Ride Public Transit

If your town or city boasts a decent public transportation system, consider leaving your vehicle at home and commuting via bus, light rail, or subway instead. By using public transportation, you'll put fewer miles on your car-saving you money on gas and maintenance-and you'll also avoid those hefty downtown parking rates.

The average commuter who rides public transportation just three days a week would save roughly $1,000 on fuel over the course of a year. Currently, less than 10 percent of commuters who live and work near public transit actually take it. If the number of Americans who take public transportation to work were to increase by just 10 percent, the annual fuel savings would total 300 million gallons per year-equivalent to taking 558,000 cars off the road.

If the fuel and monetary savings are unconvincing, consider this: When individuals' daily activities are rated according to their enjoyability, you can probably guess which activity comes in dead last: Yep, it's commuting. Research suggests that you may actually be able to improve your daily mood by getting out of the traffic and onto the train.