Sold the car, and going car-lite!
 

After browsing through here, and crunching the numbers, my wife and I decided we would sell my car. Since we live in a rural area where many comforts we are used to having in an urban area are not available and we have a 14 month old, we do need to hang onto one car.

The immediate effects are that it will save us at least $200 a month in just insurance and fuel. I thought I'd be sad to see it go, since I've owned a car since I was 17, but I really felt an overwhelming sense of relief! I should've done this year ago!

Thanks for the inspiration everyone.

Congratulations! What a nice Christmas present to yourself. What changes did you have to make to your routine to get by without the car?

You can do it. From my experience, the feeling of relief will take a long time to go away. Good way to start the new year.

I haven't really had to change much. I work less than 5 miles from home, and pretty much write my own schedule. The most I've really had to do, is prepare my bag and lunch the night before and leave 45 minutes earlier than I did when I drove. I do have to prepare for the weather more since we get quite a bit of rain but temperatures stick between the low 40's and 50's during winter. My wife is a stay home mom, and not much has changed for her.

You have a great situation for Car Lite. Congratulations, I hope it is awesome for you!

Brilliant!

;)

If you have to leave forty-five minutes earlier when you ride versus when you drove for a sub-five mile trip, I'm left to wonder just what terrain you are riding over. Are you riding from the shoreline to Ferndale over The Wall or something? Perhaps the extra time is being allotted for clean-up at the job site?

Yeah, extra time is to change and clean up; actual ride time is only about 10 more minutes. I was also perpetually late when I drove haha!

sweet, I make my living with my van, if not I wouldnt own a car. After work I almost never get back in my car, I ride my bike everywhere, to the market, to doctor appointments. I still ride in the winter but if there is 5 or 6 inches on the ground and not plowed, it is hard to ride.

congratulations, a car is nothing but a pain the rear.

I'd recommend riding at a slower pace; perhaps a ride time 15 more minutes than previously, rather than 10. Forget about cleanup and clothes changing; save 40 minutes.

Needing to have a professional appearance, riding in my work clothes isn't really an option. I usually end up with about 20 minutes to kill anyway. It gives me time to myself or to get a head start on work.

I agree this is a good idea for most people to try. You can sometimes get there quicker by going a little slower. (I love a good paradox!) Of course I accept the OP's explanation why this idea doesn't work for him personally.

Way to go! I'm still hanging on to my now 18 year old car, just spent $600 on brakes. You won't have those expenses anymore.

Nice work! My car is now 19, and I just spent $200 on a minor repair. My partner and I are moving next month, but we talked it over, and I'm going to sell the car (our only one) once that is done. The funny thing is that it will be the first time we've had a garage in years.

You're lucky...A garage is a wonderful thing to have, especially if you're carfree.

This was my feeling when I got rid of my car. Congrats!

I agree. We have a two car garage and park our one car outside; more because it's a rental and the opener doesn't work, but hey, it's a big place to store stuff and work on projects.

On a side note, since I sold my car, my blood pressure has returned to a normal level for the first time in at least 5 years.