Originally Posted by cyccommute

Don't ignore the former but try talking to her. Point out that the bicycle reduces the mileage, wear and tear, and thus the need for a new car. I have a 1999 truck that has 160,000 miles on it. I put gas in it irregularly. This spring, I filled the tank in May and then again in July. I was 3 days shy of 90 days between fill ups. I change the oil in the truck roughly once a year because it takes that long to get enough mileage to justify an oil change. I haven't had a car payment in around 15 years. I put around 700 gallons of gas (at $2 to $3 per gallon) in the vehicle every year for a truck that gets 12 miles to the gallon and a 20 mile round trip commute. I also track both my bicycle mileage and vehicle mileage so that I have data to back up my claims.

Based on my data, I save about $1200 per year on gasoline alone. I save $3600 per year by not making a car payment. I save $200 to $300 per year on insurance because of my low vehicle mileage. That's pretty close to $5000 per year about $300 in vehicle savings. It's ain't chump change.

My wife is very understanding of how much my "hobby" costs and how much it actually saves. Our household budget reflects that understanding and we have a very generous bicycle budget for both of us. We still have to pay for some vehicle repairs and it never ceases to amaze me how much we are willing to spend on a repairing a car vs what we both think is reasonable for a bicycle. Dropping $3000 on a bike is ridiculously expensive but dropping $3000 on a car isn't. Go figure.