Living Car Free - I am thinking of giving up my car due to..

...the sad fact that I can not afford to pay my upcoming car insurance. I have been squeezed and juiced by EVERY industry that I have come into contact with including my new job and I just can not pay everyone with one income.My mortgage just went up, I have unfortunatly, credit card bills, life insurance, Electric just keeps rising, my recent ER visit was supposed to be covered by our insurance that we already pay 250.00 a month for but guess what?? it wasn't and I owe them $500, It keeps coming and coming.With the price of gas the way it is I guess this is a great time to do it,however, I am very nervous about this. My new job can not clear me medicaly due to high blood pressure that is under a physcians care but not yet regulated. I will not be able to start working to pay all these bills till it does get under control. Yet, more reasons to raise the BP.

Our family will not be with out a car however since my husband has to have a car for work. Since I can not afford the payment that is due in Sept, if I give up my car I actually get money back. I own a 2003 Chrysler Voyager and it is a family car, I am thinking of taking his off the road and switching cars but his is cheaper to insure due to his being older. I was planning on commuting to work anyways once I start because I thought I was going to have these ungodly hours and wanted to keep myself going. My older son is in school and takes the bus. His school is about 2-3miles away.I have one son at home (2yo). Walmart and/or many other stores are well within a good riding distance 2-4 miles as well as my job. Doctors on the other hand aren't,they are more like 15-20.

I read this forum and think you all are so cool and brave and how I would like to be like you one day, but I thought it would have been easier to wait till my kids were more independant. What do you think? What are some things I am not thinking about that I should consider? Should I go for it or should I put the bill on a credit card and hope that the job starts me soon. It will be a couple of weeks at best at this point anyways. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks.

I think that if his car is cheaper to insure, you could ditch the family car. Unless his car is a whole lot smaller, can it not fit your whole family? Doctors can still be visited with your bf's car, or perhaps even a cab (trust me, cab fare doesn't come close to car ownership).

Who knows, maybe getting rid of the hurdle of additional car payments, coupled with walking/cycling more will drop your BP faster. :)

Anyhow, the decision still rests on you, perhaps there are reasons why the family car is needed. We don't have the whole picture.

i sold my car a year ago. i dont have kids that might make it tough,my brother has a 2 year old she loves the bike carrier, he also has a car, his wife has the car most of the time, so him and his daughter ride the bike.car payments suck. i recently started two bike based buisness, i could have never done this with a car payment,up keep,gas and insurance.i also have way to many credit card bills ,the money you save on gas alone in a month could make your credit card bill. could riding a bike lower your blood pressure? dont try and do it all right away take your time you will figure how to make it work.

could riding a bike lower your blood pressure?


It is for me, slowly but surely.

Riding a bike for many of your trips is a great idea. However, if you find that you need to get places faster than with a bike, if you cannot arrive all sweaty, or if your health prevents you from riding a bike, you should also consider a scooter. Many models are relatively inexpensive, are cheap to insure, and get over 65mpg. They can travel as fast as a car in the city, and many can carry more than one passenger.

I calculated that I would save over $1000 a year by replacing one of our cars with a scooter for 8 months of the year.

We don't have car payments. Our 2003 car is paid off and my husband's current car is old. This can be a temporary solution or it could turn into a more than permanant one. Not sure yet. I am still throwing it around. I wonder if it would be traumatic for my five year old? Also, the doctor has told me that exercise is very good for BP but sadly it has not worked for me. She has encouraged me not to stop and informed me on what to look for when I am exercising so I don't have a heart attack.

Pattelapedler: It took me a while (3 months) before exercise started having an effect on my bp.

Regardless of it or not, moderate exercise WILL help you all around.

Pattelapedler: It took me a while (3 months) before exercise started having an effect on my bp.

Regardless of it or not, moderate exercise WILL help you all around.

Word. Please don't get all puritanical, push yourself too hard, too soon and expect results in a matter of weeks. This whole thing about getting rid of the car and becoming more in tune w/ life at a slower pace is not some sort of simplistic new age thinking like some of the mainstream believe -- it takes time, and the rewards (health-wise, financially, etc) often take a longer time than we imagine to materialize.

