Carson BeachInstead of wasting your hard-earned (or handed-over) money on convenient, security-laden parking on The Peninsula, try parking at Carson Beach in South Boston instead.

For one, it’s a beach. Secondly, it’s free. And C, it’s a seven-minute walk from the JFK/UMASS train station. It doesn’t get much better than that.

To get there, drive north past UMB’s main entrance and stay right going towards South Boston. Watch out for the construction, go straight through the light and follow the signs for Day Blvd. Go past the State Police station, and Carson beach parking lot is on your right.

If that’s full, go down and park in the adjacent lot. That one’s free too. From there, you have two choices: walk to JFK/UMASS for the shuttle (a seven-minute jaunt), or walk the water front past the Bayside Expo Center and through the Harbor Point Apartments (a nearly 20-,minute escapade).

Just don’t take my spot.

JFK LibraryLike an exciting, possibly dangerous spot where the potential to be towed is high? Want to park close to school and not pay for it? Then the JFK Library lot is for you!

Pull in UMB’s main entrance and follow the road past the Campus Center. When it bears left, stay straight and follow it into the expansive (and usually empty) lot. Choose wisely where to park, and keep an eye out for a white Ford Escape with an over-weight, grey-haired ‘security guard’ inside of it.

He’ll tell you to park somewhere else and warn of a possible tow if he spots you, so choose your spot wisely. Make haste towards campus and don’t linger in the lot.

If possible, take the blue Mercedes one day and the green BMW the next in order to keep the authorities off kilter. If you don’t have that luxury, then play it safe and change up your spot on a daily basis.