Public Transit Foils my Zero Spending Day, Kicks Me When I’m Down

Posted on January 17, 2011 3 Comments

Well dang. I thought I was about to have a great zero spending day. Instead, a last-minute $10 fare card, road construction, and a few slippery sidewalks conspired to turn my perfect spending day into an expensive, treacherous commute home.

See, I usually take a shuttle bus from my office to the Metra (suburban) train station. [We have two train systems in Chicago - the Metra and the CTA, totally different systems and stations.] Today, though, inspired by the balmy 34 degree weather, I decided to walk to the train station. The walk takes about 45 minutes; I thought I could cut it down to 40 if I hustled. I was wrong.

It was drizzling when I stepped outside — that should have been my first omen; I should have just got on the shuttle and taken my usual route. Still, I wanted to walk, to get some fresh air, and despite the slushy, slippery, and wet sidewalks, managed to make good time, even slowing down a beat to admire the dazzling view from under Trump Tower.

Alas, with 15 minutes to go until my train departed the station, I realized I had made a fatal mistake: the road I needed to cross to reach the train station is currently closed for several blocks due to  a massive construction project. To make my train, I’d either need to cab it or reroute and take an alternate route home. I chose the latter, and hopped on the CTA Green Line, only noticing on the platform that my fare card was at home, and I had no singles in my wallet [the two train systems use different fare cards; I was carrying a monthly for the Metra, not the CTA].

And so, since I had no time to wait around an extra hour to catch the next Metra, as a CTA train rapidly approached, I panicked and shoved a $10 bill into the machine, effectively ending my zero spend day. The kicker? By the time I got to Oak Park, the temperature had dropped just enough to turn the lovely drizzle into sheets of ice when it hit the ground. I totally wiped out just outside the el stop, legs came up from under me and I landed on my knee and hip IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET in a giant freezing puddle. The rest of the walk home was miserable, of course. It took me probably 20 minutes to walk what I usually cover in four, I slipped on ice like eight times, and my gloves and pants were soaked.

I’m pretty sure the budgeting gods were having a laugh at my expense.

The joke’s on them, though; I’m going to try for a spend free day again tomorrow. I know I can do it! And this time, I’m taking the shuttle and my regular train.

Category: Money

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