I'm car free but my boyfriend isn't. We need his car for transporting him, me and his daughter. It's just a matter of being good at organizing time in order to be car free. Like, planning car needed things for all in one day and renting a car for that whole day or using the one family car. You can get a bike with a seat for the 2-year old and use hubby's car or rent a car for doctor's apts for the kids, maybe even planning the whole family to get their apts all at once to get them over with. Or, what about getting a smaller, cheaper family car?

I'm big on you doing the bike riding as a way to show the kids starting from a young age how important being active is. Plus, when the kids get a bit older, it can turn into a bike riding adventure, with all of you taking a bike ride to the store.

Whatever happens, I hope it works all out. I'm definitely enjoying a little extra money in my pocket since I gave up my car.

Oh and by car payment, I meant insurance, license renewal, gas, repairs and value depreciation.

"What do you think? What are some things I am not thinking about that I should consider? Should I go for it..." Go for it. My first week without a car scared me a bit, I had bad luck, rain and flat tire in the same day. You can search the commuter and this forum for tons of tips.

Word. Please don't get all puritanical, push yourself too hard, too soon and expect results in a matter of weeks. This whole thing about getting rid of the car and becoming more in tune w/ life at a slower pace is not some sort of simplistic new age thinking like some of the mainstream believe -- it takes time, and the rewards (health-wise, financially, etc) often take a longer time than we imagine to materialize.


Yes, this is what I find as well. I used to want results to happen way too soon, and because of this I have failed with exercise many times over...

This journey to health I'm on now is on its 3rd year now, and I keep seeing and feeling the improvement. I got accustomed to the fact that this will take a long time, and I'm simply content with the journey. I figured slow and steady will pay in the end, because you can make it into a lifetime habit.

If you sell the car you will loose money if you end up realizing you need it and have to buy a new one. I'd suggest letting it sit unused for a while before you sell it if you possibly can. That said, if you can't afford it then you can't afford it. Better to cut back now than force yourself into bankruptcy down the road. Only you can decide. Don't romanticize living without a car. It's just another lifestyle, one that may or may not suit you.

Nationwide, there are probably a few hundred families who realized just today that they can't afford to run one or more of their cars. They face some hard choices. Some will try to earn more money, some will cut back in other areas, some will go further into debt, and some will try to figure out how to get by without one or more cars. For people in the last group, I hope our little forum here will offer plenty of support and encouragement.

As a basic guide, supporting a car is like supporting another person who has expensives tastes. The AAA estimates the average American is putting $8k a year into owning their car, and that means they have to earn about $13k (because of taxes) to get that 8k.

Getting rid of the car is a much better choice than working yourself to death trying to pay for it. Get rid of the thing! You'll still have your husband's car. And biking is good for you, you'll like it! Just don't push yourself too hard at first.

Nationwide, there are probably a few hundred families who realized just today that they can't afford to run one or more of their cars. They face some hard choices. Some will try to earn more money, some will cut back in other areas, some will go further into debt, and some will try to figure out how to get by without one or more cars. For people in the last group, I hope our little forum here will offer plenty of support and encouragement.

I was one of those few hundred people a little over four years ago. It amazes me how many people are loaded with credit cards have cars. It just seems like the two go together and that's what bankrupts millions each year as Americans have the most expensive transportation system in the world. The motorcar.

Unfortunately, I did not have the forum when making the decision to go car free.

If you sell the car you will loose money if you end up realizing you need it and have to buy a new one. Don't romanticize living without a car. It's just another lifestyle, one that may or may not suit you.


"If you sell the car you will loose money if you end up realizing you need it and have to buy a new one." <- Not necessarily true for two reasons, the replacement may cost less and she'll save money in the mean time.

"Don't romanticize living without a car." <- Why not? Liberation from her problem seems like something to romanticize about. It will feel great when she acquires the extra income and health and time.

"It's just another lifestyle, one that may or may not suit you." <- It is not just another lifestyle, it is the most common way of life on the planet. For someone having problems with a car constrained lifestyle to free themselves into something better is wonderful. For the majority of humans it isn't a big deal to live car free because they've never known anything else, for those of us who were once bound up in it though, as is the originator of this thread, it is a big deal.

