|
Our family has a yearly budget for car costs and fuel.
I tell the family ( 3 people ) to do what they can to cut costs and save and the difference will go towards our family vacations.
My son carpools with his buddies as much as he can. He rarely drives if he can walk or bike.
My wife gangs her daily driving so she gets most of her chores done in only a two day stretch.
I drive 120 miles one way between the Inland Empire and San Diego, twice a week. My Hemi Magnum isn't going to save me much with eco-mods and eco-driving so I collect used vegetable oil from a couple friends' restaurants and drive the old Mercedes 190d back and forth. My main costs are tires - which I use up about one set a year ( 50K mile rated tires ).
We have vacationed in Europe, Canada, the Caribbean, Mexico and most of North America on the "car money".
Depending on how the family does this year, it looks like either Hawaii or New Zealand.
It is a easier to motivate when the reward is sweet and palpable.
|