Living Car Free - what do ya wanna bet.........

this little nit wit goes to the gym and hops on the treatmill but yet pees her pants over the fact that gas is so high she must walk 1.1 mile to work after riding on public transport.:eek:....

*****Patricia Brown had never commuted via public transportation until about a year ago, when gas prices hit $3. Now Brown spends one hour and 45 minutes every day on a bus and train, plus another 17 minutes (yes, she’s timed it) walking 1.1 miles from the station to her office.***

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/23637018

She seems pretty level-headed to me. The article continues:

----------------------------

Brown, who lives in Glen Carbon, Ill., said her commute used to take anywhere from 45 minutes to over two hours depending on traffic, and giving up her car has meant sacrificing time at the gym and night classes. But on the plus side, Brown said she’s happy to leave the driving to someone else when the weather gets nasty, while she knits or crochets. The cost savings also have allowed the 63-year-old to stay on financial track.

“I can save more money for my retirement,” she said.

--------------------------------------

Well... in the article's defense, she doesn't seem like she's complaining ..


But on the plus side, Brown said she’s happy to leave the driving to someone else when the weather gets nasty, while she knits or crochets. The cost savings also have allowed the 63-year-old to stay on financial track.“I can save more money for my retirement,” she said.

I am having a tough time finding anything to criticize in the article. Why the pissy attitude by the OP.

She's doing good for 63. At that age she was at the gym and taking night classes. If she hadn't been in that good shape, she might not have had the spunk to lose her car. Lots of people that age feel trapped with their cars and have considered their education over. And she knows the financial benefits. :D

Why do you call her a nitwit? Why do you assume that she's lost bladder control. It's a pretty mean-spirited post you laid out there TH. :(

Sounds like a perfect example of someone taking a quote out of context to try and prove a point. Unfortunately everyone actually clicked on the link and read the article.

-D

She's doing good for 63. At that age she was at the gym and taking night classes.

Interesting key word there -- she was going to the gym and taking night classes.

She isn't anymore, not because of feeling old & tired, but because her journey takes too long and/or doesn't go where she needs it to go.

Not only is she spending less on gas, but also, those two businesses have lost a client & student because, indirectly, of high gas prices.

At least she's not riding the car. Sounds like an improvement to me.

I think the 1.1 mile 17 minute walk twice a day is a decent substitute for a gym.;)

Aaron:)

I think the 1.1 mile 17 minute walk twice a day is a decent substitute for a gym.;)

Aaron:)

Yeah, true -- I suppose that when I think of "gym", I think of hour-long haze-fests. :D

I think more telling examples in the article are the ones where families are sacrificing all sorts of things in their daily lives just so they can keep driving. Our local newspaper ran a similar article, and one couple said they never go anywhere or do anything for fun anymore. During the week they work, and on the weekends they stay in the house because they can't afford any unnecessary gasoline. It's disturbing how helpless many Americans are without cars. What happens when they can't afford to drive to work? Will they just sit at home and starve to death?

I think more telling examples in the article are the ones where families are sacrificing all sorts of things in their daily lives just so they can keep driving. Our local newspaper ran a similar article, and one couple said they never go anywhere or do anything for fun anymore. During the week they work, and on the weekends they stay in the house because they can't afford any unnecessary gasoline. It's disturbing how helpless many Americans are without cars. What happens when they can't afford to drive to work? Will they just sit at home and starve to death?

Yep...and then blame the government for not helping them out. FWIW I would RATHER stay home than work at my "real job" I have plenty to do around here...get the gardens ready, get the chicken coop finished, take a bike ride, work on my bikes...and that doesn't include the honey do list:rolleyes:;)

Aaron:)

I think the 1.1 mile 17 minute walk twice a day is a decent substitute for a gym.;)

Aaron:)

Damn good time for a 63 year old--or a 23 year old.

I wonder if she ever thought about getting a bike. She could probably do that trip in less than 5 minutes. Of course, it would be less exercise so maybe she doesn't want to.

Damn good time for a 63 year old--or a 23 year old.

I wonder if she ever thought about getting a bike. She could probably do that trip in less than 5 minutes. Of course, it would be less exercise so maybe she doesn't want to.

But it might also mean that she'd be able to do her gym and her classes as well.

But it might also mean that she'd be able to do her gym and her classes as well.