I thought the artist known as _______ (Post # 8) put it well -- improvements in your life and health will come gradually but they will come. How many miles/minutes a day would you be riding? Have you checked this with your doctor?

As for your kids, I doubt if they will be traumatized. Most kids love bikes, and when your's are old enough they can ride along with you. One nice thing about being a child is that your own family will always seem normal to you, even if they don't seem so normal to other people. :)

(1) I don't think it's a "few hundred" who've found they can't afford the costs of keeping a car or 2nd car, I think it's in the millions, US-wide

(2) Yeah keep your car for a while, a month or two or three, and do without. You'll know by the end of 3 months whether you can do this.

(3) There are hardly any human beings who can't at least bicycle at a walking pace. At a walking pace, on a "cruiser" type sitting-upright bicycle, with a decent low gearing, you're using very little energy. Much less than a walking person, so that a 1/2 hour on it won't tire you out they way 1/2 hour actual walking will. This is a great "on ramp" for those who are overweight, unfit in general, or psychologically unprepared to ride a bike quickly. Gradually you'll work into it. In reality, what feels like a "walking pace" on a bike is more like a jogging pace or even a runner's pace. So don't worry about it, get a nice comfy bike and ride and smile!

The replacement will cost more if the poster takes any decent care of her car. If she does a shatty job and sells it to a schmuck, then buys a well maintained car it might be a wash. There's the cost of advertising, time to meet people, etc.

If you can't imagine life with a car you are no better than those that can't imagine life without one. Get over yourself and realize that it's a lifestyle choice, not a religion. Some people have them some don't. Just like a house or kids. It's a choice. Decide which option you want to live with.

I don't have a car, but realize that it's just because it is the most convenient and sensible choice right now.

[QUOTE=laurenGet over yourself and realize that it's a lifestyle choice, not a religion. Some people have them some don't. Just like a house or kids. It's a choice. Decide which option you want to live with.
[/QUOTE]
It was a good choice for me that I should have made much earlier and might have if I'd had an encouraging community. However, it is NOT a choice for most car free people. It is not an option. If you've never travelled to places like Africa, or Asia, find an immigrant and ask him or her "Can most of the people in your home country afford to own a private automobile?" or "Can most of the people in your home country afford to live like americans?" I can't believe you when you assert that the people I've seen in other countries could be driving cars if they choose to. They also don't live in houses as we know them, again it is not by choice that they live in shanties. But the person who began this thread may be more like us who have a choice and may become like me and realize that dumping the car is a good choice. I'm getting ready to ride home in the rain, its fun. I still can't get over how cool it is to breeze along getting places on my bike and not having a car. Every year without a car is better than the previous one.

It's quite possible that the original poster has some degree of choice in whether to keep or get rid of that car. However, as I read patellapedler's post, there are pressing economic considerations that weigh into the decision. I expect an increasing number of formerly middle-class people to find themselves in a similar position. At some point, to talk about all the advantages of car ownership or how reluctant we would be to give up our own vehicle starts to sound a bit like "if the people have no bread, let them eat cake".

If fuel prices stay high, I can certainly see more families getting by with one less car. Thus, some individuals may have to get around by alternate means even if the family still owns a car.

The reason I am doing it is not because I ABSOLUTELY love the idea!! It makes me nervous having a 2yo at home and no emergency outlet. I am doing it because I can not afford to have/keep it untill I start bringing home a paycheck. However, it makes me feel good to know I am contributing less to the gas/oil crisis that has all car owners ball and chained because I DON'T HAVE to HAVE that problem. I am in a situation where I could probably get by without it. It makes me feel good to know that some people do it as a choice and I have a place where I can go to get answers to some of my questions. I expressed my fears here to get some ideas of what I wasn't looking at. Sometimes I have the tendency not to look at the whole picture. My blood pressure is what is holding me back right now from getting hired(and getting the paycheck I need) and that is causeing STRESS as well as the finacial burdens of these times along with some past bad choices. My doctor has said that exercise is GREAT for helping lowering BP and has encouraged it. I told both my doctors where I was in my exercise regime and they both advised me to continue with it.

