Bikes save a wad of cash

GAVE AWAY VAN | Dad buys them cheap, family gets used to one car

Sky-high gas prices aren't giving Bill Figel the blues. He's managed to save money by navigating around them. Two years ago he gave the family van to charity and, instead of buying another second car, he invested in bicycles.

"I purchased three bikes from garage sales, fixed them up and use them to commute downtown by train," said the 53-year-old political consultant and president of Chicago-based Figel Public Relations. "After I walk my three kids to school, I bike to the 107th Street station on the Metra Rock Island line. The 9:17 is never on time, but still gets me to my desk downtown before 10 a.m."

He has 10 bikes in his garage now, used by him and his 11-year-old daughter and 10-year-old twins.

"I've never paid more than 10 bucks for a bike," he said. "I'm not ashamed to say that I've garbage-picked bikes, but I've got a pretty good eye for particularly Schwinn frames. People just put them out on the curb. I'll take them, fix them up."

Figel figures he's saved big: $10,000 by not replacing the van, $750 a year on insurance and $50 to $100 a week on gas that would be needed to get him back and forth to the train station and cover other outings.

How has the family reacted to having only one car?

"My wife gets frustrated," he said. "She'd rather have a second car. But the kids seamlessly just kind of bought into this lifestyle because that's how we go to the park, to the Beverly Arts Center for classes like violin classes, to the local grocery store to pick up things. That's how we go to the pool all summer, and so for them, it's just a lifestyle that they kind of were just swept into."

When it comes to saving money, my mantra is: don't buy what you don't need ... with money you don't have!
My first line of attack is the grocery store, because it affects so many other areas where you can save.
1. Shop the discount stores. You can save as much as 50% or more off regular grocery store prices.
2. LOOK in your pantry and on your shelves. I can't tell you how many times I came back from the store with ice cream, only to find a half gallon hiding in the back of my freezer.
3. Make a list and stick to it. You'll be able to estimate your bill and cut out unnecessary purchases.
4. Clean your fridge and freezer! Toss out teeny-weeny portions that won't make a snack or a meal, toss out anything fuzzier than you are, toss out anything that leaks .. . ewwww. By reducing the amount of stuff it must cool, your refrigerator doesn't work as hard, reducing your electric bill.
5. Buy smaller portions of perishables and whatever makes sense. I'd rather buy a half gallon of milk even though the portion quantity is more expensive -- I don't save anything if that gallon spoils before I finish it.
6. Learn to cook! Prepared foods add a bundle to your grocery bill. If you can read and follow directions, you can cook. Start easy. You will also save a bunch on carry out. It's amazing what you can make. I made a tasty hummus dip in the blender with a can of chick peas, some olive oil, a little lemon juice and some handy spices.
7. Read labels for nutrition, and eat healthy. You'll save on doctor bills, diet aids and get your money's worth.
Jan Schippits, Elmhurst