5 ways to save money on parking costs

Everything associated with parking upsets me. Firstly, there’s the hassle of finding a park. In city streets, this becomes a matter of divine intervention and brutal disregard of your fellow humans. In parking lots, it’s a question of being able to overcome the confusion and terror that seems inherent in the carpark layout.

Then there’s the matter of actually parking. Having successfully achieved my full license having made only one reverse park in my life (that of the actual driving test), some spots prove too much for my parallel abilities. On top of that, I seem to have some kind of spatial awareness problem, resulting in scratches, dents and many tears in several different carparks.

If that wasn’t enough, they want to make you pay for the privilege of this horrible experience. If it were a couple of dollars here and there, I could overlook the insult but parking fees (and fines when I choose to ignore the fees) end up a huge amount of money, especially if you need to park for several hours.

So how can you save money on parking?

 

Don’t drive

That’s right people. I thought I should start with the obvious. Parking in the city is a nightmare, so why not hitch a ride on a bus or a train and pay $2, not $25? If needs be, you can drive from your house and leave the car at a transport hub and save yourself money that way.

Embrace your own two feet

I’ve been known to walk a long way to avoid paying for parking. Such Meccas do exist, and you would do well to investigate where they can be found. Sure it takes you a bit longer, but a little bit of walking can’t hurt and you’ll save yourself a couple of dollars every day, so your wallet can stop hurting too.

Know your freebies

Lots of car parks have special deals- say, the first three hours are free. Use these whenever you can. You can only use them once a day (so, the driving around the block and reentering routine may not work so well) but it’ll save you a lot of money, especially if you can manage to get your business down in under three hours and then hightail it without having to spend a cent.

Check student rates

This won’t work for all of us, but if you’re a student, chances are the carpark near to your university will offer you a discount on all-day parking.

For Sydney University students, parking at Broadway is $10 for an entire day, which is ridiculously cheap in the current climate. Asking for students discounts is always a money saver, as it is sure to pay off at some point.

Move it

If you’ve got a 1hr parking spot for free, then don’t leave the car there for several hours. Some days you get lucky, and no one books you, but the cost of a parking fine is huge and will add up over the years. Move the car within the allotted time and you’ll end up saving a fair amount of money.

Try and avoid the temptation of alluring bus stops and ‘no stopping’ signs- they are there to tease you, and you might as well accept that.

How do you save money on parking?

Do you find it to be an expense that can be eliminated?