To sell the car would probably get me out of most of my debt and leave me with some money to buy a beater but I am not ready to go that route yet so the car will sit for a few months even after I start working. I planned on commuting with my bike anyways because I like to bike and be active so it would be a small savings on gas.

My son was told, he didn't really have any reaction. As for the 2yo, he won't have any problems at all, he will absolutely love it! Now I just have to find a trailer I can afford.

Thanks for everyones input.

If you have a second car for longer trips there's nothing that should stop you. You won't be totally car free, just a one car family like 90% of the world. Only in the last 10-15 years and only in this country has everyone had to have 2 cars.

I think it would be a great example to your kids. Showing them that you can live without some things and that a bit of work and a bit of sacrifice are worth lots.

I swear if i went back in time to the days where i was struggling to make rent and living off of brown rice and beans and 2nd day bagels... i'd be car free in a second. It's amazing how expensive owning, maintaining and driving really is.

Look at it this way... Add the car payment, weekly gas costs, oil changes, all the maintenence costs last year, car washes etc, car insurance, parking costs at work or home, highway tolls and anything else you can think of. Divide by 12. In many cases you'll come up with a number high enough that you could rent a car 2-3 weeks every month. And still save money.
So if you need a second car for a week, rent one.

I am still amazed at the sheer numbers of people who are now priced out of the choice of car ownership. I was raised in an enviroment of choosing to drive or not, not being pushed the notion of car ownership on me. We (my family of origin) owned just one car at a time and that car was small (think classic Mini Cooper) and stick shifted instead of automatic.

The only time that I was really hassled about my choice of vehicle (whether bike or small car) was when some potential employer wanted someone to own a car outright rather than use another form of transport for my own "safety" rather than for my other talents offered. These jobs were usually low pay at the time, no health care insurance offered, bad working enviroment, and all around negative feeling about that workplace. I would not even let a dog work there much less me or my child. Choice is the key here, not car liscense.

I figure that unless i'm driving for my employer it's none of their buisness what i drive. If they need me to haul stuff in a truck then that's the job, a truck driving job.
Otherwise what i drive today tomorrow or next week is an independant question. Any an employer requiring you to drive 'for your own safety' is silly. Show that driving is safer for one thing, and can they tell you what to eat at home, what sports to do on your days off, where to live? Ridiculous.
And the argument that they can require a car is also ridiculous. (Unless it's a delivery job.) Do they require a new car? What about an older car? A two seater? Sports car or convertible? Drive a jeep without doors?

So in this persons case, you do have a reliable car. One for the family but they don't need to know that. If you drive "your" car or your husbands car or a rental car or a clown car... as long as you punch in on time it's none of thier buisness.

And if someone asks if i have reliable transportation i just say yes. If they ask about the make and model i ask why thats important. If i'm without car i'll just tell them that i'm between leaseing and buying this week or just sold a used car and am buying new then divert the quetion and ask what they drive.

Personally there are employers that tend to abusivly control their employees and those that don't. For the ones that do, forget it, i'll work somewhere else.
(And even if you work for the Government you can ride a bike to work.)

Giving up your car is a no-brainer. You are simply scared about it because you are surrounded by car addicts. American society is a car addicted.

You will be invigorated by the improvements in your helath as well as the incredible feelings of independance knowing you can get around without depending on gas, oil companies, car bills, insurance payments, etc etc etc.

A bike, some panniers, and a simple trailer will replace your car just fine. You'll have less stress, more money, and will ENJOY life more. That's why I call this a no-brainer.

Just do it.

Thank you Becnal- That is what I thought as well and might be what I needed to hear.


I appreciate everyone's thoughts.

So far getting close, or there, to 2 months carless and lovin' it!

I'd had about 3 car rentals planned by now, but actually not done one. Skipped an electronics swapmeet I'd been planning to rent a car for (Livermore) but from what I hear livermore's suckin' wind these days so skipped it, was planning to rent a car to take a bunch of stuff to De Anza to sell then as the time got closer realized the $ I'd get for the stuff would not cover much more than the car rental, so I gave tbe stuff away - and got a "warm fuzzy" seeing people carry it off! And took the bike trailer to the swapmeet and just bought stuff.

