Ok. Convince me to bike.
I don't know where this craziness has come from, but after reading MMM's Electric Bike blog entry, it somehow niggled its way into my brain and I think maybe I *could* do this. Convince me it's financially worthwhile, and that I can "man up" to the challenge (I'm a girl, but still…)
Here's my situation:
-No debt, working on building a 10k EF, then after that my goal is 50k for downpayment. I have about 3k in savings now, I'm saving roughly $600/month.
-I own a 2011 Mini Cooper outright. I do need to keep a car, I routinely travel to my parents' house (90 minutes away), my sister's house (45 minutes away) and my aunt's house (30 minutes away). I love the Mini, and I'd hate to sell it for something I didn't like as much.
-MapQuest says my commute is around 2.6mi each way, estimating 11-ish minutes by bike. (It also claims I can drive it in 5 minutes, but it takes a good 15, so I'm not sure how much to trust its estimates.) The route is 25mph for the majority, 35mph for a small stretch, and is riddled with stoplights.
-In 2013, I spent $780 on gas, roughly $741 on insurance (my renter's insurance is bundled in, so I'm estimating what I think it costs if I don't count the renter's portion). Thus far in 2014, I've spent $708.39 on gas, roughly $636 on insurance.
-I don't own a bike or any equipment yet.
-I'm a wimp. I truly don't think I can manage biking when it's blizzarding, 11 below zero, pouring down rain, etc.
I know the HEALTH benefits of biking, and for the purposes of this discussion, I'm not all that interested. I'm extremely healthy, fit, thin. I know exercise is a benefit regardless, but it's not going to tip the scales in my decision.
Can I afford to buy a decent (electric?!) bike, and helmet, and whatever other equipment is needed, and suck it up and commute by bike to work enough times to make it "worth it?"