“January, 2008” Archive
Jan
28
First off, thanks to everyone who has been checking in, anxiously awaiting an update. I sincerely appreciate your loyalty to the blog, particularly your encouraging comments. The loyal readers of this blog are what keep me motivated to continue telling my story.
So as most folks are aware, in early December I made one of the more dramatic lifestyle changes I’ve made thus far: I got rid of my car. I described my motivation in detail in an earlier post, but I will summarize here:
- Reduce Expenses
- Reduce Expenses
- Reduce Expenses
- Do my part for the environment
During the first 45 days, I have done pretty well at reducing expenses as a result of turning in my leased car. I estimated that I was spending between $180-$225 on gas each month, so I realized an immediate savings once the car was gone. In addition, I am saving about $95 per month for auto insurance, which again was an immediate savings. Conversely, because the car was leased I still own Honda Finance 5 more months of payments. As such, I won’t see the stellar savings until the summer, when gas in my humble opinion is likely to reach $4/gallon.
So, how is life without a car you ask? I’ve found that living without a car in a city like Seattle–which has good but not great public transportation–is quite easy to do and frankly fairly enjoyable. Other than the obvious expense reduction there have been a number of noticeable things that have come about as a result of living car-free:
1) I Get More Exercise
I walk a lot of places now that I don’t have a car. My neighborhood, according to Walkscore.com (and I agree) is fairly walkable, meaning banks, grocery stores, drugstores, public transportation etc., is all within a reasonable walking distance. I read somewhere that in order to lose weight, in addition to regular aerobic exercise, you should take at least 10K steps per day. With all the walking I do at work, on the way to work and on the way to the bus each day, I’m hitting nearly 13K steps per day, which makes me happy.
2) Other Expenses are Down
One thing I have noticed since having to rely on public transportation or the occasional Flexcar is that I spend significantly less money on things like groceries and household items. The reason is quite simple: I can only buy what I carry, so I only buy what I NEED. I think walking to your local grocery store, if practical, will cause you to be a lot more deliberate about your purchases and I will guarantee that you will see the savings in your wallet.
3) Less Stressed and More Focused At Work
Traffic here in Seattle is absolutely horrible, particularly the route I was forced to take each day to work. I found that by the time I dealt with traffic, drivers who didn’t know how to merge and–incredibly given I live in Seattle–how to drive properly in the rain, I was very stressed out and angry by the time I got to work. It would often take me an hour or so to cool down and be able to focus on the events of the day (also quite stressful). Now I find myself able to read, listen to my iPod or simply zone out on the way to work. I have about a 10 minute walk from the bus stop to my office, and by the time I arrive I am nice and relaxed and ready to focus.
Some of you might be wondering–and I thought about this myself–if I will ever own a car again. The answer to that question is yes. For the time being and for the foreseeable future I will live without one. That said, when I do buy another car, it will be something much more practical, fuel efficient and affordable.
