Walking To Work

Something I've been thinking about...if a man walks to work , since its only 3 miles, and walks home....depending on weather and traffic and energy level and age it takes maybe an hour to an hour 20 minutes, each way. Now there is the health advantage, the traffic risk, the overall enjoyment and joy of getting to know neighborhoods along the way over the year...seeing yard sales, houses for sales, cars that broke, projects in yards...the list goes on.

Walking home...another hour to hour and a half, the relaxation and unwinding from the day, the familiar smells in the air as I pass the neighborhoods, the predictable cars arriving, the same kids playing, the war growing more tense between the kid on the left with a mean challenging aggressive stance facing off across the road three girls who are obviously 100% convince they are going wherever it is they intend to go and do what they intend to do, but their collective minds are assimilating some way to deal with this potential threat to their safety...maybe tomorrow they will be at peace or a new tactic will be seen.

Now to start a vehicle each morning and warm it up and drive that short distance, is at the absolute worst of fuel mileage in a pickup...probably close to 12 miles per gallon at best. That is half a gallon a day to work and back...at best 2.5 gallons of fuel per week. At $2 per gallon that is $5 at $4 like it has been recently...thats $10 so we can figure that is a savings of $6 per week in fuel rounded out a bit. Time saved 9 hours a week at least, saved by driving. spend those 9 hours working for even $6 per week and thats $54 a week that "walking" costs.

Yet the car has a cost of more than $6 fuel. Buying a car, maintaining a car, repairing a car, insuring a car, paying interest if applicable, paying for tags and registration fees....how much does that cost per week just for the trip to work and back? Spend 1500 on a used pickup, put 1100 in repairs, add in say 50 for tag and registration, get 4 years of driving out of the motor.
That is $2800 for the 4 years. Then you sell it worn...for 800 if you're lucky, so you're total ownership cost in this very very conservative clunker version of a vehicle is $2000 for 4 years.
If you borrowed money at 10% to buy the thing and pay it out in 2 years...add about $200 for interest and the full coverage for the 2 years add $1600 for the 4 years....come to think of it even if you didn't have a loan, paid cash for the pickup, threre is going to be $800-$1000 in Liability for the 4 year period.

You can tell I'm thinking this through as I type it, so you may notice other plus and minus things to either side that have been overlooked...

Driving:
Save 9 hours a week to be used either making $
lose the benefits of the walk.
one fuel $6 per week fuel
$936 three more years to make the 4th year of fuel cost
$1500 vehicle purchase
$1100 repairs and maintenance from initial purchase repairs and maintenance thru 4 years
$800 liability for 4 years
$200 tags for 4 years
-$800 sell the worn out clunker
total 4136 divide by 4 = $1034 per year, 365 days per year minus 100 for weekends if we are lucky , -28 days holiday, vacation, sick....=237 work trips per year...that means the vehicle cost fuel and all is $4.36 per day.



Walking:
lose $54 a week potential gain from working these hours spent walking..but since that's kinda pushing it most people don't that kind of drive to spend an hour a day at making money. so this one is only included for those whom it would apply to )
gain physical health
gain enjoyment in the neighborhood stroll instead of using the hours of enjoying something else.
slow life down a bit psychologically.
fills up 9 hours of your week out of or into your life.
Save $1034 per year on vehicle ownership and usage for work and back.

Driving a 50mpg mini scooter....hmmm...rather just dream of buying one some day and who cares about the cost per day...just enjoy the scooter ride even more than the neighborhood stroll? Probably...and could double the life of the scooter and half the cost by walking half time scooter half time....divide out over 8 years usage that way..I like thinking of this one, sounds fun, can't afford it yet though :(

So the question is....14 hours a week ...
is this the most enjoyable meaningful way to use these hours...walking, neighborhood smells, feeling of familiar, belonging...this is your daily route, your stroll, your exercise, your thinking time....save $1034 a year which is very close to an entire month's take home. $86 dollars per month is what you save in your budget by walking to work.

And you get exposed to and forced to endure the various weather. Rain, storm, snow, spring, summer, wind...ahh, I've missed those. Living an indoor life. But now, working out in the elements, the joy of truly experiencing them, and having bad days to compare with and enrich appreciation for the good.

A closer feeling to nature, with the changing of the seasons being more than seeing a number on a bank clock and temp sign. Sure it takes 14 hours a week, but they go by either way, what would be more fun, beneficial, relaxing, sensational, familiarity with a few miles of neighborhood,


Or should the 14 yours a week be used a different way by like using a vehicle...at $1034 a year minimum. But freeing up 9-10 hours to be used for some other activity more rewarding, more enriching, more desired. (while reducing your otherwise usable income by $86 per month)

Riding to work? Close to the same as walking maybe...but changes the time elements and the enjoyment levels. Slower speeds give richer detail. The ride gives a joy of its own, saves half the time and is nominal in cost, equal or better in exercise, less in safety, still get a routine and view of neighborhoods, depending on speed /time desired to be used. Still saves you from having to leak 86 bucks a month out of your hip pocket. But walk sometimes, to get the slower, more sense aware passes thru familiar neighborhoods.

Winter is likely going to be harsh this year...
Yet I work in the harsh anyhow
And the harsh..is an experience that is stimulating to the senses.

Anyhow, back to something else now....