Free Parking

Here at The Provident PhD we like to offer suggestions that are sometimes specific to student families. Graduate school has many unexpected expenses. For us one of them was the cost of parking at the school. Here at William & Mary, it’s currently $340/year. For most of my time here I went ahead and forked it over, but recently I discovered some free street parking near the school. There are relatively few spots, but since I’m typically at school by 8:00 AM each morning, there are still plenty of spots left.  No, it’s not as convenient has having a pass and the ability to come and go whenever, but I’ll happily sacrifice some convenience for the money. It’s another example of how we should never assume that a cost is inevitable. Even just a little creativity or homework can reveal great alternatives. I wish I had discovered this one earlier.

Certainly other possibilities include getting a ride each day from your family or riding your bike to school, as Jeff suggested here. Bike licenses are typically free, and some schools (including William & Mary’s business school) facilitate this by having lockers and showers available in the building.

A commuting approach somewhere in between the car and the bike is a scooter or moped. We have friends who do this and although they require a parking pass, the pass is half the cost of a car pass.