Why My Car Keeps Me Broke

I decided numbers speak greater than words in some situations. After yesterdays post with IRS standard car deduction of 55.5 cents per mile, it got me thinking. How much was I really paying to drive my car.

In money:

17/mpg Oldsmobile Intrigue
23 miles round trip x 5 days a week = 115 miles week
115/17mpg = 6.77 gallons of gas.
6.77 * $3.50 = $23.68 min a week in gas

Oil every 2,000 miles(car runs a bit rough/low oil light comes on) plus extra jug= $25
$0.0125 per mile
$23.68 (gas) + $1.44(oil cost/wk)
New total: $25.12 a week

Car insurance once every four weeks ~$82.00
$82/4 weeks = $20.50 a week in insurance.
$25.12(gas/oil) + $20.50(insurance cost/wk)
New total: $45.62 a week

Car tires ~$400 every 30,000 miles
$400/30,000 mi = $.014 a mile * 115 mi = $1.61
$45.62(gas/oil/insurance) + $1.61(tires/wk)
New total: $47.23 a week

Car registration $50 every year.
$50/52 weeks = $.97
$47.23(gas/oil/insurance/tires) + $.97(registration/wk)
New total: $48.20 a week

Repairs of within last 2 years radiator($99) + starter($110) + Battery ($97) = $306
$306/2 yrs = $153/52 wks = $2.95/wk
$48.20(gas/oil/insurance/tires/registration) + $2.95(expected repair cost/wk)
New total: $51.15 a week

TOGETHER IN A MONTH: Cost of $204.60 if all prices remain constant. That is more than half of one of my pay checks spent to get a paycheck.
I always like to consider opportunity cost in addition. Being that I am a college student I probably wouldn't lock this away in something not too liquid but even
at 1% savings account I am missing out on $24.55 in interest after a years of saving gains interest.

+

In time:

After all paycheck deductions I make $9.351/hr.
$51.15/$9.351 =
Each week in time/expense it costs me 5.47 or roughly 5 and half hours of work to pay for driving JUST TO WORK ONE WEEK.
IN A MONTH: I work roughly 22 hours just to have a means of transportation to my job.

Each trip to work is 40ish mins round trip * 5 days = 200 mins
That is 3.33 hours of unpaid time sitting in a car with no ac.
At my after deduction rate it comes out to around $31.14 of unpaid time directly spent on work.
IN A MONTH: I would have wasted away 13.32, or 13 hours and 20 minutes.

TOGETHER: 33.32 hours gone to the mindless act of driving to work.

Thoughts on Driving

With less than a week left before I finally go on my cruise to the Bahamas(an experience I am really looking forward to!) I have been trying to keep my vacation mind from kicking in early. I am just taking work one day at a time, waiting for the moment I can punch out and return to my house, sleep, and repeat it the next day.

Today the girlfriend and I began repairing the bike we found yesterday that will eventually become my only means of transportation and I couldn't be more excited. The thought of saving $30-ish(don't drive much as is) on gas a week, car insurance/registration, and maintenance seems like a positive direction financially but also minimalistically as well. To me I see it as a cleansing of sorts, preparing me for better decisions in the future.

As I see it now I will save near $215 a month. Not bad at all .However, going by the IRS calculation of 55.5 cents per mile and my work commute being 23.8 miles five days a week, I am looking at a minimum savings of $66.05.

These savings definitely make me want to hurry and get this bike fixed, but it still needs a seat so I am holding off until I can spot a good deal or another broken bike with a seat in the garbage. So I have been attempting to accelerate less and use my brakes less while driving to stretch my gas budget. It has worked and have noticed takes about same time to get places as before. However I have noticed how aggressive some people drive when you are not zipping around the highway, even in the 'slow' lane.

Oh well, I have used these chances as opportunities to improve not caring about other peoples views of me. If it stresses them out so much to be behind someone consuming less gasoline than them, so be it. I'll just keep floating on like this until I get free of the cycle with my bike.