One of my friends who gave us (my two boys and I) a ride to the Easter drama this past Saturday, was giving me a bad time about wasting my money on a new bicycle. He was bragging about how he got a good deal on a bicycle for only $200, what he thought was only an $800 bike, turned out to be a $2,000.00 bike from Craig List!
I tried to point out to him that I have no more cost for maining and operating a motor vehicle, and that it should cost me $50/mo to maintain and operate all three of our bicycles, probably less.
He still continued to argue with me that I could just buy a car for what I spend on bicycles ... I don't know what he's thinking ... He is an educated man, has his own medical business, makes big money.
I think some people are simply trapped into thinking that they must have everything -- big house, big car, more cars, better car, more cars, another house, expensive tv, clothes, furniture, eating out all the time, fancy restaurants, movies, expensive vacations, big screen tv, tv and computer in every room, monstor speakers everywhere, expensive that and that ....
No wonder so many people end up bankrupt. They over spend, and live above their means ....
I know many people who could easily quit driving and get to work by bicycle, bus, walking or a combination .... Some people are probably spending over $2,000.00 each month for their vehicles. I know people who have half a dozen vehicles, and some people with even more vehicles than that, all being used everyday, fully insured, licensed, maintained, operational. That can easily cost $3,000.00 each month for six vehicles!
Yesterday a co-worker finally got it off her chest "You need to get a car in order to live a more simple life.". I quizzed her about just her car expenses- about $1000.00 per month. I pointed out that just the car expenses would pay for rent on a small apartment within a block of work and she could walk to work and to a grocery store. Probably adding $1000.00 per month to her current shelter expenses she could have a big place within a few blocks of work. She would have none of it, she still thought life without a car would be too complicated. She now drives an hour into the city to get to work. I'm relating this to show that there must be a huge population of people like her who don't understand why some car-free people talk about "simple living". This sub-forum even has a sticky thread about living simply, but car dependent people see car-free lifestyle as impossibly complicated.