Scooter commuting is saving my sanity

Save Money Commuting by Motorcycle? Not So Fast!

Now this is interesting. I crunched my real-life numbers. It's important to note that I overestimated everything and I assumed gas averaged $2.75/gallon.

I ride generally around 24 weeks a year. I estimated starting May 4 and ending October 16 this year. Some years I ride more than this, depending on the weather on each end.
I fill the tank in my scooter every week and it usually costs right around $3 when I do so because I get mid-grade gas.
So 24 weeks times $3/week for gas is $72 in gas for the whole season. My insurance is around $150 for the year (actually I think it's closer to $130 but I'm not 100% sure on that). I'm overestimating that I spend $100 on oil and maintenance for the scoot every year. That brings everything to $322 for the entire riding season. I've already taken the motorcycle safety course and have all my gear so there are no extra expenditures there.

In the colder months I drive to the train station (4 miles round trip) and take the train in to work. Don't judge me to harshly for not taking the bus to the station or taking the bus all the way -- I'll get into that more later.
It costs me $2.25 per day to ride the train due to discounts from work.
My car supposedly gets around 20 miles per gallon (debatable). If I were to drive/train in instead of scooting during these 24 weeks (480 miles total) it would cost me $66 in gas alone. All that comes to $336 for those 24 weeks, and that's not taking into account any car insurance (which I'd be paying anyway) or maintenance (which I'd be paying anyway). And my car probably doesn't actually get 20 MPG due to its age and condition and the fact that I'm driving in town.

Then there's the matter of time saved. Depending on the stoplights, it take me 10-15 minutes one way to and from work on my scooter. I get home with plenty of time to put Lily's milk in the freezer, feed the cats, let the dog out, and maybe grab a snack before I go pick up Lily. I can leave the house at 6:30 and I usually get home around 4:05 or 4:15. It also means I can have a decent breakfast in the morning at home without getting up at 4:30 AM. When I take the train I have to leave the house around 6:00 and I get home around 4:20 or so. I have to dash around to put the milk away, let the dog out, and feed the screaming cats before I hop in the car to get Lily. If I were to take the bus to the train station or take the bus all the way to work and all the way back I can expect to tack on an additional 20-30 minutes to my commute every day. The time that I save when I ride my scooter is priceless.

On a related note, it will be a happy day when construction on Chicago Avenue is finished and the degenerate 5 bus stops rolling down Portland Avenue.