A funny thing happened during the four years my husband and I spent living in the Midwest (after spending our first 25 on the East Coast): automatic toll-paying gadgets started showing up on windshields. We first noticed this new phenomenon during our first year back on the East Coast (then in New Jersey) when we became aware of all these cars with weird, white squares on their windshields. What the heck were those? And then we noticed all of these people zipping through the tolls in this funky purple “EZ Pass-only” lane. What the hell was EZ Pass? Finally, we put two-and-two together.

In my mind EZ Pass is the best invention for drivers since the cup holder or in-the-car CD player. As soon as we figured out what EZ Pass was, we had to have it.

We got ours through New York State’s EZ Pass program, and we never looked back–and never had to slow down or stop to pay cash for a toll. Not only did EZ Pass speed up our trips, but it allowed us to avoid unnecessary idling and to enjoy discounts on toll fees. For example, a toll that normally would cost drivers $8 costs EZ Pass owners $6 only–that is, if you’re driving during off-peak hours. Even if you had to drive at rush hour, your time is most definitely worth the non-discounted price. You’d probably burn that $2 in gas waiting in line to pay your toll the old fashioned way.

From what I can tell, EZ Pass was originally a New York thing. Then it expanded to New Jersey, Pennsylvania–even the I-95 corridor down to Virginia. (This interactive map shows you the locations that accept EZ Pass.)

The best part is EZ Pass technology doesn’t limit you to automatic toll-paying when you’re driving through non-EZ Pass tolls. For example, this past summer, when driving to Maine, we used EZ Pass in the “Fast Lane” tolls on the Mass Pike (that’s the Massachusetts Turnpike or I-90 for folks not familiar with New England). In fact, this Fast Lane webpage lists all of the toll plazas, parking garages and highway systems that accept these toll-paying transponders like EZ Pass–unbelievably there are 22 such places as far west as Illinois.

Unfortunately, Florida isn’t one of these places, and considering how many East Coasters and Northerners travel to Florida each year, it’s a shame that you can’t use your EZ-Pass or any other toll-paying transponder in the Sunshine State. No, you’ve got to cough up the cash for your tolls or invest in a Florida-only Sun Pass.

Florida glitches aside, I believe that for families that have to travel by car a lot and across state lines, using bridges, tunnels and toll roads, EZ Pass is a lifesaver and a money-saver, too. That’s why I’m giving EZ Pass a Suddenly Frugal Seal of Approval.

Now that the accolades are done, let me tell you about what happened to my external EZ Pass when I went deer “hunting” with my SUV. It wasn’t pretty–and neither the deer nor the EZ Pass survived. Nuff said.