The Money Mustache Community
General Discussion => Share Your Badassity => Topic started by: sununderwood on June 10, 2014, 10:51:41 PM
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Car-free, year-round bike-commuting rural American right here! This past winter I tested myself to see if I was ready to go car-free and biked every single day, even when it was -20, even when it was snowing without end. Studded tires, clothes... all was well. I took a long distance trip in February and since then, I have not filled up my car gas tank once, doing just about everything via bike and bike trailer.
I've had a paid off beater that was cheap to insure for a long time. I figured it would be fine to hold onto, you know, just in case. Finally took the plunge and sold it today - it was just sitting around deteriorating.
Most people think I'm crazy and can't understand my pure, unadultered blissful elation at ditching a literal 3,200 lbs from my life. And getting paid for it! And opening so much opportunity for my health, sense of adventure, sense of connection to the world around me! Just wanted to post here cause I know you guys get it ;)
I bike trailered a strawberry rhubarb pie to a potlock the other night and was hysterically laughing almost the whole way over imagining someone who drives a car to a party just because they have one little pie in tow. I've had a car since I was 16. I've known no other way. Without MMM I would more than likely never have sold my car.
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Congratulations! I am pea green with envy. It sounds like you are more than prepared for this adventure. :)
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Badass! Being that crazy person cackling about something ridiculous to yourself while biking around town is a specialty of mine too.
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That's freaking awesome!!! I have been biking to work everyday for a while and hope to do the same one day. ( havent made it through a full winter yet). :-)
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Congratulations man! That's incredible.
My wife and I have two vehicles but my dad's car was in the shop a couple of weeks ago so he asked to borrow mine for a few days. Two weeks later and I still haven't gotten it back, although his car has since been fixed, and I'm realizing we really never needed two vehicles in the first place.
Last week I had to travel for work and got a rental car which cost $80 for the weekend and yesterday when I was looking at the receipt to turn it in for reimbursement I thought, "Hell, we could probably get by without a car and just rent when we absolutely need one." Too bad there's no zipcar in our area.
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Enjoy. We sold our car last year when we moved into Boston and walk/bike everywhere, using RelayRides when a car is required.
Get ahead: divert *all* previous monthly car expenses into investments, paying down debt, etc, on a monthly or weekly basis.
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Good on you! I hope to get us down to a one car household eventually, then who knows what the future holds?
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Wow, that is hard core considering the conditions you ride in. Good on you!
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High Five on selling the car. I sold mine and have been biking ever since. I had also had a car since I was 16 but am absolutely stocked not to have that depreciating hulk of potential problems sitting outside.
I started off with a 20km each way trip to work by necessity and eventually found it a breeze and a most enjoyable way to start the day. I have since moved to another city for work an now live 1km from the workplace, it is very disappointing that my ride to work is only 5mins.
I am starting to think about incorporating weekend rides and work up to 100km round trips for the challenge. No snow where I am though and come to think about it I have never seen snow. I have ridden through the odd patch of sand which is hard enough but I can't begin to imagine snow - so nice work mate.
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Wow! Biking in the snow in -20 temperatures is unbelievably badass. Way to go!!
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flipppin' awesome man!
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biking in -20... not envious. trailering a strawberry rhubarb pie to a potluck, very cool. congrats to making the decision to sell your car! definitely some badassity going on.
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Congrats! I know that must feel good. I aspire to your level of badassity…as soon as I can get spouse to agree to sell a car...
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I'm so impressed by you. Living in Washington, DC-- I am terrified to bike. The cars are not courteous. I don't know how people do it. I am considering using public transportation, however. It would save a ton of money-- and 3,000 pounds as you pointed out!
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I'm so impressed by you. Living in Washington, DC-- I am terrified to bike. The cars are not courteous. I don't know how people do it. I am considering using public transportation, however. It would save a ton of money-- and 3,000 pounds as you pointed out!
Agreed! I live in DC, and I live a theoretically bikable 4-miles from my office. But I am terrified to bike in DC. I had no car for one year when I lived in a smaller town, and biked everywhere, and I miss it so much!
I do take public transportation, which my employer subsidizes, so I feel OK about it for a stubble-level Mustachian! The metro is not nearly as bad as the horror stories you will often hear. Maybe 3-4 times a year, there is some hiccup on the morning commute that causes a 30 min plus delay. And yes, the escalators are always broken. But it is clean, safe, and goes from point A to point B! Well worth at least a trial run for changing up your commute, IMHO.