Carpooling Helps the Environment, Saves You Cash

As gas-guzzling consumers, there aren't very many ways to fight back against these oppressive prices. Folks have tried to organize "Don't Buy Gas On This Day" days - but get real. You are just going to put more money in the companies pocket the next day.

About the only way to stick it to the man - the man being rich oil executives both here and abroad - is to consider carpooling.

It's really easier than it sounds - more than likely, there is someone that lives near you commuting to the same place or near the same place where you work. Why take two cars when you can take one, possibly getting to use the carpool lane on the freeway if your area has those?

I didn't like the idea or carpooling at first - I'm not a very outgoing person, and I'm not much of a morning person. My 30-minute commute is when I listen to my favorite talk radio station, sing to myself, and ingest large amounts of caffeine in a usually futile attempt to get myself "with it" before I get to the office.

But now I'm biting the bullet - carpooling for me means having to get up about 30 minutes earlier so I can start my routine and not have to subject my carpool buddy to my singing or dancing. It also means I'm spending half of what I was on gas, taking home on average $90 a month more than I was before. An extra $1000 a year may not seem like much to some people, but for me, that's enough to get football tickets to see my Arkansas State Indians play every single week and pay for most of the gas to the games, so that's a good enough reason for me to carpool.

Now, if we could find a few more folks from work who want to commute with us and split the gas prices, you can really see the savings start to add up. We might even save enough money to quit our jobs and start a Journey cover band.

We're still looking.

There are other reasons to ditch the one-man commute and load down one car with your co-workers. I found for me that it's easier for me to wake up in the mornings when I have someone to talk to. I've completely cut back by morning singing ritual to just one run through the chorus of "Time Warp" and occasionally a few Meatloaf tunes.

Of course, taking two or more cars off can only help our environment. If you could find a co-worker to carpool with that has a hybrid vehicle, you'll be helping the environment so much that you might be featured in an Al Gore documentary.

All in all, driving is as American as apple pie, and it is hard to give it up.

But money is more American than apple, and that's what you'll have more of if you start carpooling.