Recently I started a commute that I would rather avoid Monday to Friday, but it is unavoidable until I can build up enough savings to move. What makes things more frustrating is that sometimes it can take me only 40 minutes, while other times it can take over 2.5 hours! There seems to be no in between. After doing this awful commute for only 2 weeks now, I have to feel for those who have been doing it for years!…and also needed to find a way to get me home in a better mood than I have been.

Love Your Job – I know that not everyone can choose where they work, but this is important. If you are dreading going to work every morning the commute will just be worse. If you do have a choice, do something you love! This will make all the difference. On Monday morning you will be excited to go to work, not frustrated.

CDs — Put songs on a CD that you love! Mix it up with old songs and new songs. Sing along with these songs in the car (singing at the top of your lungs helps…kind of like you might do in the shower)! Who cares who might drive by you and see you singing, believe me it will make you happy! You can’t sing your favorite songs without feeling better and taking your mind off your commute.

Books On Tape (or now usually CD) — This can really take up your time. Having a good book on tape can not only keep your interest but you will be at work before you know it. I know this might sound a little bit nerdy, but it is actually really enjoyable!

Use Public Transportation — Although not perfect, public transportation avoids the hassle of driving your car to work. It can benefit you in that you don’t stress about the traffic, you can take the time to get some needed work done, or even relax with your iPod or a good book. Who really wants to be stressed out before they even get into the office?

Find Someone To Commute With — If you have to drive to work, try to drive there with someone you live close to! Not only will this save you money on gas, but having some company and someone to talk to is really nice as well. Also, you are able to use the Carpool Lane if you are driving with another person in your car, usually making your commute a little less stop and go.

Eat Breakfast and Make Coffee — Make sure to be awake for your commute! The worst is when you are sitting in traffic and feel your eyes closing because you didn’t get enough sleep the night before. Eating breakfast will wake you up and make sure you aren’t starving before you even get to work. Making your own coffee will not only save you money at Starbucks or Dunkin’ Donuts, but having it to drink while you drive will help as well. Another thing I try to do is grab a snack for my drive home. There is nothing worse than being starving before dinner and knowing you still have another 2 hours before you even get to eat.

The afternoon commute always seems to be worse for me, but either way I know it is something I have to do each day and instead try to find ways to make the best of it. If anyone else has any ways that they make their commute go faster I would love to know!

Gas Saving Tip: I read the other day that driving with your windows open at high speeds uses more gas than having your air conditioning on. For me at least, I always thought it was the other way around, I now put my AC on while I’m on the highway instead of having the windows down.

Related Articles:

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Should You Travel Without Insurance?
10 Ways to Go Green At Work

Attention: Creative Folks With Tanks to Fill (or public transport tickets to buy)

We’re looking for the best gasoline-saving, money-saving tips. The best tipster will receive a $500 debit card to use at their favorite filling station - OR - $500 worth of public transportation tickets (your choice!). Two runner-up will bask in the glory and receive a limited Geezeo t-shirt. The shirt reads: “I’m Having an Out-of-Money Experience”, making it the perfect wardrobe choice at your next gas-station visit.

But first: some interesting Geezeo gasoline statistics:

In the last year, Geezeo users spent the most money per visit at Sunoco ($32.45). They spent the least at BP ($29.71).

Also, the average visit to the gas station has risen 20% in a year (from $29.10 to $34.88). That’s pretty good considering the price of gas has increased 37% in that time (from 2.92/gal to 4.00/gal). Are Geezeo users getting more gas conscious??

Here’s how to win:

1. You must be a registered Geezeo user (FREE - sign up here)

2. Use your creative right-brain to communicate a gasoline-saving/money-saving tip. Guidelines:

Video - 15 seconds or less
Music - 15 seconds or less
Words - 200 or less
Artwork - 50 KB or less
You must own all copyright and grant us permission to use.

3. Post your entry at your website, blog, or on YouTube. Send an email with your Geezeo user name and LINK to your entry. Send the email to kmccaskey#@#geezeo.com, removing #s in this address. NO ATTACHMENTS WILL BE CONSIDERED.

Contest will end midnight, September 1st. Geezeo users will vote on the winning entry. Sorry, no Geezeo employees or family eligible.

Good luck!

Rising gas prices are one more good reason to use public transportation. If more people followed these common courtesies, we’d all be a lot happier!

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Six Tips On How To Commute Well With Others
By Mellissa Seecharan (06/26/08)

It’s no secret gas prices are sky-rocketing, and one of the many ways that people are dealing with it is by joining the growing masses of commuters who are ditching their cars for public transportation. According to the American Public Transportation Association (APTA) Americans took 10.3 billion trips on public transportation in 2007, the highest level in 50 years, representing a 2.1% increase over the previous year. (Their 2008 numbers haven’t come out yet, but considering that the national gas average is currently at $4.06 per gallon, one can safely assume that ridership will continue to soar.)

With this growth, daily commuters can pocket the between $40 and $100 in gas money they save from not filling up the tank (minus the price of the public transportation, of course) - a reward worth taking the bus for.

That mindset is taking hold in cities across the country. In Detroit, commuters on city buses rose seven percent. New Jersey Transit ridership increased 5% during the first three months of 2008, while subway use in New York City jumped 6.8% throughout January and February.
The growth of public transportation use coincides with news that fewer Americans are hitting the road, according to a report by Cambridge Energy Research Associates. April marked the sixth consecutive month that driving mileage declined. Americans drove 1.8% fewer miles compared to last year, a rate that is continuing to decline.

Although the idea of taking a train or bus may hit a germaphobic nerve with some, it’s actually a relaxing mode of transportation if you know the basic rules.

MAINSTREET’S TIPS ON HOW TO COMMUTE WELL WITH OTHERS:

1. ALWAYS HAVE AN IPOD/CD PLAYER/NEWSPAPER/BOOK HANDY
Nothing passes time better than listening to your favorite band or reading the day’s news. But remember that expensive electronic devices may attract unwanted attention, so don’t flaunt that $300 iPod Touch.

2. BE COURTEOUS
Passengers don’t often take others into consideration, but if you do your ride will be a lot smoother. Don’t take up multiple seats or block the aisle. And, try to limit cell phone calls. Other riders are not interested in what you’re doing over the weekend.

3. KEEP TO YOURSELF
A nosey person will always ruin a good time, even if it’s a bus ride. Avoid reading over the shoulder of another passenger, staring at people or getting into altercations of any kind.

4. KNOW WHERE YOU’RE GOING
No one likes to be held up by a misinformed or clueless person, so map out your destination beforehand. Holding up the bus to ask the driver for help will only earn you dirty looks from other riders.

5. SIT CLOSE TO AN EXIT, IN CASE IT GETS PACKED
During rush hour, buses tend to fill up pretty quickly and the middle is the last place you want to be sitting or standing. Just make sure you’re near the front or rear exits because pushing through a wall of people is the last thing you want to do on a sweltering summer day.

And, last, but not least…

6. IGNORE THE CRAZY PEOPLE
Most of the time, you can put up with the guy talking to himself, but for those rare occasions when you can’t handle the insanity, just move.

Have a story about taking public transportation? Tell us about it!

Related Links:
Five Lessons From ‘Mileage Misers’ On How To Beat High Gas Prices
Gas Busters: Top Five Vacation Cities Where You Don’t Need a Rental Car
Gas Tank Math: Where Do Your Wheels Rate