Do the math

While it’s readily assumed that cycluting saves money, it’s nice to reflect, now and then, on exactly how much money we’re talking about when commuting to work by bike rather than by car. For starters, I used the MASSrides commuting calculator at http://www.commute.com/commuters/calculator to find out how much my typical commute would cost in a car. If I work an average of 20 days per month – and I do – it would cost me $4,417.80 per year to drive to work in my 2003 Honda Civic EX. So, that’s about how much I save by biking to work every day, year-round. Add to that, however, the fact that I save $70/year on my car insurance because of a low-mileage discount of 12 percent. And who knows what I save in medical expenses by staying in shape on my bike on a regular basis? Anyway, it’s safe to say I save at least $4,500 a year by cycluting, instead of taking my car. Multiply that by the five years I’ve been doing the same 14-mile round trip to work and I’ve saved more than $20,000 since I started that job. What could I do with that kind of money? Get this: I could buy a brand new 2011 Honda Civic EX. Honestly, that would be just about the last thing I’d do. Instead, I’m going to use my 2011 year’s worth of savings to take a nine-day, guided expedition to Ecuador next February. Cost: $4,500. That includes air fare, lodging, meals, days trips, guide … the whole shebang. That may not sound like a big deal to some of my cycluting sidekicks who make six figures in the technology sector, but I make $45,000 a year (gross pay) at a Senior Center. Simple math: I give myself a 10 percent raise by cycluting. OK, that’s enough calculating to remind me what my response could be when someone challenges me by saying, “Give me one good reason why you’d bike to work every day of the year.”