That's why I first got a bike several years ago. I was carfree but walking everywhere, enjoying the activity and the exercise, when it hit me like a heavenly light shining on the road: "Bicycle! I would already be there if I had a bicycle!"

That's why I first got a bike several years ago. I was carfree but walking everywhere, enjoying the activity and the exercise, when it hit me like a heavenly light shining on the road: "Bicycle! I would already be there if I had a bicycle!"


Yes, walking is great exercise, good for you and the environment, but it's not fast!

Riding a bike is the perfect balance--still excellent exercise, still good for you and the environment, but a whole lot faster getting there :D .

East Hill

I feel sorry for these people who have public transit systems that are fussy about whether/when you bring bikes on. IMO, a bike can overcome the shortfalls of many systems in this country and turn a ridiculously long commute into something more reasonable. It would also have the potential to increase ridership.

It's too bad these public transit authorities don't see it that way. :(

I feel sorry for these people who have public transit systems that are fussy about whether/when you bring bikes on. IMO, a bike can overcome the shortfalls of many systems in this country and turn a ridiculously long commute into something more reasonable. It would also have the potential to increase ridership.

It's too bad these public transit authorities don't see it that way. :(

Well, on the other hand, bikes take up space that would be otherwise occupied by more paying riders.

Of course, that's not as much of a problem when transit isn't running at high capacities, and can often be negated by cyclists using small folding bikes. But there are times when I have to jostle for a place to put my two feet without getting complaints of harassment from other transit riders -- and, obviously, a regular bike would be a royal pain for everyone.

Damn good time for a 63 year old--or a 23 year old.

I wonder if she ever thought about getting a bike. She could probably do that trip in less than 5 minutes. Of course, it would be less exercise so maybe she doesn't want to.

Very good for a 63 year old in the US. I ran into an older (than me...) man yesterday at the grocery store. He was riding a bike and stopped to ask me about my hi-viz jacket. We got to talking and he explained that he had lost his license and that he was now 80 years old. His health was pretty good, he said, but he was a little concerned about the advisability of biking at his age. He seemed a little depressed about it all, but I reminded him that most people in their 40s couldn't do what he was doing. Reason to be proud! :D

I am back in my home away from home...N Charleston, SC and the lower income people down here GET IT! All of the CARTA (http://www.ridecarta.com/home/default.aspx) buses appear to have front bike racks. And most of the time when I see them rolling past my new motel they have full racks! I am in the market for a folder (Brommie by the end of the summer, if not earlier) and will hit the buses and the Amtrak...HARD! I think that more and more as fuel prices rise, the mass transit people will be forced to go along with bikes on board, somehow, someway, somewhere.

Aaron:)

I am having a tough time finding anything to criticize in the article. Why the pissy attitude by the OP.

How about this:


“I’m not a proponent of driving around in a hybrid or one of those cars that gets 30 or 40 miles to the gallon,” Barcusky said. “That, unfortunately, is not a choice I can make with a family of five.”A Toyota Prius has plenty of room. So what if the kids don't have all the room in the world in the backseat? This is just one more example of the typical American's ridiculous belief that everything has to be too big. The kids should have been taught well enough to realize that having a car at all is, by any account from any age other than our own, an icredible luxury possible because of and only because of the availability of cheap fossil fuels. My country is full of a bunch of pampered babies. When the US finally realizes that we can't keep pretending that natural limits don't exist, a whole new world of choices that "couldn't" be made suddenly will be made.

Of course I've been hastening to add to my rants of this kind lately that at least an equal share of the blame should be placed on those responsible for building the absurdly car-dependent infrastructure we have now in the first place. When I go to a plaza of stores (perhaps ironically to renew the license plates of my Prius) that includes a bike shop and that has a great deal of high-density housing across the street and there still isn't a single place to lock a bicycle except for to the water meter in the back of the building, it becomes just a little more clear just why everyone is car-crazy.

My country is full of a bunch of pampered babies.

As also evidenced by the first quote in the article, which says, "We eventually hope to get another [sedan], but that’s a huge sacrifice for us," after finally getting rid of their SUV.

That's a mother of two kids. TWO. What the hell? We were a family of four, two parents and two kids and a dog, and used a single sedan for quite a few years. We did get a "wagon" at one point -- an '84 Honda Civic 5-door.

