefits of exercise on personal health.  So by riding your bike and cutting automotive costs, you can also improve your health and reduce insurance and healthcare costs as well.

You’ll have to do the math your self to find out how much you would save but you can’t put a cost on happiness and health.  I assure you that you will be a far better, happier, and healthier person by just simply riding your bike and that is priceless.

So how much could you save by riding your bike?