Commuting - Things I hate that cost more than my bike

I was feeling a little guilty about spending several hundred $ on a new bike, then I got over it. I thought about the people that spend thousands on exercise equipment that they never use and end up selling for hundreds two years later at a garage sale. I use my bike everyday. It got me thinking about things I (my family) spends big bucks on that don't bring me nearly as much enjoyment as my bike and about necessities and their relative costs to a new bike based on a bike that costs about $700 give or take. I came up with:

1. About equivalent to two month's debt service on the home improvements we made.
2. A year and a half of car insurance (vehicles are so old I don't carry replacement coverage).
3. Just over half a year of property taxes on our home.
4. About 6 weeks of groceries.
5. About a year of basic cable and high speed internet.
6. A year and a half of cell phone bills.
7. About 3 minor car repairs.
8. 1 new piece of nice furniture.
9. Roughly a year's worth of gas (would be more if I didn't have a bike).
10. 4 months of Tae Kwon Do lessons for the kids.
11. Less than 3 months of my share of family health coverage through my employer.
12. Much less than 1 day in the hospital.
13. A little less than one month's mortgage payment.
14. Less than a year of homeowners' insurance.
15. Less than that trip up to NJ by plane to visit relatives.
16. Less than that crappy vacation in Williamsburg, VA last year.
17. Less than a week in most hotels.
18. Much less than donations to nonprofits each year.
19. Less than what we spend at Christmas time each year.
20. A year and a half of my wife's and kids' YMCA memberships (doesn't include the camps, extra swimming lessons and all that).

Cycling is my main source of transportation to work and my main source of enjoyable recreation. I can justify spending the money to get a quality rig.

Cycling is my main source of transportation to work and my main source of enjoyable recreation. I can justify spending the money to get a quality rig.

Just wait until cycling turns into a serious hobby.....;) :D

I traded in a perfectly good Honda for a Renault, because my ex-wife thought they were classy. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

You forgot 'About an hour and a half with a really hot call girl' (or guy, your choice). :p

Two month's methadone treatment for a penurious relative. . .with no end in sight. God’s Own Teeth! What a waste of humanity. What a waste of money. What waste of life. And before you say it, YES I’m an idiot. . .or a saint. . .or a chump. . .maybe all those things. I never believed in real evil 'til herion came into the family.

[For the billionth time] Sigh.

B'lieve I’ll go for a ride now.

It's definetely a lot easier to justify the costs when you don't have a car.
Spend $200+ on a starter or $200 on cycling shorts? I will let you guess on that one.

I have very few cycling needs and many wants. :p
Plus, it was my wife who destroyed my car last year. If she gets pissy about any cycling expenditures I bring that up or threaten to buy another car. A $100 pair of cycling shorts or a new car.... :p

For me its all those restuarant lunches and dinners that I paid for mostly out of laziness. Easily the cost of a nice bike over a year. The morning after a particularly expensive restaurant outing I would say to myself, this is one expensive dump I'm taking.

You forgot 'About an hour and a half with a really hot call girl' (or guy, your choice). :p
We don't have any hot call girls here, but you can get a skanky one for a month for that kind of money.

We don't have any hot call girls here, but you can get a skanky one for a month for that kind of money.

Prices might be going up...Supply and Demand (http://www.wral.com/news/9461698/detail.html):D :roflmao:

Aaron:)

Prices might be going up...Supply and Demand (http://www.wral.com/news/9461698/detail.html):D :roflmao:

Aaron:)

crimes against nature????

Are they stupid? There's nothing more natural than a guy wanting to get laid. *snickers*

I traded in a perfectly good Honda for a Renault, because my ex-wife thought they were classy. Stupid, stupid, stupid!

You know how it goes, never buy a French car unless you are in France.

Jeff

5. About a year of basic cable and high speed internet.
6. A year and a half of cell phone bills.


...man... I want your cable and cell phone bills...
The $730 I just dropped on my bike ($500 for bike, $205 for accessories, $25ish for licensing), well it breaks down for me like this:

5. About 4.5 months of cable and internet. (one basic, one digital w/ DVR, internet, cable phone).
6. About 6 months of cell phone bills. (family plan - with NO overage).

And gas... ooohhhhhh man... lets see:

3.5 miles to work twice a day (4 lengths x 3.5mi) 20 days a month
5.9 R/T truck driving conservatively (10mpg)
Due to performance nature of truck, can't use cheapest gas.
Current mid grade unleaded price ($3.239/gal)
So...
[((4x3.5)/10)*3.239]= $4.53 a DAY in gas! Just to commute!

I should have done this soooo long ago.

You know how it goes, never buy a French car unless you are in France.

Jeff
I was so young and foolish then.

I plan on building a commuter using the Gunnar Crosshairs frame. This a more expensive frame than some would use for commuting. I hope to have the bicycle assembled by April 1, 2007. Between now and then I will slowly acquire the parts I want. I have dedicated a portion of my budget each month to purchase the components. This will allow me to shop for the best prices and using ebay, craigslist, and internet bicycle shops. My intention is to build a quality commuter while being as frugal as possible.