Bah. When people whine about how they have to "sacrifice" their SUV, I just shake my head and think, "You should've thought of this sooner."

We've already made a lot of the adjustments that others are just starting to make. So, even though we have our fun here on the Carfree forum, most of us probably feel a little sorry for the motorists that we know in real life. But it is a little hard to sympathize with these guys (from the article):


<The couple also has given up on day trips into the mountains, and they are considering trading in their Chrysler van for a more fuel-efficient vehicle. But while Dolce does use a scooter to get around town sometimes, he said he hasn’t been able to let go of the Porsche Boxster he bought with an inheritance a couple years ago.“We’re hoping it’s going to only be (for) the short-term,” he said of the couple’s budgeting.>

We've already made a lot of the adjustments that others are just starting to make. So, even though we have our fun here on the Carfree forum, most of us probably feel a little sorry for the motorists that we know in real life.

According to the article..."Prices at the pump have been pushed to levels many couldn't conceive of even a year ago, and analysts and the Energy Department are both expecting the cost of gas to rise even further this spring and summer."

Sad but true. Most people don't have the ability to think much unless goaded to it by media. Then they don't think so much as react as told. Years ago, I had a Chevy Nova. While it was fairly fast and fun, it was thirsty. I knew that I could never afford to run it if gas prices soared up to 2-3$ a gallon, so it went onto eBay.

And perhaps we are still leading the way as we continue to grow and change. I'm buying a Bikes to Work trailer that probably can carry more than the Nova did. How long before bicycles with trailers become common?

<“We’re hoping it’s going to only be (for) the short-term,” he said of the couple’s budgeting.>

There's another thing I find puzzling. Many people seem to think that gas is going to drop back down to levels they feel are reasonable. Only once in my lifetime can I remember gas dropping a significant amount and staying there for more than a few weeks. It pretty much always works like this:

-Gas reaches $3.19-

Average American: "Oh no, when will it end?!?!"

-Gas drops to $3.09-

Average American: "Whew, now that's more like it!"

-Gas reaches $3.29-

Average American: "Oh no, when will it end?!?!"

-Gas drops to $3.19-

Average American: "Whew, now that's more like it!"

This is how it's been for years and years, and yet people still think gas will go down eventually. I don't understand that.

There's another thing I find puzzling. Many people seem to think that gas is going to drop back down to levels they feel are reasonable. Only once in my lifetime can I remember gas dropping a significant amount and staying there for more than a few weeks. It pretty much always works like this:

-Gas reaches $3.19-

Average American: "Oh no, when will it end?!?!"

-Gas drops to $3.09-

Average American: "Whew, now that's more like it!"

-Gas reaches $3.29-

Average American: "Oh no, when will it end?!?!"

-Gas drops to $3.19-

Average American: "Whew, now that's more like it!"

This is how it's been for years and years, and yet people still think gas will go down eventually. I don't understand that.

That is pretty funny. :D
A friend said she was glad prices "went back down" this week, even though they're still a lot higher than a couple months ago.

But haven't gas prices stayed pretty flat for a lot of years? I could be wrong, but I don't think they started outrunning inflation rates until a couple years ago.

That is pretty funny. :D
A friend said she was glad prices "went back down" this week, even though they're still a lot higher than a couple months ago.

But haven't gas prices stayed pretty flat for a lot of years? I could be wrong, but I don't think they started outrunning inflation rates until a couple years ago.


Yeah, I think in relation to everything else, gas hasn't gone up all that much until recently. I think people don't notice (as much) how much more expensive everything is now. When you buy gas, you see that huge sign out front showing you how expensive it is. But when you buy groceries, all the little things you bought are a little more. So you think, "Well, I must have bought a little more this week than I did last week." I don't think most people pay attention to the prices in the grocery store as much (I know I don't), but gasoline prices stare them in the face constantly when they're driving down the road.

Yeah, I think in relation to everything else, gas hasn't gone up all that much until recently. I think people don't notice (as much) how much more expensive everything is now. When you buy gas, you see that huge sign out front showing you how expensive it is. But when you buy groceries, all the little things you bought are a little more. So you think, "Well, I must have bought a little more this week than I did last week." I don't think most people pay attention to the prices in the grocery store as much (I know I don't), but gasoline prices stare them in the face constantly when they're driving down the road.

Food and gas prices are both rising fast, and probably for some of the same reasons, like maybe the weak dollar and the ethanol boondoggle. I think higher fuel prices directly affect food prices also.