I will need a rental car to go to Pacificon, but frankly I don't see a reason to go to Pacificon unless I have some new product to show off and get a booth for, and unless I really get working on something that's probably not going to happen.

If I wake up tomorrow morning with a wild desire to go hang out in Napa Valley for a week, or see Huntington Beach again, sure I'll rent a car and do it. But interestingly so far this has not happened. (In the case of Napa Valley, I really ought to go see the place again, drum up some biz and make it a paying trip hehe.)

In the meantime, on the bike, there are so many interesting places I'm going and seeing! Touring clubs rule!

I find in California trains make it convenient to hop on, along with bike, and extend your bike's riding range significantly. Making the need for a car far less likely.. Trains are pretty bike friendly. I just used the train/bike to ride about Oregon..
Seems from Emeryville to Bonica, you would find it pretty easy to bike to the north end of Napa and back. A car. Why?

You can try raising the deductable (I assume yours is at $300 or so?) and dropping comprehensive insurance if you have it. Bare insurance on my car is $1200CDN or so, add in the comprehensive, etc etc and suddenly I was at about $5k CDN a year for insurance. If you still need a car, then that can be one way to do it. Also reinsure it as pleasure only if youre not using it for work but need to keep it.

Or if youre going to take it off the road and store it, make SURE to get storage insurance on it. Very cheap, $25CDN/month for me I think, and youll be covered in case of theft, fire, etc.

Instead of advising you how to keep your car, here's some advice on how to get along just fine without a car...

Get some kind of 'hybrid' bike, like a tourer or city bike. The tires are wider than racing bikes (better traction) but thinner than mountain bikes (less road resistance)

You need a rack on the bag tire to support a pair of bags. Bags can be had for a bare minimum of expense. You'll need the panniers (bike bags) for things like shopping and such.

If your household is completely carless, than it would be good to get a trailer as well to transport big things like coolers and cases of beer or milk or whatever. If you got one car though, the trailer isn't necessay.

My wife and I are completely carless, and the trailer is a godsend.

You'll save a lot of money not owning the second car (not just insurance!), so its probably a good thing to try regardless. If it doesn't end up working out for you you could always buy another used car later. As for which car to get rid of (yours or your husbands) weigh the factors (resale value of the car, practicality of the car for the whole family etc.) and then if you end up keeping YOUR car, can't you just transfer the ownership to your husbands name to lower the cost of the insurance?

I'm sure your son will have fun in the bike trailer. As for emergencies, is there either usable public transit where you live, or taxis? That way if you need to go to the doctor and the car is out then you could take a taxi.

Does your husband need the car to get TO work, or while at work? If its just to work, depending on the distance, you could drop him off at work and pick him up again on days when you need to go somewhere a car would be useful. Or if he needs the car only some days you could work it out for appointments.

The key to car-free ness by using a bicycle is always having a backup plan. What if the weather is too nasty/ cargo is too huge/ bike breaks down and you need to get somewhere asap etc. which may be a taxi, kind neighbour/family member, transit. Taxis are expensive but if you use them once a month, much cheaper than car ownership :)

We are soon moving to Europe where my wife is enrolling in school...So my plans at living a one car life is about to come true..She gets the car. I get the bike...Hope to lose more weight. But will have to get used to cycling in the rain..A mostly new experience to me.

Patellapedlar: You will be fine with one car. Take a cab whenever you feel like it....the thousands of dollars a year in car ownership savings will make it very affordable. Get fenders for your bike for light rain days, and take the bus to work in really bad weather conditions if convenient. Keep the smaller, cheaper car as the family car....the number of times you actually "need" a minivan is tiny, and when you do, rent one or take a cab. Minivan carrying capacity is illusory...most smaller cars still seat 5, and the actual luggage space in a minivan is hardly more than a sedan's trunk, since most of the extra interior space is around your head and shoulders, not in the back, and you can get a trailer or a roof carrier, and learn to pack light for longer trips. Minivans may be safer than a small car in a head-on or T-bone collision, but they may also be more dangerous in many other situations such as slippery road conditions, sharp veering, soft shoulder contact, blow-outs, roll-overs, etc. You say stores and work are 2-4 miles? If only 2 miles, that's actually very walkable as well as rideable. When it's next time to move, pick an urban site with ready access to shopping, health care and public transit.
Don't slip into the false belief that only losers can't afford two cars. As an MD I suppose my family could afford two cars, but we choose to have one, and that's only because my wife wants it...I'd be happy to go car-free (I think!). Of course we live near the centre of a city and have bus and subway service close at hand.
The truth is that nobody can afford two cars...some people just haven't realized it yet!
Robert

So far getting close, or there, to 2 months carless and lovin' it!

