Roody

At some point, you might consider selling the car, but keeping the money from the sale in a bank account. That way you could easily buy another car if being carlight didn't work out for you.

But in the meanwhile, you wouldn't have to pay for insurance, registration, and storage of the car. You also wouldn't have the temptation of driving it when you felt a bit lazy.

Chances are, being carlight will work out for you. Eventually you will want to spend the car sale money. Probably you will buy a great new bike with some of the money!

Roody

I wonder if the wife would like it if he sold both cars, then pooled the proceeds to buy one new car for her--a nicer, more reliable car. And maybe a sum could be set aside for a car repair fund. This might help her to feel more secure in a carlight household.

bbeasley

Some combination of the above plus:

"I can have a rental car in under an hour"

"I can borrow the shop pickup truck any time I want"

Eventually she'll get a comfort level with this, it's just a big change or so it appears.

gerv 

Yes. Most human beings are driven by habit. Me as much as anyone else. You can form good habits or bad habits. So if you are used to riding a bike to pick up groceries, going there by car will seem a little odd.

bbeasley

Today's small step. Commuted to work in the pouring rain. Like most things, no big deal with the right equipment.

Actually this feels like a huge step.

Roody

Congratulations! It is a HUGE step. We are brainwashed from birth to believe that weather is a big deal or a deal breaker. It's not. Weather is just a normal fact of life. I try to respect it, but not let it rule my life.

enigmaT120

I agree with Roody, it's a big step. I wish I could change my way of thinking to where I liked rain. I'd be a lot happier, especially considering where I live. The kids around Falls City don't seem to pay any attention to rain, they just wander around or hang out anyway. They don't have rain gear, just sweat shirt/hoody layers.

Roody

I'm not crazy about rain either, mainly because I wear glasses. But I don't let rain stop me from doing what I really need or want to do.

• To keep my spirits up, I think about how great it will feel when I finally get home to a hot shower and dry clothing.
• I also remind myself that bad weather is just a minor inconvenience. It's offset by the major benefits of being carfree.
• Sometimes I walk or take a bus--I'm still in the rain, but I can use an umbrella to keep my glasses dry.
• Sometimes I even defer non-essential trips when it's raining.

bbeasley

I appreciate all the encouragement! You might be surprised, or not, how much just expressing my thoughts here has helped me work through this process.

no1mad 

I think that attitude will vary depending on the type of rain. A stroll in a gentle rain can be rather refreshing, but getting caught out in a hard rain or storm... not so much.

bbeasley

One month in the bag, It's habit now. The only thing I see on the horizon is cold weather and where I live it doesn't get all that cold.

A friend is biking across the US now, I might try to buy his B.O.B. trailer when he gets back. I don't need the trailer as we'll always have one car. However, I like the idea of being able to go grocery shopping if I want to.

Roody

I'm happy but not surprised that it's going well for you.

bbeasley

60 days in and we're doing great sharing one car. We've agreed to wait until next spring to sell my car. She want's to see me make it through a winter. Where I live winter would be a joke to many of you but to her it's a big deal. I don't see any obstacles keeping me from continuing to use my bike for primary transportation.

I'm settling into a rhythm where I'm riding ~60 miles per week for transportation and another 100 for fun.

Roody

Thats fantastic! I ride similar miles in the summer, and cut back some in the winter. I've averaged 100 miles/year over the long haul. A little less now that I live two blocks from work.