Park your car, get fit and save money.

Discussion in Misc & Others started by Lostvalleyguy • Jun 5, 2014.

  1. Lostvalleyguy

    LostvalleyguyActive Member

    Joined:
    Feb 24, 2014
    Threads:
    168
    Messages:
    524
    Likes Received:
    14
    This fits in so many categories I will place it in here.

    How would your life change if you awoke tomorrow morning and found that you didn't have a car? What if I give you a week to plan? Would your life change at all?

    When you operate without a car as I do for part of the year, you save money. It isn't just the direst savings in car insurance but the indirect savings on all of the expenses we make because we can conveniently buy something and get it home. Anything "bigger than a breadbox" has to be shipped to my home as it will not fit on my bike. This means that the purchase of any bulky item must be carefully thought out and often wont get purchased. When I shop for groceries I either walk or ride my bike the approximately two miles to the nearest store. I buy what I need and only if there is space can I grab an impulse item. The bus is an option but I still am required to lug my items to and from the bus which is not as convenient as a car.

    One gets more exercise when one doesn't drive everywhere. Even though I am usually active, it is still easy for me to be tempted to drive if the car is available. Without it, I have no choice but to walk or cycle. My no car body is about five pounds leaner than my car enabled body.

    When I do have my truck on the road, it is used efficiently. I plan my trips and organize my time more wisely doing more in an outing than I used to.

    Would you give up a vehicle for a month to experiment with this? You might be surprised how quickly the excuses for needing a car every day evaporate.
     
  2. Pat

    PatWell-Known Member

    Joined:
    Mar 28, 2012
    Threads:
    66
    Messages:
    2,725
    Likes Received:
    328
    I don't have a car at the moment, it does require planning when you need to use public transportation to get where you need to go. In my area our bus only runs once an hour which can make a short trip an all day activity. I do walk as far as I can to avoid having to ride the bus, which does mean I can not carry very much and only purchase what I need.

    I prefer to have the car mainly because we have no transportation on the weekends or evenings, which limits my ability to go out on the weekends or in the evenings.
     
  3. jewel777

    jewel777Active Member

    Joined:
    Jun 22, 2012
    Threads:
    2
    Messages:
    217
    Likes Received:
    6
    I live in LA where the bus system is pretty good, but it still is very tiring. When I have a lot of things to carry, it puts limitations on what store I can shop at. I don't want to travel too far because it can be exhausting, and I don't want to have to walk to far. So it can be challenging to find stores that are close to the bus route and close to my home as well. Luckily I have friends who take me shopping from time to time. That really helps out a lot.
     
  4. 003

    003Well-Known Member

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2014
    Threads:
    174
    Messages:
    1,148
    Likes Received:
    36
    Park your car, get fit and save money, but you won't save time. And these days time is as precious as gold. It's as precious as money. The downside is that they are inversely proportional. They rarely go directly proportional to each other. The more you save time, the more money would be demanded. The more you save your money, the more time you would have to spend. It's my dilemma. But I choose time because time can't be regained while money can be. It's not only that. Time also is very limited unlike the money that could go up to thousands, millions and billions.