I'd had about 3 car rentals planned by now, but actually not done one. Skipped an electronics swapmeet I'd been planning to rent a car for (Livermore) but from what I hear livermore's suckin' wind these days so skipped it, was planning to rent a car to take a bunch of stuff to De Anza to sell then as the time got closer realized the $ I'd get for the stuff would not cover much more than the car rental, so I gave tbe stuff away - and got a "warm fuzzy" seeing people carry it off! And took the bike trailer to the swapmeet and just bought stuff.

I will need a rental car to go to Pacificon, but frankly I don't see a reason to go to Pacificon unless I have some new product to show off and get a booth for, and unless I really get working on something that's probably not going to happen.

If I wake up tomorrow morning with a wild desire to go hang out in Napa Valley for a week, or see Huntington Beach again, sure I'll rent a car and do it. But interestingly so far this has not happened. (In the case of Napa Valley, I really ought to go see the place again, drum up some biz and make it a paying trip hehe.)

In the meantime, on the bike, there are so many interesting places I'm going and seeing! Touring clubs rule!I'm glad you're so happy with your decision, Eno. I was struck by how much being carfree has "leaked" into other areas of your life, changing your priorities, attitudes and desires about seemingly unrelated areas -- usually for the better!

I think the job is going to go through, but we are still going to give up one of the cars. I think it is going to be his car since it is older and mine might be a bit better on gas in the long run. We have been discussing different scenarios and how we are going to go about dealing with it. Even though the paychecks are gonna start to roll in, I am very excited about this idea. I feel a bit liberated actually. There is a gas station on my corner, and when we left this afternoon it was PACKED OUT!! Gas is up to 3.00$ RIDICULOUS!! I hear there is going to be a shortage and I guess that is what all the hub bub is about. Tennessee is now only letting you fill up with 10 gallons. Just crazy stuff. I need to find some panniers and a child trailer fast!!

Thanks for everyones support, it makes me feel good.

Apropos of this discussion, today from my porch I saw a guy go by on a hybrid with a trail a bike and a trailer, and a kid on each. He was spinning in a low gear, and encouraging the older child to pedal to help him, but in a jovial way...he didn't seem to be having any difficulty towing this caravan. I thought of asking him about his situation so I could report to these forums, but he was gone before I acted. Then I saw a lady with a kid on a trail-a-bike coming the other way and they were all excited and chattering about having seen the first guy.
Robert

Roody I've just become better at flying under the radar of the PC Police here.

I am getting rid of my car this week and I am a bit scared to do it. The car donation company called yesterday and I postponed the pick up until next week, but I will get rid of it. I am a bit scared to do it, but the recent hike in gas prices and saving for a vacation has really pushed me to get rid of the car.

My motto as of late has been, "Just do it already!". There are so many things I've been putting off or think I can't do for some reason, and I've learned that doing anything with a big change just takes the courage to do it. It could be something trivial or something big, but either you can do it and you can manage.

So, I say do it. I'm doing it and I'm bit scared to be without a car, but my boyfriend still has one so if it's needed, it will be there. Yet, I'll be saving at least $80 a month in expenses of a car, not to mention I won't have to renew the vehicle and get inspection (which costs about $100 a year).

I'll be saving at least $80 a month in expenses of a car
Are you sure? That's about $1000/yr. Should be saving more than that. Most people spend $4000-8000 per year on their car, although a big part of that is simple depreciation and sounds like your car is old enough that that doesn't apply. Still - Insurance? Maintainance? Parking? Lube and filter? New battery? There are probably lots of savings you didn't take into account.
Robert

Does your insurance company cut way back on your monthly bill if you put your car away for a couple of months? You could do that, if you have a garage. Then it would be there just in case you change your mind, and you can save alot of money in the meantime.