why i can’t do credit card arbitrage

Yesterday, in an effort to save myself some money, I parked my car on the street. If I parked in the garage, I’d pay $8. On the street I was paying about $3. Save $5, right? Wrong. I parked the car, completely forgot about it. When the $3 was up, the meter ran out, and my car was still sitting there. I remembered several hours later and ran out to my car… to be greeted by the bright pink parking ticket.

$25.

All to save $5.

note: The ticket was placed on my car at 5:45, long after I would have been able to park in the garage for free, and about an hour after the meter had expired.