For those living in a larger city, certain habits can make your morning commute more expensive than it needs to be. Consider the money you spend on takeout coffee and breakfast. Also consider how much you pay for your vehicle — not just the initial cost of buying the car, but also the insurance, gasoline and parking fees. When you cut out some of these unnecessary expenses, you may be surprised to see how much less your daily commute costs.
Make Your Own Coffee
It is a well-known fact that making your own coffee versus buying it at a cafe can save you money. But are you actually following this practice? As an experiment, keep all your coffee-purchase receipts for one week and see how much you spend. Then consider how much you would save by investing in a travel coffee cup and making your brew at home.
Make On-the-Go Breakfast Foods
It can be easy to get into a routine of buying a muffin or scone at the cafe where you purchase your coffee. You may not consider this a large expense. But if you make your coffee at home, it can be advantageous to have on-the-go breakfast foods as well. There are plenty of recipes out there for inspiration.
Use Public Transportation
Because having a car comes with so many additional expenses besides the initial investment, consider if public transportation is an option for you. For those living in a large city, it often is. For example, bus transportation Washington DC is very popular and is often very inexpensive.
While you may not consider your morning commute to be a separate section of your budget, when you look at the facts, you see how much money actually goes into it. Consider changing a few habits that can have a lasting impact on your wallet.