Almost a perfect chance for me to go car-light again...almost
03-13-14, 06:20 PM
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Almost a perfect chance for me to go car-light again...almost
I do quite a bit of reading here, not much posting. Mainly bc I am too lazy to type on a tablet...
Anyways, I was very car-light back in 2007 before starting college. I relocated and went to school full time, worked almost full time and was no longer able to commute by bike. I graduated with my B.S. in May of last year, then decided to go to grad school part time while working full time. Fortunately, for me, my fiance's work hours are the same as mine and we work about 0.25 miles apart, and our three year old son's daycare is right around the corner from our jobs. My clunker car finally gave up the ghost about 2 weeks ago. This would have left me with the perfect opportunity to carpool and cycle in for work. Except for the fact that we both take night classes, and the kid has to get home somehow.
I have always wanted to get back to the car light lifestyle, and having to pony up $3500 while in grad school for another car that I didn't want definitely made me realize how much I can't wait to get the chance to not be so dependent on a car. Oh well, only 3 more years of grad school for me, and one more semester of school for the fiance and I should be set
I hope this isnt just a rambling post, I just wanted to share my personal experience with this.
Anyways, I was very car-light back in 2007 before starting college. I relocated and went to school full time, worked almost full time and was no longer able to commute by bike. I graduated with my B.S. in May of last year, then decided to go to grad school part time while working full time. Fortunately, for me, my fiance's work hours are the same as mine and we work about 0.25 miles apart, and our three year old son's daycare is right around the corner from our jobs. My clunker car finally gave up the ghost about 2 weeks ago. This would have left me with the perfect opportunity to carpool and cycle in for work. Except for the fact that we both take night classes, and the kid has to get home somehow.
I have always wanted to get back to the car light lifestyle, and having to pony up $3500 while in grad school for another car that I didn't want definitely made me realize how much I can't wait to get the chance to not be so dependent on a car. Oh well, only 3 more years of grad school for me, and one more semester of school for the fiance and I should be set
I hope this isnt just a rambling post, I just wanted to share my personal experience with this.
03-13-14, 07:48 PM
#2
In the right lane
If you are in grad school, you need to keep expenditures to a minimum. Car light is the ticket if you can't ditch the vehicle completely.
03-14-14, 12:42 AM
#3
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Your post took me back to my days in grad school. Do you ever take your son on the bike with you? Have you done much riding at night?
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03-14-14, 01:06 AM
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The distance from your employers and daycare would make it easy to carpool, especially with similar work schedules. So the hurdle you have is the evenings/nights- I take it that you have worked out your respective class schedules so that someone is always home with your child? So how far is school from work and home?
It may not be as convenient, but it appears that your schedules would make it possible to share the one vehicle. Depending on what kind of mileage, you will be spending a bit more on fuel and accelerating the PM service(s) for the vehicle, but that has got to be cheaper than acquiring, insuring, and maintaining another one- not to mention that IME a really cheap used car tends to need nearly as much in repair as the vehicle is worth.
It may not be as convenient, but it appears that your schedules would make it possible to share the one vehicle. Depending on what kind of mileage, you will be spending a bit more on fuel and accelerating the PM service(s) for the vehicle, but that has got to be cheaper than acquiring, insuring, and maintaining another one- not to mention that IME a really cheap used car tends to need nearly as much in repair as the vehicle is worth.
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03-14-14, 07:03 PM
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Yea, we do a "family" type ride with a group in the neighborhood most Saturdays. He rides in a trailer. He also has his bike and balance bike that he rides outside by the house, and still waiting for him to fit the trail-a-bike I bought him. I wanted to get him started as early as possible!
I have done some night riding. I will start riding into work one or twice a week, and it will be pretty dark when I leave in the mornings!
03-14-14, 07:09 PM
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Yea, we do a "family" type ride with a group in the neighborhood most Saturdays. He rides in a trailer. He also has his bike and balance bike that he rides outside by the house, and still waiting for him to fit the trail-a-bike I bought him. I wanted to get him started as early as possible!
I have done some night riding. I will start riding into work one or twice a week, and it will be pretty dark when I leave in the mornings!
I have done some night riding. I will start riding into work one or twice a week, and it will be pretty dark when I leave in the mornings!
Aaron
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Webshots is bailing out, if you find any of my posts with corrupt picture files and want to see them corrected please let me know. :(
ISO: A late 1980's Giant Iguana MTB frameset (or complete bike) 23" Red with yellow graphics.
"Cycling should be a way of life, not a hobby.
RIDE, YOU FOOL, RIDE!"_Nicodemus
"Steel: nearly a thousand years of metallurgical development
Aluminum: barely a hundred
Which one would you rather have under your butt at 30mph?"_krazygluon
03-14-14, 07:12 PM
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The distance from your employers and daycare would make it easy to carpool, especially with similar work schedules. So the hurdle you have is the evenings/nights- I take it that you have worked out your respective class schedules so that someone is always home with your child? So how far is school from work and home?
It may not be as convenient, but it appears that your schedules would make it possible to share the one vehicle. Depending on what kind of mileage, you will be spending a bit more on fuel and accelerating the PM service(s) for the vehicle, but that has got to be cheaper than acquiring, insuring, and maintaining another one- not to mention that IME a really cheap used car tends to need nearly as much in repair as the vehicle is worth.
It may not be as convenient, but it appears that your schedules would make it possible to share the one vehicle. Depending on what kind of mileage, you will be spending a bit more on fuel and accelerating the PM service(s) for the vehicle, but that has got to be cheaper than acquiring, insuring, and maintaining another one- not to mention that IME a really cheap used car tends to need nearly as much in repair as the vehicle is worth.
When it comes to cars, luckily I am failing mechanically inclined and have access to a large number of tools, so I am able to do most of my own repairs and maintenance so I am able to keep them up and going for fairly cheap. I guess right now in my career and education, I kind of see it as a necessary evil that I hope to be fully done with soon!
