I am so excited right now — I can barely contain myself! I just finished reading the first chapter in, How to Live Well Without Owning a Car!
I have mentioned before that L and divorced our car. It was one of the best decisions we have ever made.
Since, the divorce we finished paying off our debt and have saved a significant portion of cash for our tiny house.
Here are some startling facts from the book:
- Americans spent 1/5 of their income on cars.
- According to a 2004 American Automobile Association study, the average American spends $8,410 per year to own a vehicle!
- That’s equal to $700 per month! The figure includes car payments, insurance, gas, oil, car washes, registration fees and taxes, parking, tools and repairs.
(Note – gas prices have gone up significantly since 2004. More than likely, the average American is probably spending more than $8,000 per year on their car)
I know circumstances change and some people do need cars. But, you can be car free and live extremely well.
Sell your car and take the path toward financial freedom, an improved social life, physical and emotional health, and more.
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Very cool. We Living Smallers have lived car-free for the past two years in Seattle, and it’s incredible. We do borrow a Zipcar every three months or so, but we’ve found it is incredibly reasonable to live without wheels in the city. I’ll have to check out some of the other tips in the book. Thanks for blogging it.
The book rocks and it has given me more ideas to make our car free lifestyle even better.
We have been renting a car about once a month to travel and it works out really well! I wish Sacramento had Zipcar’s — what an excellent alternative.
By selling the car, I knew we would save a significant portion of our income. But it didn’t really hit home until I started reading this book. All the hidden car costs were sinking us financially. It is a good feeling to be back on track!
Thanks for reading RowdyKittens!
I also adored this book. Loved it! I’ve been carfree for 2 years as of May 1 and love it. I’ve gotten used to it though and sort of miss the nostalgia of those first few months of figuring out to get around creatively. This book was totally inspirational and put me over the edge from car-lite to carfree. The money I saved allowed me to take a sabbatical from work for 6 months. Glad you recommended it to your readers.
I am carfree also, though my hubbie commutes to work in another town 25 minutes or so. Our creativity will come in when the car dies. It is promising to do that anyday now!!!!! We don’t want to buy another car or fix this up as it will surely be a downhill slide. However, there is no public transportation going that way. Also I’ve noticed that I get really lazy on the weekends and can slip into jumping in the car. Usually it’s to buy wood or something for our cash only tiny home we are building. But really, I’m lazy guys. I am going to see to it that I take the bike
more on weekends, OK? You youngsters really keep me on the straight and narrow toward a better lifestyle! I love you Rowdy Kitten
Ellen – you are a sweet pea. Thank you so much. Seriously. You made my day.
I know you can do it! Biking on the weekend is so much fun. Maybe you and your hubbie can start biking together? It always helps to have a partner. Hugs.
Thanks for reading RowdyKittens.
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