But, IIRC, neither food nor gas prices are even included in the "official" inflation rate. Is my memory correct? If so, why is this?

But, IIRC, neither food nor gas prices are even included in the "official" inflation rate. Is my memory correct? If so, why is this?

Because the government wishes to keep inflation numbers under control, for one thing. If my pay increase is tied to the CPI (and it is), the government spends far less money if it claims that the inflation rate is only 2% instead of the actual 7%. Keeps down the amount spent for SS, pensions, etc.

A lot of factors go into the CPI--including the desire of the government to make it show wildly skewed statistics...

East Hill

Oh noes!!

we might have to sell the porsche.

now thats sacrifice, american style!

ever since someone mentioned to me that bottled water costs more per gallon than gasoline does, i haven't really felt all that bad about how expensive gas is. it's a huge privilege to be able to travel, so i can't complain.

it's kind of hard for me to relate to people saying they have to stop going out to eat or stop buying food so they can afford to buy gas. i am not in a rich community (by american standards), and everyone seems to have xboxes, thousand-dvd movie collections, huge stereos, whatever. i'd be really interested to see the real figures on where people's money is going, and which groups of people are really having trouble. i'm very low-income, but i live in a middle-class household, and at THIS point, right now, the only way we'd be too broke to buy gas would be because of gross negligence or priorities that are criminally out of whack. so i do wonder where the other money is going, in those "pinched" middle-class households.

i dont know though. i guess they are ignorant of things just like i am. i think they are foolish, but i am pretty foolish myself, in my own ways.

...so i do wonder where the other money is going, in those "pinched" middle-class households...

Most people I know, middle class or otherwise, are in an enormous amount of debt. So I'm guessing that, after paying all their bills, it probably is pretty difficult to have enough left over for food and gas. What's terrible is that their debt is usually for things like multiple cars, ridiculous televisions, swimming pools, etc.

it's kind of hard for me to relate to people saying they have to stop going out to eat or stop buying food so they can afford to buy gas. i am not in a rich community (by american standards), and everyone seems to have xboxes, thousand-dvd movie collections, huge stereos, whatever. i'd be really interested to see the real figures on where people's money is going, and which groups of people are really having trouble.

Last summer I went to my nephew's wedding. One thing that I noticed was that my niece had a big house of her own, a new car, a huge TV, a large and new living room set with L shaped couches and a large book/DVD cabinet that fitted around the TV. All this on a City Park Ranger's salary.

I compared my $500 car, 19" TV bought on sale. and freebie furniture on my salary. I was puzzled momentarily. What's missing here, I asked myself. Then the answer came to me. Debt.

When I visited again at Christmas, my niece had sold the house, moved back in with her parents and had to get a second job at Starbucks to pay off all these things. It's a hard lesson.

i guess that's the "priorities criminally out of whack" thing. i can't judge them, but i'm glad i'm not currently in that situation. i am gonna do my best to stay out of it.

i'm really lucky to have gotten the message as a child that credit cards are a world of hurt. also, my dad has told us over and over again the story of his plymouth duster. he bought the car, it was a lemon, but he had to keep paying for it, AND he had to pay to get it fixed. the payments kept him from being able to move from a job he hated to something better that didn't pay as well. couldn't take time off for school or anything. that made an impression on me. if there's anything i want to avoid, it's having to go to work :) i want to work as little as possible. if that means i can't have a swimming pool, then that's awesome by me.
sometimes i forget how lucky i am. but i am remembering right now!

Well, I don't like credit cards for my own lifestyle, but I know a lot of people who use them responsibly and never have any problems because of them.

Last summer I went to my nephew's wedding. One thing that I noticed was that my niece had a big house of her own, a new car, a huge TV, a large and new living room set with L shaped couches and a large book/DVD cabinet that fitted around the TV. All this on a City Park Ranger's salary.

I compared my $500 car, 19" TV bought on sale. and freebie furniture on my salary. I was puzzled momentarily. What's missing here, I asked myself. Then the answer came to me. Debt.

When I visited again at Christmas, my niece had sold the house, moved back in with her parents and had to get a second job at Starbucks to pay off all these things. It's a hard lesson.

I notice the same thing. Too many people think they should instantly have the lifestyle their parents spent 20 years to develop.