Until then I can commute on the beater.

...man... I want your cable and cell phone bills...
The $730 I just dropped on my bike ($500 for bike, $205 for accessories, $25ish for licensing), well it breaks down for me like this:

5. About 4.5 months of cable and internet. (one basic, one digital w/ DVR, internet, cable phone).
6. About 6 months of cell phone bills. (family plan - with NO overage).


Yes, I only have the most basic cable (about $15/month) and Road Runner ($45/month). I have a computer with Media Center on it so I can do all of that pause/record/rewind live TV stuff with that. I forgot to factor in my VoIP phone service ($199/yr). We have a family cell plan too, but it took some negotiating and threatening to switch carriers to get the deal I wanted ($40/mo for 2 phones - 600 shared minutes).

I'd like your real estate tax rates. Ours just went up $100 a month this year. I'm almost paying what my parents paid in 1980 for their entire mortgage!

I am spending $600 to get my wifes car fixed today. So far this year since I have started commuting I have spent about $300 on my bike and stuff I need for commuting, such as fenders and clothing mostly. Get her car fixed, still have to pay for gas and insurance... I have to pay for... food. I think I will finally win an argument about why I need to spend money on my bicycle after today.

Less (maybe even much less) than one year of parking fees in any US downtown parking garage!

Less (maybe even much less) than one year of parking fees in any US downtown parking garage!

I'll vote for much less. If I parked in the garage next to my office, it would cost me $3660 for the year.

I'd like your real estate tax rates. Ours just went up $100 a month this year. I'm almost paying what my parents paid in 1980 for their entire mortgage!

Still, people here complain mightily about property tax rates, not realizing that the rate isn't the all-important number. The rate isn't great, but property values are significantly lower than other places close by so the overall effect isn't proportional. They just raised the tax rate here by 2 cents, so my YEARLY bill will increase by maybe $30.

A full repair job on my dental problems will end up costing about twice the cost of fixing my back deck and about half the cost of Ron Kiefels' 1984 Olympic TT bike.

This is a good thread. I am also about to take a plung with a bike..only about 300 for me..but for a college student that has no money, 300 bucks is a lot. I am pretty good with my money and i dnot spend it on things I will not enjoy / use.

I am looking at my stuff..thinking o things i can sell and I have only found a few things.

To me buying a bike is going to be like my computer. My computer cost me about 1,500 bucks...a lot of money..but by far one of the most used things in my life. It might have cost a lot, but the high price I paid has made my computer using experience ten times better if I had a crap PC. This is why I dont plan on buying a really crappy bike from walmart. I research EVERY hobby or activity I am about to get into on the interent to make sure I get the most bang out of my buck.

Hence..How I found this forum...Btw..i think this is like my 5th post lol.

I say if you spend alot of money, then you're doing the right thing if it's being spent on things you actually use.
My bike cost me practically nothing, but the $800 I spend each month on bills doesn't bother me.
1)Cell phone-$120/month for 4,000 minutes w/unlimited nights and weekends.,etc
2)Laptop installments-$250 month, 6 payments left out of 13, hey I use it to death.
3)Gym membership-$42/month, includes access to all clubs across the country at anytime I please.
4)Digital Cable/Internet-$120/month, I still watch alot of TV and #2.
With $532 allocated to these expenses, the rest of the money goes to rent/utility splitting.
But, once I get back to 18 wheeling, only 1, 2 , and 3 will still exist.
I still consider this car-free arrangement to be quite cheap.
No unexpected allotments or adjustments to be made due to car breakdowns, surprise insurance rate increase, fuel costs and any other required automotive needs.

Heart attack. I haven't done one of those, and I'm doing my best to avoid the subject entirely. The bike is one aspect of that.
I once met an 86 year old vegetarian who ran five miles every day. That's what I'm after. Money spent on my bike(s) is an investment towards my retirement.

You know how it goes, never buy a French car unless you are in France.

Jeff

Even then...:rolleyes:

Except maybe a 2CV :D

The frickin' head & neck MRI I have to get every 2-3 years for the rest of my life. :mad:

I saved over $400 per month by selling my car in car payments, insurance and fuel. I know I went over board by getting a Lamond Poprad to commute with, but now after three months of commuting by bike I have broken even. The rest is money in the bank.

The advantage beyond the money is that now that I commute by bike, I am exercising regularly and feel better than I have in years. I'm not sure I'll ever go back.

Still, people here complain mightily about property tax rates, not realizing that the rate isn't the all-important number. The rate isn't great, but property values are significantly lower than other places close by so the overall effect isn't proportional. They just raised the tax rate here by 2 cents, so my YEARLY bill will increase by maybe $30.

Reminds me of, "We won't raise taxes, we'll increase property values!"

Riding in to work instead of taking the subway saves me (theoretically, anyway) $800 every year. But I know that in repairs, tires, panniers....oh, I don't even want to think about how much money I didn't save this year....