I live in the Metro Detroit area, and while Detroit itself tends to get an unfairly bad rap, the views on the surrounding areas tend to go right along with it. We actually have some of the nicest suburbs in the entire country, after all Oakland County is one of the wealthiest. Don’t believe me, consider all of the auto executive money floating around, the number of Fortune 500 headquarters we have throughout the area, and even the sheer number of atheletes that live in the area. Do an internet search of the country clubs in the metro area and that will highlight it even more. My point being, because of the highly desirable areas to choose from we have created quite the suburban sprawl out here. This has created numerous issues for all of us in metro Detroit.
The issues you ask, are wide ranging. Due to suburban sprawl, and partially because of a dominant auto industry, we have never really taken advantage of a healthy public transportation system. This means that we in the state of Michigan are handcuffed to gasoline prices and fuel economy more than you will ever know. I used to work in Downtown Detroit, which was about a 40 mile drive for me, and a lot of stop and go traffic during the winter. I loved working down there, but refused to live there. This created quite the burden when it came to how much I spent on gasoline each month.
Fast forward several years later and I work about 10 miles from my house, and not only that, 9.5 miles my commute is all free way. I also live close to my friends, my parents, and my wifes parents, which means less driving on a social level as well. Gas prices tend to bounce up and down throughout the year, but they will never be back to the days of less than $3.00 a gallon, so we need to stop complaining and start solving the problem. Remember the world’s economy revolves around the law of supply and demand. Lessen the need and demand for oil, and you increase the supply, which in turn will actually lower the gas prices.
Hopefully this simple advice can help you save a few dollars, and perhaps hold off on bankruptcy a little longer ;)Â In all seriousness, if you find yourself close to bankruptcy, look for other options such as Debt Free Direct bankruptcy advice, they have alternatives to help you avoid destroying your credit history as well available lines of credit.
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